LSS

How would you feel if $500-$1000 was stolen from you? I believe that pretty upset would be the overwhelming consensus. Well this is essentially what happens when a laptop is stolen. You could easily multiply the dollar figure by ten if you factor in the various personal files, information, and programs that are lost. Here are four ways to decrease the odds of you suffering permanent laptop separation syndrome, also known as having your laptop stolen.
On the hardware side of things the anti-theft PCMCIA card, and it is by far the most innovative. You set a perimeter that your laptop must stay in, arm the alarm, and the anti-theft PCMCIA card will monitor the movement of your laptop. If it is taken out of that perimeter it will sound an alarm and lock your operating system. The really cool part is that it uses gesture passwords to unlock the laptop. This means that the laptop must be tilted and turned in a sequence that you determine, in order to unlock it.
Many people are familiar with LoJacks on cars, but the there are also LoJacks for laptops. This leads the software solution to laptop separation syndrome. If your computer is stolen it’s location is traced with a program. They even call the local cops to get your laptop back for you. Although LoJack offers a money back guarantee, it may be in your best interest to go to a site like safeware.com to purchase some laptop insurance just in case.
The last way to decrease the odds of suffering from LSS is through prevention. There are a few no cost things that you can do to not look like a prime target. You can go to your laptop’s bio’s and add a password for your hard drive. If you are a forgetful person, I would recommend that you disregard this option. If you forget the password to the hard drive, it will cost you in time, money, and possibly your laptops’ information. Label your laptop in an obvious way. Engraving is popular, and so are the metal adhesive tags. This doesn’t affect the laptops operation, but it does diminish it’s curb appeal.
Also, don’t use a computer bag to bag your computer. A computer bag, especially an expensive computer bag, may seem chic and even logical but they lead laptop thieves right to their target, even when they are hidden. The last preventative measure may seem like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised. Don’t leave your laptop unattended in public places. Many stolen laptop police reports begin with “He left it unattended for just a moment”. Nothing screams steal me, louder than an unattended laptop.
Ultimately, if someone is determined to steal your laptop, odds are they are going to do it. What you can do is prepare a plan to protect yourself as much as possible, and make the experience as disappointing as possible for the thieves.