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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.
Mac of the Day: SuperMac S900, Aug. 1996 - This 6-slot tower supported dual CPUs and still has a following.
List of the Day: Macintel List for discussion and support of Intel-based Macs.
October 7 in LEM history: 98: Love that PowerBook G3 - 99: Troubleshooting 101 - Love at first sight - 02: Hot rodding a Power Mac for OS X - Beefing up Windows networking - 05: Choose FireWire 800 over USB 2.0 and FireWire 400 - Faster Mac minis shipping - Speedy 100 GB 7200 rpm notebook drives
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