The first thing you need to be aware of is that this happens to a lot of people.

It is just a piece of equipment and insured or not it CAN be replaced.

The DATA is the most important part of anyone’s PC or laptop. Most people do everything from their banking to their Will on their PC.

For this reason, the data poses a security risk to you, particularly in this day of “identity theft”.

Call the Manufacturer and notify them that your laptop has been stolen (even if it is out of warranty). They should have the serial number on file.

Call your Network Administrator (if you are using a business network) and notify them to change all passwords for your account.

Call your Internet Service Provider, notify them of the situation and have them change all your passwords for E Mail, Login, Web Site etc.

If your financial records are on there or you have used the machine for Internet Banking, Credit Card Payments etc, you better notify your bank as well. Changes passwords.

When you have access to a new PC (or borrowed one), get to hotmail and any other websites you have signed up with and change your passwords there.

There are some precautions you can take….

1/ Set a power on password in your Laptops BIOS. DO NOT LOSE THIS PASSWORD; some laptops (specific models) require that you replace the system board to clear that password.

2/ Encrypt your important data (difficult if using Windows, but not impossible).

3/ Always backup your data. Store your old e mail, sent messages, Desktop Settings, bookmarks etc. Burn to CD/DVD copy to another computer or spare hard drive. USB keys should not be trusted for backups.

4/ Keep copies of receipts for all your software, license numbers etc in a safe location at both your home and your office. Odds are if you ever have a hardware or Windows issue you will need them anyway.

5/ DO NOT store passwords using Windows.It is far safer NOT to “save password for future use”.

6/ Do not rely on these “Laptop Locks” for security, as I have seen laptops go missing in less than 1 hour, when locked to a desk.

7/ If your laptop is your baby, treat it as such … never leave your laptop alone.

8/ ALWAYS make sure you set a password on the Administrator account. If someone gets your laptop and your password is only on your login name, they will have easy access to your data. Important to note that network Users have ways to access that account as well, and if no password for Administrator it is very easy to gain control over your entire C drive. DO NOT LOSE this password as you may at some time need it for repairs.