iPhone 3GS from AT&T. Free Shipping
Community Newsletter: Q&A: My laptop was stolen, what concerns should I have?
- 8/23/07 4:58 PM
Disk Boot Failure
by cward - 8/5/07 4:32 AM In reply to: My laptop was stolen, what concerns should I have? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Marlene - Your computer system BIOS is configured to boot from CD instead of the primary hard drive. When you first turn the power on, it doesn't find a CD in the drive so it returns a "Disk Boot Error" and moves on to boot the hard drive. When you cold boot your computer (turn power on)the system BIOS performs a complete hardware check. When you shut down and restart from windows (soft boot) it does not perform the system bios hardware check. This is the difference between getting the error and not getting it.
Refer to your computer documentation to access the system bios settings or (call the manufacturer) to step you through changing the boot device options.
Cindy
U3 USB
by Ad a/b Jonas - 8/5/07 4:44 AM In reply to: My laptop was stolen, what concerns should I have? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
To prevent data loss use: U3 USB key, for info see:
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=20588
Vrolijke groet,
Ad Eerland.
Laptop Loss
by waytron - 8/5/07 5:36 AM In reply to: My laptop was stolen, what concerns should I have? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I would have to say that loosing my laptop would be my worst nightmare and I definitely can sympathize with you Dave. My entire life is on my computer. I have word documents that have all my personal information. A thief would potentially have access to all my credit card numbers, account numbers, passwords, financial data, address books, phone numbers, email and even my life’s history on a resume. The data my laptop contains is far more valuable than the price of the laptop itself and I shutter at the thought of someone not having a backup of their data at home. I think for the most part all hotels claim that they are not responsible for lost or stolen items and that all valuables should be stored in the hotel safe. But, I would continue to pursue the hotel and I would make sure you have filed a police report. You could also check your homeowner’s insurance policy to see if you might be covered for the loss there. You always have the right to sue the hotel, but good luck with that. How do you prove you even had a laptop with you? In the end, it is pretty much your word against theirs.
So, how do you prevent this from happening in the future or at least reduce the devastating results of the loss.
AVOIDING THEFT – The best course of action is to reduce the likelihood of having your laptop stolen in the first place. Nothing can stop a professional who is determined to steal your computer but the majority of thefts can be foiled with some simple steps.
1. Do not use a notebook bag. Storing you computer in a standard notebook bag is like hanging a “steal me” sign on your computer. Carry you computer in a standard briefcase or other less obvious bag or backpack.
2. Never leave your site – Whenever possible, always keep your bag that has your computer with you. Do not give it to bellman. Do not check it with your luggage. Always carry it yourself.
3. Never leave your computer or computer case out in plain site when leaving your hotel room. Pack the computer away and place it in a drawer or inside another piece of luggage. A computer in clear site is just too tempting for some.
4. Notebook Locks and Alarms – If you must leave your computer setup in your hotel room then use a notebook lock and alarm. There are some nice locks that have a built-in alarm that will sound when someone moves or tries to cut the cable. This will not guaranty the safety of your laptop but can definitely deter the casual thief from simply up and walking away with it.
LESSEN THE EFFECTS OF THE LOSS – There are three categories of loss
1. Monetary Loss – This is the loss of the actual dollar value of the laptop computer. I personally do not travel with my most expensive notebook. I keep that one at home and use one of my older models to travel with.
2. Data Loss – Never leave home without BACKING UP your computer. If you always backup your data, at least you will never have to worry about not having your documents, emails or other data.
3. Losing your Data to someone else – So that leaves the problem of now someone else has your data. Think about what you have on your computer. Would you want some stranger to have it all? Is there anything on your computer that could be used by someone else? Could they steal your identity? Your accounts? Your Passwords? The obvious way to prevent your most personal data from getting into the hands of someone else is to NOT store it on your computer in the first place. But for me that is not practical, the whole reason I have a computer is to have easy access to all my information. The other way to prevent or certainly make it more difficult for someone to get your data is to encrypt and password protect your whole computer and or a least the important files.
SECURE YOUR PC - Passwords – There are many types of passwords and some are not very secure. Do not rely on your Windows logon password to protect you from much of anything. Someone can easily access your data by simply removing your hard drive and reading it on another computer. I many cases all a thief has to do is boot into safe mode and log in as the administrator, which most users forget and leave the password as blank, and then they can remove your account password.
1. Windows User Password – This is your standard Windows logon password. This will prevent the casual walker by from looking at your computer while you are away from your desk. But as I mentioned above, it does not do much good if someone has stolen your computer.
2. System Password – This password is set at the Bios level of the computer and would make it more difficult to get into your computer.
3. Hard Drive Password – Some computers had the ability to set a password for the hard drive in the Bios and would make it much more difficult to read the data off the drive, even if it is removed from the computer.
4. Individual File Passwords – You can assign a password to individual documents and spreadsheets to prevent someone from accessing those files. I would certainly password protect any sensitive files. Again if someone really wants your data and has the time, there is always a way to get in.
5. File Encryption – There are many 3rd party programs that you can purchase that will encrypt your files. Or you can use the built-in encryption that comes with business versions of Windows such as Windows XP Pro and Vista Ultimate.
SO WHAT DO I DO –
1. Always purchase computers with business class operating systems such as Windows XP PRO or Vista Ultimate and use the built-in file encryption.
2. Set a system password for the computer and make sure the Administrators password is set.
3. Password protect individual files that have critical data such as that word document that has all your credit card account numbers.
4. Backup your computer before you go on a trip.
5. Hardly ever let that computer out of your site.
6. Always hide your laptop away when you leave your hotel room.
NOTE: There is a down side to all this security. As you add various levels of security such as encryption and passwords, you also make it much more difficult or even impossible to recover data from your computer should something go wrong with it. It can also be a major problem if you lose or are not good at remembering password.
Good Luck and please update us as to the outcome with the hotel.
Dana
Wayland Computer
SITE?
by eklectikink - 8/19/07 3:36 AM In reply to: Laptop Loss by waytronAre your sure you don't mean sight?
It's all in the mind
by zoridesign - 8/5/07 8:12 AM In reply to: My laptop was stolen, what concerns should I have? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Dear Dave its all in the mind.
The European think a little different than Americans i think.
You should have been more carefull with your data. A laptop is something that could easily be replaced. But the Data is more than expencive, its a lifetime loss.
With the price of usb sticks and portable hard disks tha back up of your data has never been easier.
So next time byu a laptop and back up or your valuable data in a removable media that you coud take with you everywhere.
Thieves Hurt
by mcmike1953 - 8/5/07 8:20 AM In reply to: My laptop was stolen, what concerns should I have? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Dave , I would'nt worry to much if I had the Serial Numbers and could report them to the local Police at least give them as much information as you can and keep in touch. Change Hotels, as most are starting to provide locking stations for securing laptop computers, just as computer makers are providing cables and software that if it is tampered with the drive is rendered useless. And remember a thief is just in it for the Quick money and the people who buy, just the prize of ownership and would'nt know how to access your information.
hotel liability
by maximvsv - 8/5/07 12:03 PM In reply to: My laptop was stolen, what concerns should I have? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
You say it was recent, and an "upscale" hotel? Their security office should say when the door was last locked and who came in between the time you left and returned. If you have already reported the theft to them, the next step is to report it to the police and see if they can still investigate.
Lost or Stolen laptops, disaster recovery
by kellyh61k - 8/5/07 12:37 PM In reply to: My laptop was stolen, what concerns should I have? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hello Dave,
First of all thank you for sharing your experience and exposing the reality of risk in our comfort zones.
Having been through a similar experience, I know the pain pints and impacts and here are some recommendations.
Disaster Recovery:
You have lost a lot and have a lot of work to do to get comfortable again. Financial, Social and Business information are all exploitable and it is critical to notify the appropriate agencies associated with these and anyone with dependencies to them. Let your financial institutions know, even if you didn’t have the data on the machine. Email your friends and constituents letting them know of potential email exploits. The standard policy and agreements for hotels protects them from any loss of personal property left in the room but I can tell you that if you hold your ground you will get some satisfaction from them as well as forcing a very valuable lessons learned review.
Bouncing Back:
Hopefully you have some form of backup to get up and running soon.
Being robbed is ugly and a very violating experience and here is what I did to keep my business safe.
1. Along with a new laptop I bought 2 external 160GB USB drives, these little buggers are about the size of a wallet & I can keep it with me and plug in anywhere. I use one drive for my primary data storage and the 2nd for first tier back-up. The 2nd drive is kept in a fireproof safe and I mirror the data twice a week.
2. I purchased more space on my server and keep a copy of my critical data there as a secondary backup.
3. I do not keep any business information on my laptops, just the external drives and when I travel, the external drive is in my pocket, not my laptop case!
In my case Dave it was a lunch meeting in Hawaii at a local restaurant. When I left the hotel, I put my laptop in the trunk of my rental car and drove to the restaurant. I parked in a lot about 100 feet away and left the laptop in the trunk as I didn’t need it for the meting but I didn’t want to leave it in the hotel room. I was at the restaurant about minutes and then returned to the parking lot and got my rental car and drove to my next meeting which was a business. When I parked and opened the trunk of my rental car to get my laptop it was gone! I looked at the lock on the trunk and it was fine, no damage, scratches or any evidence of forced entry. I checked to see if the car had an inside trunk release and it did not. I thought maybe I left the trunk open but I clearly remembered checking it after I closed it, just like I do when I shut my car doors to ensure they are locked. Nope! There was no way I left it open or unlatched. Well I finally called the police and they took a report over the phone, my meeting was a wash and my business hard crash, my leads diminished before my eyes and my mobile office literally Gone!
LESSON LEARNED!!!!!
Kelly H.
Dave - laptop loss in virginia
by calvin5 - 8/5/07 2:26 PM In reply to: My laptop was stolen, what concerns should I have? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
First let me say that im sorry for your loss. I would be equally as devistated if it happened to me. About the only thing i would suggest is that when you replace your laptop make sure you encrypt all that it is on it. I understand they have strong encryption methods today that would deny immediate access to your hard drive contents. Of course if they are serious about stealing your ID then they would have the needed skills to break the code. I would raise as much hell as i could with the Hotel that failed to secure your room. Most Hotels will fall back on what a lot of them make policy - Put your valuables in their safe or the safe thats in most good Hotel rooms.
Once again i feel for your loss. Hindsight is 20/20 and its easy to give advise after the fact. Good luck on your recovery efforts
cal in california
Disk Boot Fail
by Z-Man - 8/5/07 3:37 PM In reply to: My laptop was stolen, what concerns should I have? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
It's one of the worst errors to see. This usally means the drive is having a problem, but before you condem the drive, check a few things first. Check to make sure you did not leave a floppy disk in the 3 1/2 inch floppy drive. It sounds stupid but I have done it myself and if it's not a bootable disk it will give you and error, but not the same error as a disk boot failure. The error will be "non system disk". Next reboot into BIOS and check to see if this drive is on the boot list and that it is enabled (if you have that option) and that it is the first on second after the floppy in the list. If you still get the error, shut down and check inside the case for a loose cable on the drive or the motherboard. If all this checks OK check to see if the drive is still under warrenty and contact the manufacture. If th drive is not covered then try some utilites to see if you can recover any data you may need to get off this drive, because it looks like the drive has gone to that big computer junk yaed in the sky.
LaptopLock
by danrulz98 - 8/5/07 4:40 PM In reply to: My laptop was stolen, what concerns should I have? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
There is a free program called LaptopLock that you can get at http://www.thelaptoplock.com/
when you report your computer as stolen on the web site, the LaptopLock program will securely delete any files you want and will encrypt anything you set it the next time your computer goes on the internet. If your computer isn't taken on the net for a long time (whether you report it stolen or not) it will prompt for a password and will not let anyone through. The program its self is very small and doesn't effect the performance of your computer very much. Just make sure you connect to the net every now and then. I have not had to deal with the password prompt even after my computer was used in an area with no internet for for more than a week.
Hopefully your crooks are too stupid to get any of your personal information. I'll pray for you.
Great option and post.
by artek-studio - 8/6/07 7:17 AM In reply to: LaptopLock by danrulz98Danrulz,
Congrats for your post it sound's like a great option I'll even try it.
Thanks.
Jorge R.
Loss of Laptops
by simiyah - 8/5/07 9:45 PM In reply to: My laptop was stolen, what concerns should I have? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Dave,
I am so very sorry to hear of the theft of your laptops. The hotel should be held accountable for your demise, and the employees of the hotel should be questioned and probably given a lie detector test. The culprit(s) found and punished not only for the theft of your computer, but most importantly for crimes against the computers
Publicity would hightlight the poor security of the hotel and prevent any future occurrence.
I hope you will recover them soon.
Best regards
simiyah
Sorry it happened
by cvco - 8/5/07 10:24 PM In reply to: My laptop was stolen, what concerns should I have? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
As to hotel: Your case against them only involves negligence if they didnt excercise ordinary care in protecting the room. While they have no obgligation to make sure you didnt lose the computer, they cant, for example, leave the door open after cleaning the room. Suggestion, give all valuables to the hotel desk anytime you leave the hotel. Now their responsiblity is at least upgraded somewhat. Also, most hotels have cameras in the hallways--did you ask to view the tapes? As an extra suggestion, when you check IN to a hotel, ask about security cameras and make sure the hotel is keeping tapes and that they are viewable if need be. Its also alerts them that youre alert and not that they truly care, but the question just might make them mind your room 0.05% more just to avoid confrontations with you, a "troublemaker" and that might make all the difference in the world.
As to your laptop: 1) Back up data on a small external hard drive and carry it with you in that circumstance, you can restore your life quickly and, for example, learn what your passwords are so that you can go back and quickly change them. 2) Use encryption software to encrypt all essential files which would then require a password to open/decrypt. 3) Buy laptop insurance 4) Password the computer itself--already enabled on PCs but users seldom use it--and having done so its extremely difficult if not impossible for a thief to get past it. This gives you a very good sense of security because while you lost the machine, they cant use it either. If nothing else, this one step alone buys you time to change passwords and notify relevant people. 4) There is a company which sells a homing device, using GPS. I saw an ad for it in an airport so its out there somewhere. This would allow the service to attempt to find the laptop.
Two more things about passwording the PC, first is that remember that if you lose the password you cant get in it either. Second, even if they didnt steal the machine, they could have easily wrecked your life by simply backing up all your data on their own external hard drive and walking away. Youd never know. And that goes for everyone. Leaving a laptop on your bedroom table at home or on the desk at work gives literally anyone the same chance.
Sad thing is that 99.9% of people dont take any of the steps above and yet if that same 99.9% used just one idea, the entire complexion of this problem would change. Good luck and again, im sorry.
Stolen laptops
by wallyzajac - 8/6/07 1:38 AM In reply to: My laptop was stolen, what concerns should I have? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
<Is a concern justified for identity theft from the info available on the machine?
Yes, in fact it is likely. If you have your social security number, credit card number, finance information, or other personal information I would suggest you start protecting yourself by reporting the identity theft to all three credit bureaus.
<Is the hotel responsible for replacement?
I do not think so unless you can prove that they were negligent. It does sound like they were able to gain entry into your room without forcing the door, which suggests that an employee might have been involved. If they use a plastic card keys, then there may be a log of whose card was used to enter the room. Probably only the manager of the hotel would know that the log even exists.
Three tips for the future. First, before leaving your room, use a cable lock on the laptops, looping thru the handle of the bags, and around a piece of heavy furniture (long cable). Secondly, they make LoJack devices for laptops nowadays. Lastly, make backups of your valuable data regularly and before taking a trip (It would also save your butt if you drop your laptop).
| Forum legend: | |
 |
Locked thread |
 |
Moderator |
 |
CNET staff |
 |
Samsung staff |
 |
Norton Authorized Support team |
 |
AVG staff |
 |
Windows Outreach team |
 |
Dell staff |
 |
Intel staff |
