Challenges of Erasing Onboard Flash in Laptop Computers

By Aki Korhonen, PC-Doctor, Inc.

Modern laptops embrace embedded flash storage to achieve ever more ambitious form factor and cost goals. From a user’s perspective, there is usually little difference if storage is removable, but the implications to recycling and reuse of the device are significant.

I like laptop computers that push boundaries. It is awesome to have the equivalent of a high-end desktop computer with me while on the go all the time, and even more so if the size of the laptop keeps shrinking. Many factors have contributed to the shrink, one of which is embedding both DRAM memory and NAND-based storage on the motherboard.

Everything is awesome until it isn’t, of course. Not long ago the motherboard of my old laptop with embedded storage gave up its ghost. I lost data that I hadn’t backed up as the system was beyond economically viable repair--but loss of some older bits wasn’t anywhere as big an issue as the recycling challenge I now faced.

So how does one make sure that embedded storage is securely erased when it’s time to reuse, refurbish or recycle?

And how to do it if the device is not functional?

The non-working case is pretty simple: The value of the device (or the data that’s on it) determines next steps. It’s either component salvage and physical shredder for the system board, or repair followed by secure erase.

Given a working device, the challenge might first appear to be similar to off-the-shelf SSD drives, but the reality is far more complex.

If an SSD drive model is validated to be standards-compliant, this compliance stretches across all the systems that use it. Contrasting to embedded storage, every device has a unique storage hardware/firmware implementation–so each potentially is a new validation case. 

For companies the workload could go from validating a few SSD drives to every laptop with embedded storage. Worst-case scaling is to hundreds of validation cases per manufacturer per year.

The implications can be massive to any company that is looking to refurbish large numbers of laptops with embedded storage. Workflows that could be handled as an adjunct by some team members might now need dedicated resources to keep up with the flow of new models.

This scenario also changes the responsibilities for OEM departments. Storage controller firmware is now on the critical path. Feedback paths must be in place to provide timely fixes, and business decisions need to establish what repairs are and aren’t economically viable.

A manufacturer can mitigate the situation by using common features whenever possible, but this is not only a hardware question. Firmware inconsistencies seem to be the leading cause driving revalidation. Related firmware must be firmed up earlier in development.

I would welcome a drive-only mode for all systems, such as on Macs--but that mode should be available even if most of the system is otherwise not functional. A side-band connection to storage using a dedicated connector would also be helpful.

Long term, the solution is industry cooperation. Industry standards could establish new storage form factors to compete with embedded. A good start would be an ultra-miniature connector standard for NVMe, along the lines of Toshiba’s XFMEXPRESS.

Aki Korhonen has steered the growth and development of PC-Doctor, Inc. since the founding of the company in 1993. Korhonen continues today as the company's leader and technical visionary, driving software development efforts and defining new products and architectures.