LoJack

when i ordered my laptop, i didn't have the option of adding lojack (part of a 40% off deal, not many options available). i'm going to college in a week, and i'm worried about it being stolen so im considering lojack.

from the lojack website, i learned that the m1530 bios is compatible with lojack? if i were to buy lojack off the website and download it electronically, will it be able to install itself to the bios? my friend bought his m1530 with lojack preinstalled and it's loaded into the bios as well as windows.

 

I ordered lojack with my system from Dell, it did not come pre-installed. It arrived separately the day before and I had to install it myself. With that being the case I'm sure you will be fine. Also, what would the point be of offering it on your website as a download if you couldn't install it to your system.

 

buy lojack off the website...

IMO, go for like a 1 or 2 yr subscription..... if u get a 4 yr, and ur laptop gets stolen and lojack recovers, that 3 yr remainding is gone(license runs until u use lojack)

 

Lojack is BIOS-enabled on the M1530. That means that the BIOS is already set up for Lojack, whether you ordered it or not. The "installation" is nothing more than connecting to the Lojack website and registering/activating it. Even if you'd ordered Lojack pre-installed from Dell, all that is installed into the OS is the shortcuts to start the activation process. So yeah, you could buy a Lojack subscription anytime you want and activate it in your M1530's BIOS.

I imagine the only reason a CD is even necessary is for those systems that aren't lojack-enabled in the BIOS. They would need to install software into the OS.

 

I believe Fountainhead is correct, because if you push F2 in startup it is listed in your bios prior to install.
It's just not enabled.

 

That is bs; if you pay for 4 years you should get 4 years of service.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3718299&postcount=2

 

thats stupid, its only valid until its "use"?

 

In addition to purchasing the software, you must ALSO enable LoJack in the BIOS; by default, at least on the M133O, you do.

The BIOS default setting for LoJack is: inactive, and you can leave it that way, or make ONE and only ONE change: either to permanently deactivated or permanently activated.

Obviously, if you're buying the software, then set it to permanently activated.

I am curious if anyone has any LoJack recovery stories, particularly if they (or the thief) had reformatted the hard drive, as it would provide an extra measure of reassurance to know that even if the hard drive is wiped or replaced, that the laptop is still retrievable.

 

There was a story in our local paper maybe a month or so ago where someone involved with several burglaries was apprehended as a result of Lojack. Well, actually the local story didn't name Lojack specifically, but mentioned that police were alerted to the suspect by a signal from a stolen notebook. Can't recall exactly what they said, but it was clearly Lojack they were talking about.

As far as wiping or replacing the drive...it works fine. I know that Greg tested this in his review, and I've both replaced my original drive (and reformatted the original as well) and lojack always phones home again without my intervention.