Hey Everybody in Portland Laptop Repair Land,

Here is a great post I’m re-posting from the consumerist about what to do if your laptop is ever stolen.  I have interspersed my comments as well based on my experience  -

7 Things you should do before and after your laptop is stolen

”

Considering that laptops are designed to be easily carried and stowed away — and considering just how much important personal and financial information is often stored on them — it’s no surprise that they’re such a target for thieves. But there are some simple things you should do now in case it’s stolen in the future.

Jake Guidry over at Chicagoist recently found himself the victim of laptop larceny and compiled this list of essential tips:

• Have Serial Number and Receipt On File — this will be necessary to prove you are the rightful owner.

– Also note that, in our experience, the police are not super strict about that. You would be surprised, though, how many people don’t even know the model of their own computer! You do need to be able to ID the machine somehow, so know at least the basic details.

• Backup Your Hard Drive — This goes for all computers. Everyone takes for granted just how much they rely on the stored bits and bytes… and just how quickly they can disappear.

– This point can not be overemphasized. Every month we do thousands of dollars in data recovery work that is completely preventable.

• Install Tracking Software — Guidry suggest LoJack, which will help authorities find your computer and (for Mac users) Orbicule, which turns on the iSight camera to record the thieves in action.

– Also keep in mind, while this is a cute idea, the odds are very, very low that you will get the police to care. Don’t rely on protection like this, it won’t help your laptop not get stolen, it just may help get it back.

And in the sad situation that your laptop is taken, here are some steps you should take to improve your odds of getting it back:

• File A Report With Your Laptop Manufacturer — This could be helpful if some unwitting recipient of your laptop attempts to get it repaired by the manufacturer. It’s worth a shot, right?

– Its not. They don’t care.

• File a Police Report — Make sure you have the serial number so they’ll know they’ve found your computer.

– True

• Call the Pawn Shops — Even if they haven’t bought your stolen computer off the thieves, they might remember someone trying to sell them one.

– Also useful.

• Check Online Marketplaces — Ebay and Craigslist are occasionally used to unload stolen goods. And you never know, sometimes you’ll actually find your stuff!”

–This is where you will find your computer 90% of the time. Most thieves, if they sell it locally, will do it on CL.”

The thing is, all of these tips are great, but really, just avoid having your computer stolen. This article does not mention how incredibly rare it is to get your computer back at all, no matter how hard you try or how many times you call the police. Don’t leave your laptop out in public places like coffee shops for even a minute, many are stolen when somebody goes to the bathroom and leaves it on their table. Don’t leave it in your backpack, or in your car. Don’t leave it out anyplace anybody can see it where you can’t, pretty much! And the bag counts, a laptop bag probably has a laptop in it, and is equally easily stolen.

Tips to get it back are nice, but first, don’t get it stolen!

Thanks,

-Zac

This entry was posted on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 12:18 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.