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Laptop Crime is on the Increase: How to Protect yourself From Laptop Theft

September 6th, 2010

For most people owning a laptop is all about convenience. Being able to sit where your want to work, wander around from office to office, sit in front of the television or even browse the web in bed are the reasons why laptops have become so popular.

It has also become much more than a work tool. For many people it is the place where you keep all the things that are important to you: your email and financial information, business secrets, personal writings, even irreplaceable media like photos, film, and writings.

So if your laptop were stolen from you tomorrow, what would it do to your life?

Even worse, if a laptop belonging to your business were stolen that contained the personal data of customers or clients, it could put all of them at risk of identity theft and you could be held liable.

This crime draws both the common thief and the more sophisticated identity thief alike, and it’s on the rise in England. Last year, a laptop belonging to the Nationwide and containing the personal information of over 11 million customers was stolen and never recovered. In London, laptop theft is up 15% on last year, with over 6500 laptops stolen in 2006 (not including laptops stolen out of homes and offices). Other metropolitan areas in Britain have similar statistics: over 2000 in Edinburgh with a 31% increase, and a 15% increase in Manchester.

Having a laptop stolen is personal nightmare if it is your own machine, but so much worse if you lose information that compromises your friends, co-workers, and clients. At Marks & Spencer’s, a laptop lost in 2007 contained sensitive data about 26,000 employees, including their national insurance numbers and other personal identifying information. That cost Marks & Spencer’s free credit checks for all employees and a promise to cover them for any damages if their identities were compromised. In the Nationwide case above, the company was fined just under a million pounds.

And even if you get the laptop back, even if the laptop was only “borrowed” its data can be copied off in minutes, putting any data on it at risk even after the machine is returned.

Two simple steps protect yourself against losing your personal computer?

The First Step: Protect Yourself

Laptops are at risk due to the very portability that makes them useful. It takes only seconds for someone to carry off your unguarded laptop, along with all its precious contents. The first thing to do is not leave it unprotected, even for a minute; keep it in sight. Get good security on your wireless connections while you’re at it, and carefully choose the places where you use that connection.

You can also get physical barriers against using a stolen laptop. For instance, biometrics including fingerprint scanners has become increasingly popular with laptops, and key cards that you keep in your wallet or luggage separate from the laptop can been used to secure it. Computers with hard drives mated to internal workings prevent your hard drive from being removed and copied. And if your laptop is used to access the Internet after it is stolen, there are subscription services that can trace it remotely and render it unusable whilst it connects to the web.

The Second Step: Consider Laptop Insurance

Laptop insurance is becoming one of the fastest growing specialist insurances. With low-cost monthly premiums having some form of insurance policy could be the one thing between you and financial ruin. Laptop insurance is cheap, and if you have used other protections for your laptop, it gets even cheaper. Many providers offer worldwide cover, accidental damage protection and a 48 hour replacement service.

Protect yourself physically with laptop security and financially with good laptop insurance. With luck, you’ll never have to depend on either. But if the worst comes about, you’ll be glad you did.

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Gain From Trading, not Repairing Your Laptop

September 4th, 2010

Everybody fears the expense of having to repair their laptop, and unfortunately this is a realistic and often expensive reality of owning computer hardware. However there is now a very feasible method in which you can obtain a new laptop instead of sending your old laptop for repair – and the cost is very similar if not the same. The process can be somewhat less stressful than sending your broken laptop for repair and a lot more rewarding.

 

Having to repair your laptop can be time consuming and expensive and opens your computer up for people to view all your personal details, the method I am going to explain here is the complete opposite to this with much better results. There are now companies that will buy your old laptop off you, I am aware of one that will do this regardless of the condition, if it works or not. They offer this service as an alternative to laptops being thrown to the trash, which millions of users do every year and miss out on this opportunity to make some easy money for recycling their electronic waste.

 

www.cashforlaptops.com buy old, used, and broken laptops, and even pay for the shipping and insurance costs, so we as the customer have no fees to pay – we just receive cash for it, another opposite to repairing your laptop. Once you have received a quote of how much they will pay you for your old laptop, and offering you the option to avoid the repair costs they do everything other than pack your laptop up for shipping. As soon as they receive the machine it is formatted – all your personal details are deleted from the memory to ensure your privacy is maintained. With this thought in mind be sure to remove all your wanted files and folders onto a removable storage device, the same as if you were going to send your laptop to a repair specialist – the only difference here is that you do not have the worry of who is viewing your personal files, and this is a great factor if you use a password protected system, these are details that would have to be disclosed for the repair to be carried out on your laptop, but again, not the case with this choice.

 

While the memory is being erased from the computer for it to begin the transformation into a refurbished and repaired laptop, but not at your expense, the cash will be sent out to you to enable you to use this for the purchase of your new computer – with the check amount that you receive, deducting this from the price of the desired laptop gives you a brand new laptop for a very similar price of if you had used a laptop repair service. The major benefit being no time wasted whilst it is being repaired, no intrusion of your privacy, and best of all – a brand new machine, not a repaired laptop waiting to go wrong again.

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Netbooks - Picking From The Best

August 4th, 2010

If you`re in the market for a new netbook then you might be wondering which ones are good and which ones to avoid. There are many to compare, as each computer company has a long list of netbooks available. If you are searching for only the ones that are the most popular, then here is a gathering of netbooks for your viewing.

The HP mini 110-1037NR is a 10.1“ anti-glare display and an Intel processor. It has 1GB of memory, 160 GB SATA hard disk and Windows XP Home (SP3) for your likening.

Gateway NV7802U Win 7 is a 17.3“ screen with windows 7 and an Intel processor as well. It has 4 GB of memory and Intel GMIT. It also has a 500GB hard disk.

Samsung N120 is a 10.1“ screen with a full size 12“ notebook designed keyboard and a large touch pad. It offers a light weight and slim design. The battery life is extra long with an entire 10.5 hours of usage.

Lenovo IdeaPad is a cheap and lightweight netbook. It is low powered for your basic computer needs. The unique look makes this perfect for anyone who wants a neat looking computer that does just some basic things. It offers a 10.2“ screen size.

MSI Wind U100 is another netbook worth mentioning. It has a large display and keyboard that many people love. It is popular for people who will be doing minimal computer using, because it is missing some key features. It has a low battery life and a small hard drive.

Asus Eee PC901, is a great version of a netbook and is very popular with many people, it is facing an increase in its competitors such as HP and DELL, who are starting to match the features and look. It is light in weight with a long battery life. The screen size is 10.1“ inch. You will get allot for the price.

Dell Inspiron Mini 9, offers consumers a four hour battery life and the option of a webcam, which is great for any conference calls you might have, it has a 1.6 Intel Atom CPU, and Windows XP, 7 or Linux operating system. It is accessible with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It has three USB ports, the only drawback is that this netbook has no specific keys for certain functions.

The Sony VAIO series lifestyle is an expensive netbook, but you get lots in the package. It has a full unique looking keyboard; it supports WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network) and allows for broad band connecting which allows you to use 3G networking. It is very portable with its 1.33 Intel processor. It has home vista 0S and when you select one you can chose from a range of brilliant colors.

These netbooks are all designed for lightweight and portable computer accessing. They are designed for travel and for light computing in the home. Ideal for teenagers or anyone in school who might take their netbook to friends houses often.

They are usually cheaper than buying a full decked out laptop or computer for the home. And some come with the features you may need. If you are buying a netbook for a child you might be a lower end model with few features, this will give them the power to do the things that they want, without paying for extra programs and features that they won`t use.

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Nokia Booklet 3G - New Netbook from Nokia

July 22nd, 2010


Nokia’s new 3G Netbook, it runs Windows completed with Nokia’s Ovi-suite and has an Intel Atom processor inside; With aluminium body, 10 inch HD glass-screen, small dimensions and a 12 hour battery life the device will be quite a mobile-workhorse. The device also is packed with features like Bluetooth, SD-card reader Wi-Fi class-N, A-GPS and HDMI-port for HD video out. With Ovi-suite the system integrates and synchronizes with all Nokia’s smart-phones… More information and it’s specifications will be released at Nokia World held in September 2nd, we’ll be waiting for more information…

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How do I transfer a screen saver from my daughters netbook to my laptop?

May 23rd, 2010

My daughter got a netbook with the Tord Boonje screensaver and wallpapers that I want for my laptop now. I can’t find the screen savers online. Is there a way I can transfer it from her netbook to mine?

Post your answers in the comments section!

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