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Stolen laptop? Lock it down from afar via text message
Getting your laptop stolen sucks, obviously. You have it loaded up with your personal information and data, and beyond losing a valuable piece of property, there's security and identity theft to worry about as well.
With the new Lenovo ThinkPads you'll have a bit less to worry about if it gets stolen. That's because, once stolen, you can send a text message out confirming that it's stolen. The computer will receive it via a mobile broadband modem and lock itself down, rendering the computer useless. While it might not help you get your computer back, it will at least keep your data nice and secure, which is really half the battle.
Via Engadget
By Yogurt at 9:18 PM ON 11/25/08
Anybody a little concerned with the idea that there is a broadband modem just waiting for your text?
Couldn't it be sending usage statistics and whatever it wants to Lenovo? Talk about letting someone spy on whatever you do, the fix might indeed be the problem.
By hmmm at 4:46 AM ON 11/26/08
While you may be able to have a small Motherboard battery that will kill the Motherboard. There would be no way it could wipe your Harddrive if they remove the laptop battery. Your information is not secure, all still on the harddrive, regardless of a harddrive lockdown.
By Drasgon at 8:46 PM ON 11/26/08
Actually depending how it is done, even if they remove the MB Battery, or the HDD from the computer it will still be secure. There are several companies that have designed full HDD encryption. Based on secured 128 or better algarythems. The better companies use a chip built into the MB, so the HDD would have to be plugged into that MB in order to read the encryption, as each chip has a different security key.
Dell is currently a leader in this field, though i don't recommend the software that is used for the encryption, Wave Systems has supplied a program that will acomplish this.
By marater1177 at 8:41 PM ON 11/30/08
I would stay away from that Thinkpads, Because my company was using them and i owned one as well, there is a flaw in this technology, sometimes the lock just goes on when there is a power surge, and if you didnt already set up a password, you are scrwed the only way to get the Lock off is too get a whole new mother board which will cost you the same as getting a new laptop. as a matter fact i still have the email from or Lenovo Tech
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Here's the deal! Lenovo has really locked down the BIOS, password is stored on a solid state EEPROM, they claim its hack-proof, but you do have a couple choices:
1. Its a long shot but the "secret" backdoor Lenovo password is Merlin, give that a try.
2. Send it to Lenovo, but they are gonna nail you with a motherboard replacement, 300-400 bucks
3. You can try to get a new EEPROM its made ATMEL, he said they are a little hard to find and you have to get the exact one in your PC
Good Luck, let me know how you make out
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Plus my company was having somemany problems with them they switched over to HP & Acer, its a great idea to have if ur laptop gets stolen and the the technology wasnt flawed where it cost you monet,but its better to just get the lowjack
By Super Hacker at 2:59 AM ON 12/01/08
Ok here’s what you do laptop thieves. First remove the battery then remove any wireless cards on the back of the laptop, then send it to a foreign county that does not use our type of cell phone bands like Africa, Asia, or even south America, don’t sent to Europe because there bands are similar to ours. That’s it, as long as the txt message don't reach the laptop its a keeper.
By Hortence at 11:07 AM ON 12/03/08
I thought that Lenovo's came with the tracking software, Lojack For Laptops built into the BIOS of their new laptops. With a software like this a laptop can be tracked, its data remotely deleted, and unless u install Linux, even rebooting the OS will not remove the software.
By Hortence at 11:10 AM ON 12/03/08
By A.A. at 1:24 PM ON 01/12/09
has anyone tried to remove the bios chip and replace it with a new set of bios, too remove the computrace lojack? seeing how there saved in the bios.
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A.A.:
has anyone tried to remove the bios chip and replace it with a new set of bios, too remove the computrace lojack? s...More »