LoJack for your Laptop

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
Here is a link where you can get your laptop registered with LoJack. If it is stolen the police can track it and catch the thief. You can also use it to remotely delete data to protect it. I don't have it yet but am considering it with the amount of laptop thefts. I know Lo Jack work with autos and construction equipment. :eek:

http://www.lojack.com/pages/laptop.aspx
 

htneighbors

Unbelievably Blessed!
Thanks, Jim. I have been wondering about this stuff. Just got the DW a new laptop last week. Everytime we power it up, there is a LoJack window open up explaining it is already installed and to click on the icon on the desktop. Trouble is...there's no icon - and I have yet to find it installed at all. ??? I see now that it may be 'Absolute Software'! I'll have to check tonight after work. :)
 

biggziff

Active Member
Just an FYI for you guys. While the vendors will tell you this software cannot be removed from the machine I can tell you that it can be removed and the machine "cleaned" so that it cannot be found using the methods companies like this use. This link is only one example of how easy it is to bypass this type of software.

cryptome.org/lojack-hack.pdf

Don't waste your time and money on this.
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
Just an FYI for you guys. While the vendors will tell you this software cannot be removed from the machine I can tell you that it can be removed and the machine "cleaned" so that it cannot be found using the methods companies like this use. This link is only one example of how easy it is to bypass this type of software.

cryptome.org/lojack-hack.pdf

Don't waste your time and money on this.

You are probably right but it is my contention the people who break into cars and homes to steal laptops are not the most brilliant people in the world or they would get a job that pays better. Most are druggies and want to be able to pawn something quick so if you can track it quick you might have a chance of finding it. IMHO
 

beardedone

Beardedone
Thieves are lazy but not necessarily dumb. They will get rid of the stuff quickly and usually know where it is going before they steal it. Those "fences" know all the tricks of the trade and will not be doing anything unncessary that would draw the police any closer. Stolen laptops and other things may not even stay close to home but be shipped somewhere else where the police are not as efficeient.
 

biggziff

Active Member
Just a data point for you to have. Very, very few stolen computers are ever recovered regardless of any software or firmware written on them. If it makes you feel better, buy it and use it, but don't expect it to work.
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
What would be real easy on a computer would be steal one, replace the hard drive, and install a new operating system. You can get a hard drive almost anywhere. The Product code is on the bottom of most computers. All you have to do is get the right OS and use the code and you have a new computer.

Take the hard drive clean it and put it in another computer. If the hard drive has an imbeded code it will be on a different computer and be hard to track.

Don't spend the money for a lojack. Spend it on a 250 gig external HDD and keep all your data on it. If you loose the computer or the computer dies your data is still available on a new computer or a second backup like I have...

That's how I do it....
BC
 

biggziff

Active Member
What would be real easy on a computer would be steal one, replace the hard drive, and install a new operating system. You can get a hard drive almost anywhere. The Product code is on the bottom of most computers. All you have to do is get the right OS and use the code and you have a new computer.

Take the hard drive clean it and put it in another computer. If the hard drive has an imbeded code it will be on a different computer and be hard to track.

Don't spend the money for a lojack. Spend it on a 250 gig external HDD and keep all your data on it. If you loose the computer or the computer dies your data is still available on a new computer or a second backup like I have...

That's how I do it....
BC

This won't work. They don't store the application on the hard drive...they put it in a special part of the BIOS chip called the TPM chip. This area is not removable, but can be manipulated by someone with the know how or desire to learn it. It's not difficult, just takes some research.
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
Didn't know that..Thanks for the follow up..
I thought they installed something on the lower format of the hard drive..

BC
 
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