Computrace LoJack for Laptops ReviewMay 5th, 2008 If someone jacks your swank new laptop, you might think it's Game Over! But is it? Absolute Software begs to differ, and their LoJack for Laptops may just prove to be an 'extra life' for your notebook.
Did you just spend a paycheck or two on a kickin' new notebook? Here's a scary statistic for you chew on: Roughly 2 million portable PCs end up in thieves' hands every year, making notebook theft the second most common crime, trailing only identity theft. Yikes! But before you invest in a briefcase complete with chain and handcuff, there may be a better alternative.
Absolute® Software Corporation (TSX: ABT) is the leader in Computer Theft Recovery, Data Protection and Secure Asset Tracking™. Absolute’s Computrace software is embedded in the BIOS of computers by global leaders, including Dell, HP, Lenovo, Gateway, Toshiba and Fujitsu, and the Company has reselling partnerships with these OEMs and others, including Apple and Sony. Over the last 10 years we’ve been recovering stolen computers for corporations, educational institutions and consumers. We take pride in helping police catch the bad guys.
Regardless of where you purchased your notebook, there's a pretty good chance you were given the option to purchase LoJack for Laptops. A yearly subscription runs $49.99, or three years for $99.99. But can you really buy peace of mind against hardware theft in a software package? And what concessions in performance will you have to make to run LoJack? We set out to tackle these questions and more, and the results may just surprise you...
Whether you chose XP or Vista, LoJack will install on your laptop, and even those goofy Mac owners are protected, provided they're running OS X v10.3 or higher. Windows owners take note - if you opt for XP, it must be the 32-bit version; Vista lacks no such restrictions. Sadly, for those that warm to the penguin, Linux lovers are left out in the cold for the foreseeable future. But then again, ask any Linux aficionado and they' ll tell you their OS is impenterable to security attacks, so perhaps they need not fear having their notebook swiped - ZING!  Clicking the install button fires up Internet Explorer and brings you to LoJack's download location. Enter your registration code during installation, then fork over your vitals (name, address, laptop make/model, etc). The bundled CD also contains an FAQ section (a more robust section exists online). There's also a theft report form, and this too can be filled out on LoJack's website should you misplace the CD.
Once installed, LoJack works its anti-miscreant mojo by phoning home with your laptop's location. As a safety precaution, LoJack performs a test call once every 24 hours, or you can manually initiate a test call yourself to ensure it's working. After logging into your account, click on My Sub scri ptions and not the 'Last Call Date.' In the event you fall victim to a no-good notebook bandit, after you report the theft, Absolute Software takes over. The next time your notebook checks in, it gets placed on high-alert and silently sends a signal containing the originating IP (or phone number) to discover the physical location every 15 minutes. Absolute forwards that information to your local law enforcement, and they even provide the necessary documentation to aid police in obtaining a search warrant!
Earlier we mentioned that you can't hardly purchase a notebook without seeing an option to install LoJack, and while low-collar thieves may be oblivious that such a program exists, high tech criminals are more savvy. If one of the latter should lift your notebook, all they'd need to do to circumvent the security system is format the hard drive, right? Wrong! More than a simple software solution, LoJack nestles knee deep into the BIOS and alters the firmware, so a fresh Windows install won't provide a clean slate for burglers, nor will replacing the hard drive do the crook any good (for a list of manufactures, makes, and models carrying LoJack embedded into the BIOS, take a peek here). But what happens if a thief updates the BIOS or clears the CMOS? We pinged Absolute Software about this scenario, and this is what they told us:
"After installing Computrace LoJack for Laptops, the first call (message sent via the Computrace platform) to the monitoring server detects and enables the persistence module in your computer. The enable/disable state of the persistence module is not stored in a part of the BIOS that can be flashed to remove it. If the persistence module in the BIOS has been enabled, Computrace’s self-healing feature will repair the agent software and your notebook will remain protected."
-Absolute Software
Groovy!
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