How to convert work laptop to personal? Various security measures are built into every laptop used for business to keep corporate data safe. When you begin working for a company, you are obliged to turn off all of the security measures on your phone and computer. However, you will find it more difficult to balance your personal and professional lives once you leave the organisation.
How to convert work laptop to personal?
There are no third-party apps or devices like flash drives that can be used on the laptop for everyday tasks like watching movies, listening to music, editing documents, etc., because of the laptop’s restrictions. It’s good to know that there’s an answer to this problem: customising your work laptop. Here are a few ideas for repurposing your business laptop for personal use.
The simplest solution is to remove any work-related data and restore the device to factory settings. Remove the software you need to operate with the corporation, and you’ll have a full personal PC. However, you can disable the security settings on your laptop to allow all third-party software and flash drives to run with it if you want to maintain certain applications or files.
1) Deactivate the Windows Defender security programme.
Microsoft Security Essentials will be pre-installed on your computer, but it won’t be adequate to secure your data. An abundance of anti-virus software is a need when working for a business. These anti-malware scanners ensure that the machine is protected from ransomware, spyware, and other types of malware.
However, data security is critical when working for a company; thus, installing various antivirus products is highly advised. However, you don’t need these security measures if you’re working for yourself or using your work laptop after leaving the company. Antivirus software can cause your computer to run more slowly because it consumes so much processing and memory power. To secure your computer, you should uninstall any additional antivirus software and activate Windows Defender, the built-in security function in Windows. To ensure a safe browser, you should enable Windows Defender. Ransomware and other malware threats, as well as spyware, are all prevented.
2) Encrypt Your Data With TrueCrypt.
You can use TrueCrypt to encrypt all of the data on your work laptop so that no one else can access it without your permission. This open-source software encrypts files, folders, drives, and entire partitions. A virtual encrypted disc can be created within a file and used to store all of your confidential information. You can store the encrypted data on a USB device or email them to yourself to save the encrypted data. How to convert work laptop to personal? To construct a hidden operating system within your current OS, you can use TrueCrypt. The thief or hijacker will be unable to enter this virtual environment until you permit them to do so.
3) Turn off the Windows Firewall
A variety of security methods will protect the data on your business laptop. Another is the firewall, which guards against remote hacking attempts. Windows Firewall should be off if you are utilising a public wifi connection or working on a computer that anybody may access. Disabling your firewall when utilising public Wi-Fi will help keep your machine safe from intrusion.
4) Take use of Portable Apps.
Install all the third-party software you want, as your laptop has no constraints on what you may do with it. You won’t have to install these applications later, saving you time. A portable version of your favourite software can be stored on a USB stick or network-attached storage and used as needed. It’s more convenient to have all of your third-party software on a single disc rather than disperse it around your computer.
5) Stop Windows from downloading and installing new software.
You’ll need to maintain your computer up-to-date at work, as new security patches are released daily. After leaving the company, you don’t need to save this information on your laptop. Turn off Windows Updates to save yourself the trouble of having to download and install them all on a weekly or monthly basis. If you change your mind, you can always upgrade your system.
6) Embrace the Power of Virtualization
You can even utilise virtual machines to save your data after leaving the company or utilising it for your purposes. These virtual machines make it simple to run multiple copies of the Windows operating system on a single computer. VirtualBox, a free virtual machine software, can be used to generate multiple versions of Windows for home use. You can also set up a distinct work environment in your current operating system as an alternative.
7) Safeguard Your Data With BitLocker
In addition to BitLocker, which encrypts entire hard drive sectors, Windows provides another layer of security. How to convert work laptop to personal? BitLocker may be activated by right-clicking on the drive and selecting Turn on BitLocker. Additionally, you can store the recovery keys on a USB drive if your hard drive is corrupted or stolen.
8) Encryption with portable apps
It is possible to encrypt files and folders with TrueCrypt, although it is not as simple to use portable programmes. As a result, you can use third-party encryption software to encrypt any data on your work laptop before taking it home or transferring it to someone else. Similar to TrueCrypt, but with a different approach to data encryption. Your choice encryption software can be downloaded and stored on a USB drive or email. Install the programme on your laptop when you return home from work, and you won’t have to re-encrypt your files again.
9) Utilize Software for Steganography
A steganography technique is used to hide data in an undetectable photograph. Put another way; you can use this software to hide your private photos from prying eyes. Using the Steganography software is as simple as downloading and using it as necessary. You can then send the encrypted files to a personal email address or put them on a USB drive that you can access on your laptop later.
10) Use Apps That Destroy Your Messages
Here’s a new approach to keeping your company’s data safe. To use a self-destructing message, find one online, download it, and programme a time and date for when it should be destroyed. Please keep all of your messages on a USB drive, so you don’t have to worry about deleting them from your computer. Steganography software can be used to encrypt them and send them to anyone.
11) Make Use Of Your Personal Laptop’s Cache.
Keep installing third-party apps on your laptop while working on the workplace computer. When you’re at work, you can use them for official purposes, but merely close the programme in its native mode when you come home. It will take a few seconds longer the next time you start your system with that software loaded because it has already been cached on your laptop.
12) Create a New User Profile.
While it’s not required, you can create a second user account and log in as that one if you’re doing anything that requires extra security. Any password or sign-in method available to you can be used. When necessary, you can switch to the main account.
13) Personal Use of Virtual Machines
It is possible to run two distinct operating systems on the same computer utilising virtual machines. You can run a different operating system by creating virtual machines within your current operating system. Using Windows 8 Professional on a work laptop and a virtual machine to run Windows XP or seven as an example, you have the option. Windows 8 will hide your activity from the primary account, and the only thing visible is the virtual machine under Windows 8.
14) Fast Startup Can Be Disabled Using Quick Boot Updater.
Disabling rapid boot-up on your laptop might save you time switching between your business and personal laptops. Faster boot-ups are a common goal for most computer makers, but you may notice that even when you are logged into your primary account, your system starts up faster than usual. Your actions could be revealed to your IT managers or bosses if they have the appropriate hacking abilities to break into your computer. If you have two accounts on the same computer, turn off this feature.
15) Switch to Guest Mode at Work
Work profiles are installed on some computers by organisations so that employees can use them for official purposes while keeping their personal actions secret from the IT department. The following are three ways to keep your personal information confidential when accessing a coworker’s profile. To begin, navigate to the Guest account’s installation directory and remove everything there. Use this account to set up a virtual computer running Windows XP or seven as a Guest account. There is a way to hide everything you do from your main account.
To prevent unauthorised access to your private and personal data, you must disable all personal and private assertions on your phone and PC before starting work for a company. Using a work laptop for personal purposes is dangerous and opens you up to the risk of having your security, data, and locks compromised. While preparing to leave your current position, you may be concerned about the constraints placed on your laptop and the safety of your device. How to convert work laptop to personal? To your relief, you’ll find that there are several easy fixes to your problem, and this article is a helpful resource in that regard for you.
How to turn your work laptop into a personal one is explained here. There are many options, but the quickest and most straightforward is wiping everything and starting over. How to convert work laptop to personal? Despite this, there are still a few options for repurposing the laptop for non-work use.
1. Having to reinstall the operating system
The quickest and most straightforward method is to perform a factory reset. People are often concerned about data being locked and not being able to contact administrations for various reasons. If you’ve reached this point, your best alternative is to wipe your laptop clean of any company-installed protection programmes and other software, erasing your previous data. All previous data will be erased upon a Windows reinstall. Afterwards, the laptop will be restored to its factory settings, and all of its data will be completely cleared from its memory. This procedure will remove all installed programmes and software from your computer.
2. Windows Defender should be turned off.
If you’re concerned about your computer’s security and don’t want to use a pre-installed anti-virus tool, you can go for one that’s more powerful than Windows Defender, but that takes a toll on the RAM on your laptop. Even if you’re going to use your laptop solely for personal purposes, the free version of Windows Defender will be enough as far as antivirus protection goes. The best way to use your laptop for personal purposes is to remove the heavy anti-virus software installed by your employer.
3. Encrypt your data with DiskCryptor.
Having a laptop at home means being shared among family members and friends on occasion. Since this is the case, your data is at risk of being lost or stolen. DiskCryptor, a free and open-source file encryption programme, is widely known as the best and most authentic file encryption programme for protecting your official files and making them inaccessible to your family and friends without proper authorization. How to convert work laptop to personal? It’s the greatest approach to keeping your data safe and preventing unauthorised individuals from accessing it.
Conclusion
Working for a business can expose you to a wide range of responsibilities and materials, ranging from the simple completion of tasks to the more complex responsibility of safeguarding the company’s data. How to convert work laptop to personal? There are a variety of security measures built into laptops to keep your personal information safe and secure, but when we talk about business laptops, they have a variety of security measures in place to ensure that the information relevant to your company is only accessible to you and your coworkers.
FAQS
If so, how do you go about doing it?
How to convert work laptop to personal? Using the search box at the bottom right of your screen, type “Reset PC” and pick “Reset this PC” from the drop-down menu. How to convert work laptop to personal? Restarting your laptop is as simple as pressing the ‘Get Started’ button. If you want a complete wipe, select “Remove everything.”
How can I clean up a business laptop’s hard drive?
How to convert work laptop to personal? You can change your PC settings by starting up your computer and clicking on the Charms bar. Reinstalling Windows is the final option. If you want to ensure that all of your data has been removed, select “thoroughly” rather than “fast” when erasing it.