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Protect Your Laptop Against Theft
Source: www.online-tech-tips.com

It is no secret that in a weakened economy, theft rates – especially for small electronics – rise. Since many computer lovers carry their laptops absolutely everywhere, it makes sense to be especially vigilant in safeguarding these devices.

While there are many paid services offering location tracking for lost or stolen laptops, a free service called LockItTight (www.lockittight.com) is offering this valuable tool for free.

To sign up for the service, click Free Sign Up at the top right of the homepage.

Enter your the sign up information (name, email, username and password), making sure to choose the Free plan from the dropdown menu. After agreeing with the terms of service, click I accept and Create my Account at the bottom of the page.

You must then verify your email address. The service sends an email containing a link you must click to activate your account. Once verified, log in to your new account on the laptop you wish to protect. Click the Download Client button to install the theft protection on your laptop.

Once installed, LockItTight tracks your laptop’s location every hour or so (this is a customizable setting). From any computer, log in to your LockItTight account to see your laptop’s location on GoogleMaps.

Besides location tracking, LockItTight takes a screen capture and Web cam capture every two hours. If your laptop is stolen, these pictures, combined with location tracking, can help the police recover your laptop.

For a free service, LockItTight is excellent. There is no doubt this service will help recover some devices, and this layer of protecting is certainly worth installing. However, location tracking services can really only deter stupid criminals – rather like airport security. Once the laptop’s hard drive is wiped clean, the service does no good in tracking the laptop. Plus, if the laptop’s power is off, the service cannot work.