The Power of Mac

The Best Way to Prevent Laptop Theft

Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

Poker Mac Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

Eric Schwarz - 2001.08.02

Need a laptop but don't want it to get stolen? Here's the solution.

All of us have heard horror stories of people getting their brand new laptops stolen, even when they have the special security locks and cables or security software. What can you do to prevent laptop theft?

Use for an older PowerBook. Most older, less colorfully-cased PowerBooks can be bought for a lot less than a brand new PowerBook or iBook. Most people don't need the newest 'Books, even if they think they do. Most people use computers in general for the following tasks:

  • Web browsing
  • email
  • word processing
  • other business software
  • digital music (CDs or MP3s)
  • graphics
  • a backup computer

You generally don't need a new iBook or PowerBook G3/G4 to do these tasks. In fact, a 5300 or 1400 would work fine. With enough RAM, these will run Mac OS 9.1, so you can use the latest non-OS X software.

What does this have to do with laptop theft? Well, there is proof that newer laptops (especially expensive 'Books) are stolen more often, so just get an older PowerBook (the older the better) and use that. "Uglifying" the PowerBooks helps, too. As many people know, the 500 series had a really easy-to-break plastic piece below the screen bezel, so I used duct tape to hold it in place. It's perfectly usable, but it makes the laptop look more like a piece of junk to the average thief.

But the best thing is to never let the computer out of your sight. And if you have to go somewhere, just take it with you.

Correction: In my last article, I stated that most of the early Power Macs ran System 7.5.2. After correction from Daniel Decker and some further investigation, I learned that the 8100/110 shipped with System 7.5, not 7.5.2. System 7.5.2 was a special version that only ran on a limited number of Power Macs.

Eric Schwarz has been using Macs and other computers for a few years. His personal website - dealing with Macs (of course) - is at <http://schwarztech.macweekly.com/>. You can learn more about his current computer setup in Eric Schwarz's iBook.

Recent Power of Mac

Links for the Day

  • Mac of the Day: Mac Pro, Aug. 2006 - The last Mac to go Intel, the Mac Pro has two dual-core Xeon CPUs at 2.0-3.0 GHz. 8-core option added in 2007.
  • Group of the Day: Mac mini List is for anyone using or contemplating a Mac mini
  • March 20 in LEM history: 00: Adobe isn't making friends - Raising the dead - 01: Milking the Mac for all it's worth, - 02: Keeping the Web free - Macally CardBus USB - 05: Copyright bullies - 07: The iPhone: Is it a Mac? - Improve productivity with a second display - 08: The rise of the Microsoft monopoly

Recent Content on Low End Mac

Recent Deals

  • Best Intel iMac Deals, 03.17. Used 17" from $600; 20" from $750; 24" from $825; refurb 21.5" nVidia, $999; new, $1,099; refurb Radeon, $1,299; new, $1,399; refurb 27" 3.06, $1,499; more.
  • Best G5 iMac Deals, 03.17. 17" 2.0 GHz, $380; 1.9 GHz iSight, $479 shipped; 20" 1.8 GHz, $509 shipped; 2.1 GHz iSight, $549 shipped.
  • Best Time Capsule Deals, 03.17. Close-out 500 GB, $140; new 1 TB, $279; used 2 TB simultaneous dual-band, $400; new, $455. Shipping included.
  • Best iPad Deals, 03.16. 16 GB iPad, $499; 32 GB, $599; 64 GB, $699; 16 GB with 3G, $629; 32 GB 3G, $729; 64 GB 3G, $829. Free ground shipping.
  • Best iPod classic Deals, 03.12. Used 20 GB, $119; 40 GB, $139; 60 GB, $159; 30 GB video, $129; 60 GB, $159; 80 GB, $169; refurb 120 GB, $189; new, $214; 160 GB, $228 shipped.
  • Best G3 iBook and AirPort Card Deals, 03.12. 366 MHz 12" clamshell, $89; 466, $125; 500 white CD, $100; 600, $199; 800 Combo, $239; 14" 900, $225.
  • Best Xserve Deals, 03.12. Used 1 GHz dual G4, $499; 2.0 dual G5, $599; 2.3, $749; refurb 2.26 4-core Nehalem, $2,499; new, $2,699; 8-core, $3,449; refurb 2.66, $4,299; new, $4,799; more.
  • More deals in our archive.

Channels
 Power Macs
 iMac Channel
 iBook/PowerBook
 MacInSchool
Computer Profiles
 iMac
 Power Mac
 PowerBook/iBook
 Performas
 Mac Clones
 Older Macs
 Lisa • NeXT
Editorial Archive
Mac Daniel's Advice
Email Lists
LEMchat (uses AIM)
Online Tech Journal
Consumer
 advice, reviews
 guides, deals
Software
Apple History
Best of the Web
 Best of the Mac Web surveys
Miscellaneous Links
  Used Mac Dealers
 Video Cards
 Mac OS X
 Mac Linux
 Macspeak
 RAM Upgrades
About Low End Mac
Site Contacts

Open Link

Support LEM

Affiliates

The Apple Store
.mac
iTunes Store
Club Mac
MacMall
iResQ
ExperCom
eBay
Amazon.com
PayPal
PCMall
PC Zone
Crucial Memory

Our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For detailed price quotes and advertising information, please contactat BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Power of Mac articles copyright ©2001-2003 by Eric Schwarz. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2010 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.