How to Securely Wipe A Chromebook?

BitRaser^® Knowledge Base

How to Wipe or Erase a Chromebook?

Aug 15, 2020

This software KB explains the steps to wipe the Chromebook using BitRaser Drive Eraser software.

Professional data erasure software such as BitRaser provides an efficient and secure solution to wipe Chromebooks. The tool can erase SSDs in any Chromebook device, including laptops, tablets, convertible, and detachable from OEMs like Acer, ASUS, Dell, Google, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung. The software helps generates automated reports & certificates to ensure your total peace of mind.

Steps To Wipe a Chromebook by Using BitRaser Drive Eraser:
BitRaser can start wiping a Chromebook in less than 15 minutes. The following is a broad outline of the instructions for using BitRaser to wipe a Chromebook in four steps.

Note: Visit the BitRaser Drive Eraser deployment guide for more detailed instructions.

Requirements

Blank USB: 2 GB or more for creating a bootable wiping media
Internet: Ethernet or Wi-Fi
Chromebook

Stage 1: Download the BitRaser Drive Eraser ISO file

Log in to your BitRaser cloud account.
Click the Download BitRaser Drive ISO link in the dropdown menu on the top right

Image 1: BitRaser cloud account home interface with the option to download the ISO file

Stage 2: Create BitRaser Drive Eraser Bootable USB Media
This stage involves creating a bootable USB media for Chromebook erasure. You will burn* BitRaser Drive Eraser ISO image on a USB drive by using Rufus –an-open source software widely used for creating bootable media. This bootable USB lets you wipe the Chromebook without installing the software.

*For detailed instructions, refer to STAGE 2 of the deployment guide link mentioned in the Note section above.

Stage 3: Enable USB Booting on Chromebook
This stage involves two parts, namely launching the Developer Mode and enabling USB booting on the Chromebook. Follow the steps listed in Part A and Part B:

Part A: Launching the Developer Mode on Chromebook

Switch off the Chromebook by clicking your account photo and then selecting the Power off button
Press Esc + F3 and Power buttons simultaneously to enter the screen where the Chromebook will prompt for inserting the recovery media.
Press Ctrl + D on the "Insert recovery media" screen. A confirmation message will appear
Press Enter to confirm. The Chromebook will reboot, and subsequently, the "OS verification is OFF" message will appear
Press Ctrl + D on the OS verification screen to enter the Developer Mode.

Part B: Enabling USB Booting on Chromebook

Press Ctrl + Alt + F2 on the home screen to open the console window
Type sudo crossystem dev_boot_usb=1
Press Enter to run the command

USB booting is now enabled on the Chromebook.

Stage 4: Wipe The Chromebook Using BitRaser Bootable USB
In this stage, you will wipe the Chromebook using the bootable USB created in Stage 2, as follows:

Plug in the BitRaser bootable USB drive to the Chromebook
Power ON the device and press the Function keys to enter the Boot Menu
Select the USB option and press Enter to boot the Chromebook.

BitRaser Dual Boot menu screen will appear after the system boots successfully.

Image 2: BitRaser Dual Boot Menu screen

Select BitRaser and press Enter to initialize BitRaser Drive Eraser.
The Home screen that appears after initialization lists all the drives - including build-in & USB drives - connected to Chromebook.

Image 3: BitRaser Drive Eraser Home screen showing the drives available for wiping
Next, refer to the BitRaser deployment guide for further instructions on how to wipe a Chromebook.

After successful wiping, the software will generate digitally signed reports & certificates of erasure and save them automatically to your BitRaser Cloud account.