You
can prevent the theft of your laptop and/or the precious data in it.
You can even make it possible to retrieve it after theft. Here's how:
Back Up Your Data Regularly
Imagine
if you lose your laptop and you don't have any copy of your files in
it. Scary isn't that? So backup your important files regularly. Try
using Duplicati. More importantly, backup on a USB or external
drive.
Encrypt Sensitive Data
Data encryption isn't a
hard thing to do. You just have to create a 20-character master
password if you will use TrueCrypt, which I recommend and use.
Make Your Laptop Easy
to Return
Offer a reward for its
return if you can afford it. Place a prominently named text file on
your desktop (e.g. REWARD_for_return.TXT) containing your contact
information and any information about the reward. You can also have
your name engraved on your PC.
Install a Tracking
Software
More
and more PC's are being retrieved because they were tracked and
traced; and the thief nabbed. Prey always make the news. But why not
install Predator too?
Beware of Buying Second-Hand Laptops
This
woman bought a 2nd-hand laptop and put her naked pics in it for her
boyfriend. When a tracking-software firm and the police traced the
PC, you can guess what happened next. But she sued the software firm
for passing her naked pics to the cops.
Tips
for Searching on the Web
Would
you believe that college students aren't good 'googling'?
It's
a funny coincidence that I forgot where I found the piece about
student's being poor 'googlers'. So I first googled 'students poor in
web searching'. On the results, I clicked 'last 24 hours' and Bingo,
I got what I exactly want.
Try
these tips then teach them how:
Try
a generalized search first before you make a detailed one.
Let's
say you need to know about a stray plant with tiny violet flowers and
how to care for them. Then search: ' stray plant with tiny violet
flowers'. After African violets or saintpaulia appears, search
'caring for African violets'.
Safe
Search Tools
There
are lots of safe search tools you can use. Choose among some which
would be convenient for you:
WebofTrust
Norton
Safe Web
Scroogle
DuckDuckGo
