Help please stolen macbook pro

This is just a general reply about laptop theft but...

I noticed at one of the local office supply superstores brochures for a "LoJack for Laptops"... and LoJack for laptops even have their own website.

I believe that I dismissed the program because it seemed it was only available for Windows - it 'tracks' your computer using IE or something. The web page doesn't look very informative but, if you've a laptop that will run Windows (as in a MPB) and think that thieves (or purchasers of stolen goods) might be bright enough to boot into Windows, it may be a viable product for some.

The advantage of LoJack in cars is that it its installed in addition to the car, its components, and software. So if someone reloaded the engine software, it would still be active.

I find many of the software only based solutions to be entirely lacking. It would be more useful to have this built in as part of the hardware.

LoJack of course can be defeated as well, and I understand that car thieves know how to do this (I've been told it has to do with disrupting the radio signals in the spectrum in which LoJack operates)-- a signal jammer.

There has been alot of discussion about Cellular Telephone Signal jamming in the States for corporate use -- there was even discussion of installing them into public movie houses.
The technology is powerful, but can be dangerous as well.

Golan.

Any software solution for tracking laptops is easily defeated. With target disk mode, it bypasses any security you have enabled. Also, you can just boot into the system restore disk.

There needs to be a hardware solution that runs independently of the OS.

PowerMac G5 Dual 1.8, MacBook Pro 2.16 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

I'm afraid this would inflate the cost of the machine beyond the cost of theft insurance. If your data is worth much more, the best bet is simply to keep backups (offsite).

Golan.

I contacted my insurance company (State Farm) as well and they have some sort of policy that rides on top of my home owners policy. For $1 for every $100 of insurance I can add my laptop. So I am covering it for $3000 ($30 a year)to cover the upgrades and added software. It is covered against theft, my dropping it, my wife getting p *** at me and knocking it off the table (when i spend more time on it then she would like), leaving it on top of my car and driving off, etc. As with all insurance, better to have and not need then to need and not have.

Paul

I was one of the first responders’ to your post who recommended checking with your homeowners' policy as I mentioned “State Farm” specifically. I had taken out a State Farm policy on my MBP awhile back and its really great! As you now know, it provides complete coverage against not only thief but also dropping it in the pool or getting run over by big yellow dump truck! At seventy bucks per year, based on $3200.00 of coverage, it's a solid bargain! Anyway, I’m glad that I was able to be "helpful" to your situation.
Regards,

Interfering with cellular transmissions is illegal everywhere in the U.S. courtesy of the lobbying made possible by the subscription fees paid by the millions of members of the newest chattering class…


RRS

ThinkPAD T60 have a hardware feature that does just that. If you reload the OS the BIOS will reinstall the tracking software. Apple needs to work with the company that has this and get it added to the MacBook Pro's.

Any software solution for tracking laptops is easily
defeated. With target disk mode, it bypasses any
security you have enabled. Also, you can just boot
into the system restore disk.

There needs to be a hardware solution that runs
independently of the OS.

PowerMac G5 Dual 1.8, MacBook Pro
2.16 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Sounds wonderful. My next purchase will probably be another Thinkpad, so I'm going to see how well this actually works. Since its still OS dependent, I have a feeling the processes can be imobilized.

Golan.

This might be a stupid suggestion, but if it was stolen on campus, and you have a wifi network there, and if its still on campus, can't you search for the ip address, of course if you recorded that down. At least you'd have a vicinity for it

I might also be talking bull - but it was a thought. Maybe im watching too much CSI though.

If i am, sorry for your loss man. Sh*t happens. sorry it was your turn

For the most part, in the States, Cellular Jamming is done legally only by Law Enforcement and military personnel -- who are exempt from the FCC ruling.

The technology is still exported from the States however.

During recent bomb threats in New York, in and around the traffic tunnel systems, Cellular Telephones were disabled. Personally, I found this to be a little silly, but it was done to protect against possible cell phone bomb triggers. I found out after my calls were being dropped. My passenger speculated it had to do with anti-terrorism, and later that night it turned up on the news.

Golan.