Secure Data Wiping & Laptop Processing

Every laptop we buy has its storage drive checked before anything else happens to it. We log the drive against the laptop by its serial number, run a health check on it, and then:

• wipe it if it passes, before the laptop is refurbished, resold or taken apart for parts;
• destroy it if it fails, because a failing drive can’t be relied on to wipe completely;
• record a laptop that arrives without a drive as having none.

No laptop leaves us, whole or in parts, with your data on it.

No. We wipe it either way. If you’d like to clear it yourself as well:

1. Back up anything you want to keep.
2. On Windows 11 go to Settings > System > Recovery > Reset this PC (on Windows 10, Settings > Update & Security > Recovery).
3. Choose Remove everything, turn on Clean data, and let it finish.

Our guide to wiping a laptop before you sell it has every step, including signing out of your accounts.

A laptop that won’t start still has its drive dealt with. We take the drive out and wipe it in another machine, or destroy it if it fails its check. You can sell a broken laptop in the same way as a working one.

Companies usually need paperwork for every device. Our sister company Recycle Your Tec handles corporate IT and provides:

• an erasure report for each device, or a certificate of destruction where a drive is shredded;
• a certificate of wiping for the job;
• an asset report listing every item collected;
• a certificate of recycling, and a consignment note for any hazardous items.

See which of our companies to use.

ALM Wholesale Ltd runs Sell Your Laptop, Recycle Your Tec and New Leaf. Each of these can be checked:

• Cyber Essentials certifiedThe whole company, the government-backed scheme run with the National Cyber Security Centre. Certified 16 April 2026.View the certificate
• Registered with the ICOOn the Information Commissioner’s Office register of data controllers, number ZA800130.Check the register · View the certificate
• Registered waste carrierEnvironment Agency registration CBDU431876, trading as Recycle Your Tec. Valid to April 2028.Check the register · View the card
• Waste exemption T11Environment Agency exemption EXP/QP3947YT to repair and refurbish electrical equipment at our Haverhill site. Valid to July 2028.

Ask us before you send your laptop: call 01440 784570 (09:30 to 16:30) or email info@sellyourlaptop.co.uk.