How can loJack be effective, if i have a password.... someone steals my laptop, they can't login to connect to the internet

How can loJack be effective, if i have a password.... someone steals my laptop, they can't login to connect to the internet.. and if they can't login, they'll just change the hard drive... then puff... everything is gone.... so is lojack only useful if you don't have a password...

Computrace LoJack for Laptops Premium Mac - 3 Years

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  • Best Answer:

    i just wanted to correct you, apple doesn't allow lo jack to be in the bios/flash memory... so if they reformat the hard drive it will go away. I'm a professor at University of California, and i teach a course on security... i do a lab were they must install lo jack on a mac, and lo jack is just like any other program, it doesn't have any special bios/flash place where you can store it, if the hard drive gets reformatted...

    So this is true if you have a password, so if your laptop is stolen it won't be able phone home, because the theft won't be able to login to the internet.

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  • Although LoJack doesn't install into the bios, as it does when factory installed on a PC, it does become well hidden on the hard drive. I'm not going to say how but a conventional reformat on the Mac will not remove LoJack. I will say replacing the hard drive will defeat LoJack on a Mac.

    My son's MacPro was stolen from his frat house in October and recovered in November. LoJack has the technology to address a stolen computer, if it is on the Internet, and downlaod information that helps identify the user and provide the police with enough info for a search warrant.

    I have also discovered that food delivery persons are being recruited to steal laptops, Ipods and just about anything that will fit into a bag, or pizza carrier, etc. Think about this- an innocent student bought my son's 2009 MacPro 15" off of Craigslist for $1,000. Steal 10 a month and that's $10,000. That's big money and an incnentive to use whatever theft defense/recovery out there.

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  • Enable a guest user account so they have enough access to the computer to be able use and connect to the internet . Also use the firmware password utility in the os x installer to set up a password for if someone tries to swap hard drives or wipe and reinstall os x on the existing drive. i don't know if its 100% fool proof but i setup mine this way so if someone steals my mac they have one heck of a headache to wipe it or replace the drive.

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  • to be honest, the Professor is right, but also wrong, the PERP would have to erase the whole HD, erasing the default OS Partition would do nothing, from my experience on security and Mac Development, this actually installs a separate HIDDEN partition, similar to that of Recovery.

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  • I do support and computer repair and i know these criminals getting more and more clever.

    if the laptop has password they can reset that even on mac.Lojack has a small program that go into flash (this is usually the bios chip on the mainboard)
    If they replace hardrive then you still gonna be able to track your laptop.
    I dont know if Apple give permission to Computrace to install third party software into flash.I know Apple extremely strict about software thats why OS r stable.
    I believe Apple made the software for them self and its compatible with computrace interface.

    Ok now in plain english i gonna go for it but also for gsm gprs device.
    2 is better than one.

    Usually these criminals r a bit donkeys they have no clue about this.

    Personally i recommend to get a small device, gsm gprs tracker they going for £60,this works on 5v and on full usage the battery last for 10H also some devices has built shake sensor so if the laptop not used or any electronic equipment then goes to sleep mode.

    This small device has sim card slot so you have to fit a standard sim card.
    (Try to use some good mobile operator who has good signal round UK.)

    Then you ring that number and the gprs device will text you back the longitude and latitude if you insert this to google map you know where is your stuff.
    The best way is to use extended battery pack this will give you more day.

    I hope was no to hard to understand.

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