Tip #4315 - LaptopLock
Printer Friendly Version | E-Mail This Tip
LaptopLock
Having gone through
the unnerving experience of having my laptop stolen a few months ago,
I know how devastating it can be. My whole life for the past few years
virtually disappeared in one moment of carelessness.
So, when I came
across the following free service, I jumped at the opportunity to
try it out and now, I want to share it with all of you!
It’s called
LaptopLock and essentially, what it does is, as soon as you
notify them that your laptop has been stolen, they can delete all
the important files you had on your computer or they can encrypt them
to be unreadable. LaptopLock will also take note of where the user
is connecting to the Internet from (their ISP number) so that you
can then notify the police. And even more, it acts as a deterrent,
which is probably its biggest service to you.
Alright, let’s
take a look at LaptopLock and how to set it up, which is very straight
forward. Here we go!
LaptopLock's Web
site can be found here.
When you get there, you'll see something like this:
The first step
to obtaining LaptopLock's security is to sign up for the service with
an e-mail address and a password of your choice. (Note:
Some of the information has been blocked out in the image below for
confidentiality’s sake).
Immediately, you
are ready to get going!
First, go back
to the LaptopLock Web site, give your computer a meaningful name and
then click on the Add Computer button.
If all goes well,
you should get this message:
Next, you need
to download the LaptopLock software to your computer.
To do so, just
click on the file and install it.
If all has gone
as planned, you should see this final screen. Next, make sure you
click the Launch the LaptopLock button to start the
setup process.
First of all,
you will need to enter some information.
The Account E-mail
is the one you entered at the very beginning, but what is the Computer
ID? Well, if you go back to the Web page (make sure you're on the
Control Panel page), you should see that you have
been given a unique ID number (you might have to refresh your page
if you can’t see it). It will look like this:
Next (back to
the Options box), click on Check Status.
You should then see this rather enigmatic message:
If you don’t,
you’ve probably entered some information incorrectly, so just
go back and try it again.
Finally, on this
page, you need to set a password for accessing the software (preferably
a different one than what you used when you signed up for the service).
You will need
that password in the future to get in contact with LaptopLock.
You should now
have access to the main "splash" opening screen (if not,
find the shortcut to LaptopLock on your desktop and start the program).
Select Security/Manage
Security Plan:
Now, you can begin
protecting your computer!
This screen will
greet you first:
From here, you
can decide if you want certain files or folders to be deleted from
your computer as soon as you notify LaptopLock that it has been stolen.
Select the
File Security tab and make your selections, as described
below.
Add Folder
- If you want to protect a folder or various folders on your hard
drive, click on this and make your selections from the Explorer-type
window:
This will be added
to the pane shown here, like this:
Add File
- If you want specific files to be protected, click on this option.
Remove
– To remove a previously selected file or folder, click this
button.
Now, note the
box below.
You can use the
secure data wiping method, which means that when the file is deleted,
it is also totally erased from your hard drive. It can’t do
any harm to choose this option.
However, instead
of deleting an them, you may prefer to encrypt it (which mainly means
to transform it into what looks like "gobbledygook" to someone
who doesn’t have the right key). That way, if you do get your
laptop back, you can use the decryption function to put your data
back into clear characters again.
If you choose
the second option, you can use the panel below the one described above
to add the files or folders you want to be included. You may also
choose (wisely, in my opinion) to have the original data erased at
the same time. Just checkmark the little box to opt for that.
Now, select the
next tab of Notification Options to reach this screen:
First, you can
elect to have a message pop up on your monitor as soon as the person
using your computer turns it on. You can make up something rather
scary that may frighten them into returning it to you and if you feel
like you should do that, you can also put a contact telephone number
or e-mail address where you may be reached (or of the local police
station if they are involved!)
You may also choose
to have a sound (already on the computer) play when they first boot
up. Again, go for something dramatic so that they know you are serious!
Unless you have
any special programs you want to run at the same time, you can leave
the next tab alone. Just save all your settings and you will then
be protected!
What happens is
that every time you turn on the computer and connect to the Internet,
LaptopLock "calls home" to see if your computer has been
notified as stolen. If it hasn’t, it does nothing. On the other
hand, if it finds that you have advised them that it’s missing,
it will immediately execute the commands you told it to do. So, it
could pop up the scary message and either delete and/or encrypt your
sensitive files. Cool, huh?!
So, what do you
have to do to notify LaptopLock that your computer is missing?
Just go to their
Web site of www.laptoplock.com,
log in and then go to the Control Panel. Once there,
click on the Report Computer Missing button and you
will get a confirmation screen, like this:
Note:
Do not experiment with the OK button, unless
the computer is truly missing. Otherwise, all the nasty things you
planned will happen to you and you may lose some important data.
Also, what should
you do if you are fortunate enough to get your laptop back?
Just load up LaptopLock,
go to Recovery Options and ask the program to decrypt
the files you have chosen to be encrypted. (I’m sorry, but it
can’t bring back the files you wanted to be deleted and wiped
out. That’s just asking too much!)
Finally, in case
you are worried about security of your personal information and what
the program may be sending back to LaptopLock's Web site, you should
read through the Home page and the FAQ page where the owners give
their assurances.
So, as you can
see, LaptopLock is a rather neat service (and don't forget, it's free),
which should give you a lot more peace of mind when it comes to your
laptop. Give it a try today!
~ David Woodford
Want To Comment On This Tip? Click Here! We'd love to hear from you :-)
Like These Tips? Get 'Em Free In Your E-mail
