How do I prove what was on my laptop before giving it for repair?
Prove your important files before the laptop leaves, and keep a sealed record while it is away. A proof made the day you hand it over shows exactly what your files were at that moment: if anything is changed or planted later, it no longer matches. A record kept during the repair shows what was opened, copied or plugged in while the laptop was out of your hands. Together they answer the two questions people ask afterwards: was my data like this before, and what did they touch? Back up first, too: a proof shows what a file was, it does not bring back a file that is lost.
Why both
A proof of your files settles what they were. It cannot say who opened them. A record of the repair says what happened, but not what the files were beforehand. With both, a dispute stops being your word against theirs.
The morning you hand it over
- 01
Back up
Copy everything important off the laptop and check the copy opens.
- 02
Prove your important folders
Documents, photos, anything you would hate to see changed or copied.
- 03
Start a record of the repair
So what happens while it is away is written down and sealed.
- 04
When it comes back
Read the record, and check your files against their proofs.
Rashnova does both, free, on Windows: Rashnova Proof proves your folders in one step before the handover, and Repair Mode keeps a sealed account of what was touched while the laptop was away, with a verdict when it comes back.