Asus G1S-A1 Comptability with Computrace LoJack?

Hey people!

I've all but ordered an Asus G1S, and I'm just curious as to whether or not Computrace LoJack works for this model. I read the review of LoJack here, and it indicated that Asus was a brand that is often uncompatible. Are all Asus laptops uncompatible, or is it some and not others? More inportantly what about the G1S?

I'd be using mine on campus off and on during any given week next semester, and I would feel a heck of a lot better knowing I had computrace on it. Not that I would ever let it out of my sight, but you can do everything right and still be robbed. So if anyone has a G1S and has LoJack working please let me know, and if it is incompatible, does anyone know of any method that's been developed to make it so? Thanks in advance!

 

somebody please respond to this, because i would love to know also! =]

 

I doubt it will be compatible as long you have the Asus Recovery setup loaded on the laptop.

For clarification: Asus uses Phoenix Firstware Recovery software to create the Recovery partition and recovery setup to help you restore the OS back to factory. Since it loads a code for pre-boot loading most software that attach themselves as hooks will have issues. LoJack uses such a hook as such I see it being a problem.
I bet people who have formatted their HDD and cleaned the MBR could load LoJack without issue but don't take my word for it. I don't really use LoJack myself just know how such application work. In my line of business one needs to know how to bypass such things... JK.

For evil doers: If you gonna take someone laptop, Never boot it. Remove the HDD, connect to another box. clean MBR hooks. Or pull the raw data and then clean the hook for extra fun. Put Hdd back and load your own OS.. again J/K.

 

Well thanks for the robbery lesson.... how bout working and buying your own

I'm a bit more interested in prevention, and it might work if I don't use pheonix recovery you're saying, if I don't partition the drive or reformat the partition already there? Whats MBR, meaning the recovery system?

Is there a way to use a different recovery system with the G1S, does anyone have expeience doing that?

Thanks for your reply mWMA

 

MBR is Master boot record. The first few sectors of your harddrive store the record needed to load boot files and other data in regards to data structure of HDD. Program that want to load prior to any bootable OS like XP/vista/linux will install hooks (small code) to load their application. Sort of like a boot loader which loads first and then allow you select which OS or partition to boot from.
Pheonix Recovery is tool used by some of OEM including Asus to create the recovery partition and files so that if a customer needs to do a factory restore they can do it directly from HDD on bootup and the Asus saves having to create a restore disc to ship with laptop.
Before you decide to format or clean out the MBR. You should understand that without the recovery data you cannot restore your OS unless you have your own Vista Install DVD & Key and access to all the drivers & application on disc.

SideNote: Robbery lesson is meant to show security through obscurity doesn't work every time.
Don't really steal anything as I make enough to help me buy a laptop a year.

 

I'm also interested in finding a way to put LoJack on an Asus G1S. I was thinking that if I reformatted Windows and went in with a clean install of Windows, it may resolve the issues, but I'm not sure.

Does anyone have a solution? I would really like to put LoJack on my Asus.

 

I wasn't saying you're a thief mWMA, just kind of rubs someone the wrong way when they are trying to avoid theft and you post exactly how to overide the precaution their taking! And with 90% recovery, I'll take the 10% risk. Most theieves want whatever info they can get as well as the hardware, so the chances they will wipe are slimmer in most thefts I think, but if all they want is the laptop, then wiping creates the 10%...

Thanks for your input, it couldn't really be clearer why it wouldn't work. But again I'd like to know if a G1S user, or anayone at all would know of/ has used a different recovery system other than pheonix, say one that would work with LoJack?

I haven't been dorming, I commute, and short of locking my laptop to a book shelf in the library the only peace of mind I'll get is LoJack. Of course I'll do everything to make sure LoJack won't have to ever be used in the first place. And even though I commute, I spend a lot of time on campus and a good portion of that will be in the library with my G1S.

 

So would it be safe to assume, that I cannot use another recovery system with asus products?