The easiest way to discourage thieves from stealing your notebook computer is to make it clear that you are running Windows Vista.

Condalmo

A power-on and hard drive password seem to be the best solutions to prevent access to a stolen laptop or desktop.

That at least provides security for all those sensiyive files but is not much solace given that they are gone....

As far as using laptoplock or simillar is concerned, best to make sure any such programme has full internet access through your firewall or it may alert a tech savvy thief.

Hmmm.... consider this... someone gains access to your computer, signs you up for a laptoplock account, configures it to delete all your files and then goes and reports the laptop stolen with the email they used to sign up... scary.

togeboge

@mr.luka: Most laptop thefts are crimes of opportunity. If someone wants to steal your laptop, short of shooting them, there is nothing that will stop them.

And there is a "call home" type alarm. You set it up so your laptop automatically tries to access a page on your website, and depending on the contents of that page (Stolen=Yes, Stolen=No) it does something. You manually edit the page to say (Stolen=Yes), and then the laptop emails you with the ip and hostname of where the thief has accessed the web.

I've seen it on a couple of sites, and the original article in 2600 (the Hacker Quarterly)

donkeyjote

Although locking it up usually demotivies thieves, it should be noted that most Kensington lock "chains" can be (relatively) easily cut by a pair of pliers. Kinda like a bike chain.
(Describing two cases which happened at my univercity).
I'm hoping for a solution, something like - when alarm is triggered, the lap sends an webbased sms to my cell. Something like "I'm being stolen. Rescue me!"

mr.luka

@ph15h needs a nu job: Pretty sure he was joking.

schmere

@Condalmo: Well... Where I come from, thieves take newer things. So if its running vista it'll probably get stolen more often. In this order: Vista Ultimate, XP Media Center, The Other Vistas, then the other XPs.

Thugs don't know better... it just looks nicer to them.

ph15h needs a nu job

My friend's laptop was stolen from their home not long ago and the police actually had a good piece of advice to prevent it from happening in the future. When not in use, they recommend storing it inside a 3 ring binder and popping it onto a book shelf.

kateymac

Some "cryptix" like mechanism a la Da Vinci Code seems a little drastic, but if you're feeling extreme, I do happen to know that HF will eat through pretty much everything in the computer (not to mention seep into the victims body without any notice and irrevocably eat away at their bones).

But more seriously, at Boston University the cops advocate this service that gives you a unique serial number and a heavy duty sticker with the number printed on it. More importantly, after the sticker is applied, if it's removed (e.g., by a thief for the sake of resale) it leaves behind a "tattoo" that's apparently impossible to remove that says "stolen property", making it basically impossible for them to try to solve. Why they don't just tattoo the serial number on, I don't know.

bmearns

If the thief has a tech-savvy friend - or is tech-savvy themselves, no amount of software/hardware security can protect your laptop after it gets stolen. From accessing the hard-drive through other means, to even outright replacing it.

And sure, you may get the IP and hostname of where the thief used the internet, but what can you do about it? ISPs don't take kindly to people randomly asking for their customer's private information. Get police to intervene? Good luck with that. They have better things to do.

The best protection is not to make your laptop a target. Such as not using a laptop carrying bag. Seriously - nothing makes you look like a target than a laptop bag.

Why do I know this stuff? Because at a clothes store where I used to work at - (Where I'm their tech guy) the managers would get me hot off the street laptops from thieves to 'refurbish'.

Cpryd001

I found a pound of c4 and a fingerprint reader do wonders.

Archavious

if you believe you're more likely to lose it than have it stolen, you might check into a stuffbak.com account. It has a sticker with a number on it and anyone who returns it to them will recieve a cash reward.

movesandpepper

@Condalmo: I lol'd.

+1

ghostwind

Does anyone realise the irony of an article about theif-proofing your laptop where the picture shows a chained up laptop with the key right next to it?

samhealer42

At my university, they've been trying to promote STOP security plates. But I think it's supposed to help you recover your laptop/item more than prevent it from being stolen.
[www.stoptheft.com]

ac042186

Maybe this wouldn't work for everyone...But I just don't get into situations where it could be stolen. I mean, if I am working in the Library and I need to go to the bathroom, I just put it in my bag and bring it with me. I leave my other stuff (papers, books..etc) out, but my phone, ipod, laptop, I just bring it with me.

monkeywithacold

@kateymac: I used to use a Trapper Keeper binder as my regular laptop case. In those days, though, the three-ring part of it just slid right out.

infmom

@monkeywithacold:

oh to be so naive. Your suggestion was as good as a football coach saying "today's game plan is let's win"

e6c

I can't remember what the program was, but the jist of it was that when ever your computer (or even a USB device) was plugged into the internet it sent the IP address to the site. So if your stuff is stolen, you go to the site and list your item as stolen, they give you the IP address of where it was last accessed and the real world location of that IP address.

It does not deter theifs, but it will help in getting your stuff back

e6c

@Condalmo: lmfao, great first comment. 'Condalmo - Telling it how it is'

Jakus

Here is the website I was refering to earlier [www.ihoundsoftware.com]

and here is the Lifehacker review on it

[lifehacker.com]

e6c

@kateymac: I really like that idea!...Considering I have a tone of notebooks and binders on shelves for writing..

Ajh

Here are a couple alarms that work if you unplug the USB key containing the software, or in the case of the second one, if you unplug the power cord.

[www.techarp.com]
[www.topshareware.com]

Nifty.

Cornflower

I personally use a chain and www.lojackforlaptops.com. I haven't had to use it so far, but they do claim that they'll work tirelessly to get your stuff back.

RenRen

@Archavious: Heh heh. Maybe you could just find an old Sony battery:
[www.theinquirer.net]

taodude

I have acutally used his suggestion of bringing things to the lavatory or not losing sight or physical contact with my laptop....it may sound trite like the football example you allude to, but it does work (mine has never been stolen in years of using a laptop)@e6c:

jimmymac8088

My current solution:

Start up password.
Resume/logon password.
Sensitive files stored on server with VPN access.
Password for VPN not saved.

Having my laptop stolen would suck, but at least I know my important files are somewhere else safe and sound.

Oh, and I just don't get the Vista hate anymore. Grow up people and stop buying into the anti-hype (which is just as bad as the hype). Vista doesn't suck. XP doesn't PWN all. Ubuntu is not the second coming. Mac is not cooler. Operating system are operating sytems, not status symbols.

TendoMentis

My setup:

Encrypted /home dir (thanks OSX!) and Firmware password -- to ensure data is safe.

Good insurance, to get a brand-spanking new Mac when the old tatty one is thieved.

Job done.

Web2PointOhShit

GRR, I wish here were a way to edit comments, that should read "I am an IT professional..."

I've gotta start proofreading before posting.

jglessner

My XPS is WAY bigger than any 3 ring binder I've ever seen, too bad though as it's not a horrible idea.

I just have a sticker on the lid that says "I am in IT professional. This laptop will be useless to anyone but me, and I will find you."

Hasn't been stolen yet (though I'm sure that is mostly because I don't leave it laying around for anyone to abscond with).

jglessner

@jglessner: Stick it in a drawer in the kitchen or bathroom. What thieves look there?

aikoto

They wouldn't stop (the laptop) from being stolen in the first place.

(Dammit, LifeHacker really needs an edit button...)

Sendaii

People, while the software methods would be effective for preventing theives from acessing your sensitive files, they wouldn't stop them from being stolen in the first place. All the theif needs to do is bomb the hard drive with DBAN and reinstall Windows or get someone to do it for them, and sell the laptop on. And frankly, a BIOS password can be defeated easily.

The "STOLEN PROPERTY" tattoo is a good idea, though.

Sendaii

@TendoMentis: "Operating system are operating sytems, not status symbols." Exactly, so why waste so much money on an operating system that's less powerful than a slew of free OSs? I don't know how much you know about the inner workings of OS's, but it you look into it, Windows has always been inferior in a lot of categories to Unix and Linux systems, and this hasn't changed much in Vista. Just from what I can remember off the top of my head: memory management, user management, program management, configuration; Windows bombs in all categories. So granted, a lot of the Vista-hate out there is based on hear-say or prejudice. But that doesn't mean the rest of it isn't justified.

bmearns

@bmearns: While i support open source software and OS's, I've always had a problem with drivers, and programs not working correct. That's why i just bootleg a copy of windows. It's free + all my drivers/programs work :)

guitarmunkey05

@TendoMentis: FINALLY! someone who agrees with me. It seems like every thread has one or more posts about
A.Vista Sucking
B.XP Rocking
C.Linux is the best thing ever
D.MAC rules all.

All OS's have their ups and downs.

...XP is the best though. :)

As for laptop stealing, it reminds me of a sticker my grandpa had on his front door:
"Bullet holes hurt. Will shoot."

I do like the guys idea for "I'm an IT professional, i will find you"

guitarmunkey05

Don't leave your laptop alone...

Myles

@guitarmunkey05:Hardware is of course the major headache for anybody trying to get into Linux because so few companies actually bother developing Linux drivers for their hardware. I think we'll see in the coming years that this will start to change, given the rapidly rising popularity (for better or worse) of Ubuntu. In the mean time, being a Linux admin requires a certain sense of adventure.

bmearns

Sometimes there's just no predicting when your stuff will be taken. Two months ago, my laptop was stolen when some crackhead broke into my apartment and walked off with all my data, my class project (due that weekend) and years collections worth of photos and music.

The one thing I wish I did do was write down my laptop serial number somewhere. I thought I had, but I rifled through all my documentation and found nothing. :( If you call your laptop's manufacturer, they will inform you if it had been sent in for repairs, or if you walk into thrift shops you can present it to them to prove that its yours. Police can use it to identify your laptop too.

Luckily, I had at least password protected windows, so assuming the crackhead was not computer savvy, he probably was unable to get to my info (but I filed an identity fraud notice to the credit agencies just in case).

The overall ordeal was horrible. I felt like I had lost a friend. :(

sakurawings

@sakurawings: So I'm confused...presumably you saw this person smoking crack while they were robbing you. So why didn't you just stop them from taking your notebook?

bmearns

ialertU is a great program for you mac heads. I recommend it!

tsears

I work as a consultant and have to be onsite more often than I want. A few years ago while onsite, I had a Thinkpad stolen while working on a "secure" floor in a large finance house. Three other laptops were stolen all within 15 minutes of each other. Since then, I cable down, my laptop no matter where I'm at and also cable down my external drive if I have that with me. Speaking from experience, it's a pretty bad experience to come back to your desk and see your machine is gone.

PhilRack