Passwords/Finger Print Readers and Lojack?

Doesn't having your computer log in locked with a password or fingerprint kind of defeat the purpose of lojack. It makes it a lot more likely that the thief will just format the drive and install an OS themselves. If I had a stolen laptop in my possession and the windows log in was locked that is what I would do. However if there was no password then I would probably just go straight into windows, lojack would grab me and the cops would be at my door.

If you have lojack and want to get your laptop back when its stolen wouldn't it make more sense not to password protect windows?

This is assuming you don't have sensitive data on your drive. But even then it would make more sense just to encrypt the important files.

 

AFAIK, LJ is a software/hardware solution, the H/W piece is already imbedded on the MB. According to an article I read (can't remember where), the HDD replacement would not render LJ useless.

 

interesting..i heard that if you do a clean install of OS or something like that ur lojack software would be useless, which really didnt make sense to me because if thats the case it's basically just..useless in general!

 

You might want to read my LoJack review. A full low-level reformat does not defeat LoJack on supported computers.

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3736

My initial review cast doubts on the ability to survive a reformat, but if you read the discussion pages you'll see that I was finally able to really test it...and it passed.

 

Hm, so lets say my laptop gets stolen. The thief formats the whole drive, and installs linux instead of windows. Will I be able to get my laptop back then?

 

lojack is mostly to protect the information on your computer and not your actual laptop.

 

No... I thought lojack helped you get the physical laptop back by tracing the IP of the thief.

 

LoJack is of no use to international travelers as their service/system is restricted to US. If you received a LoJack disc or are billed for the same in your invoice, you can request for a refund. Insurance is better for them as they can pay you the full amount to purchase a new notebook if it is lost. If LoJack cannot trace your notebook, they only refund the cost of the LoJack software/service which is $35-100 depending on how much you paid for it in the first place.

Prevention is alway better. Encrypt your data on the hard drive and also keep an updated external backup copy of it periodically. Use all preventive measures such as BIOS/System passwords to Windows Passwords and biometric locks. Buy a notebook lock like the kensington lock and use it whenever possible. Avoid taking your notebook in regular notebook bags. Don't use your notebook in public places and transports.

 

LOjack is installed onto your bios, so even with a HDD reformat, it can still be traced.