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Five Ways to Prevent Your Laptop from Being Stolen DON’T let your computer out of your sight, even for a moment. Wi-Fi hotspots like coffee shops can be distracting and are prime hangouts for laptop thieves. Don’t leave it on a table to get a refill and don’t put it on the floor behind your chair. DON’T leave it on the seat of your car. Hide it under the seat or in the trunk or you could end up with a stolen laptop AND a broken car window. DON’T leave it in your hotel room unless you’ve secured it with a laptop cable lock ($30 to $50 at most stores). If you don’t have a laptop cable lock, take it with you or ask hotel management to lock it up. WRITE your laptop’s serial number down and store it safely. It will help the police recover your laptop if it is stolen. GET a tracking device installed. Computrace or CyberAngel can be purchased for about $60 a year and will track your laptop’s location using a stealthy piece of tracking software if it is stolen. Many even offer a guarantee. And Finally, don’t forget to back up your files and keep a copy of the backup in a separate location away from your laptop (not in your laptop bag because it may get stolen along with the laptop itself). This won’t prevent your laptop from being stolen, but it will take a lot of the sting out of losing it.
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When your laptop gets stolen, you lose a lot more than your computer and the cost of the replacement; that is why it makes sense to take these simple steps to protect it.