For over two decades the LoJack Corporation has helped automobile owners recover stolen vehicles. A hidden device installed on the vehicle responds to a radio message from law enforcement, ratting out the thief by transmitting the vehicle's position to the cops. LoJack for Laptops by Absolute Software ($39.99/year, direct) offers similar security protection for your laptop, whether it's running Windows or MacOS.

Absolute Software licenses the LoJack logo and name to emphasize the similarity between the two services. While LoJack for Laptops doesn't tie in directly to law enforcement, the company looks for law enforcement and IT experience when hiring for their Theft Recovery Team.

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For $20 more, you can upgrade to the premium edition, which includes a service guarantee that could pay you up to $1,000 if the company fails to either recover the laptop or successfully delete sensitive data. The premium edition also uses enhanced technology to geographically locate a stolen laptop with greater accuracy.

Letter of the Law
Absolute Software strongly emphasizes staying on the right side of the law when using LoJack for Laptops. Before you enable geolocation, for example, it warns that tracking the location of individuals without their consent may be illegal and requires that you agree to use this feature only with the user's consent and in accord with law.

This limitation doesn't apply to the recovery team's investigation, of course. It does mean that you shouldn't use the product to snoop on the wanderings of employees legitimately using a non-stolen company laptop.

Getting Started
When you install LoJack for Laptops, you have to enter your full contact information so that the company can stay in touch if laptop recovery is needed. You set up an account and create a password as well as a separate PIN for potentially dangerous actions like locking the computer and deleting files. After installation you really don't need to do a thing, as long as the laptop remains in your possession.

Like Laptop Cop ($65 direct, 4 stars), LoJack for Laptops hides its presence on the system. However, it initially installs a separate notifier application that appears as an icon in the system tray. You can use the notifier to send a test message, confirming the product's connection with the monitoring center. Once it's clear that everything is working, you can uninstall the notifier.

Removing the notifier doesn't affect protection at all. In fact, you're better off if the thief has no idea LoJack is present, as he'll be more likely to give away key information that will aid in recovery.

Simple Configuration
By logging in to the LoJack Web site you can change your contact information, including your email contact address. The company advises changing your password and PIN frequently, and this is the place to do it.

Do look at the My Preferences tab. You'll certainly want to receive notification if LoJack hasn't connected with the monitoring center in over 30 days. You may or may not want "pop up messages which include renewal alerts, recovery stories and other system information." Likewise you'll make your own decision whether to accept special offers and a quarterly newsletter from Absolute Software or special offers from partners.

File Protection
Each laptop security product takes its own approach to file protection. LaptopSentry 3.1 ($9.99 direct, 3 stars) comes with 10 GB of simple online backup. You can also send a command to Laptop Sentry that will encrypt or delete specific files or folders on a stolen laptop. Laptop Cop can retrieve and delete file types or folders.

LoJack doesn't offer backup, encryption, or retrieval, just remote deletion. You can remotely delete all files except the operating system or choose specific file types or folders. LoJack uses high-level secure deletion to ensure that deleted files can't possibly be recovered.

To delete a folder you must enter the full pathname. That can be tough; normally you'd just browse to the folder in Windows Explorer. You can make the deletion process easier by saving the names of important folders ahead of time. The best way to do this is to log in to the Web console from the laptop itself, navigate to the desired folder, and copy/paste the pathname into the "My Favorite Folders" page.

Since LoJack won't retrieve files after the laptop is stolen, you need to arrange online backup with a company that specializes in that area. MozyHome Online Backup (Free, 3.5 stars) offers 2 GB of hosted online backup for free. SOS Online Backup Home Edition 4.7.4 ($9.95 direct for five licenses, 4.5 stars) offers 50 GB across five computers for $9.95/month. Keeping important data backed up is just good sense.