Ensure your laptop, and the data it contains, arrive safely at your destination
By Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP, About.com
Laptops are becoming more common than desktop computers. An increasing number of business and personal travelers bring along their laptops on flights. You should be prepared to remove your laptop from your laptop bag or carrying case to send it through the airport security checkpoint in its own bin. More importantly for travelers though is the need to protect the laptop throughout the trip. The very portability that make them such a convenient computing platform also makes them easy to lose and a prime target for theft. In order to protect your laptop and ensure it arrives at your destination in one piece and with the integrity of the data it contains still intact, you should follow these Top 10 tips:
1. Pad The Laptop: Make sure the laptop bag or carrying case you transport your laptop in provides adequate padding. As you move about the airport or shove the laptop under the seat in front of you or into the overhead storage compartment, the laptop can be jarred and jostled quite a bit.
2. Keep It On You: It is not uncommon for someone to set their luggage down while standing in line for a muffin, or to sit down while waiting for a flight. With all luggage, it is important to keep an eye on it and ensure nobody tampers with it or steals it. Because of their size and value though, laptops make prime targets and a thief can snatch the laptop bag and keep walking while you are unaware with your back turned. You should keep the laptop bag on your shoulder or keep it in sight at all times.
3. Back Up Data: Perform a backup of all critical or sensitive data before departing. Just in case your laptop does become damaged or lost, you don't want to also lose your important files and information. You can buy a new laptop, but it is much harder to replace lost data.
4. Encrypt Your Data: Just in case your laptop should fall into unauthorized hands, you should make sure your hard drive is encrypted. Laptops with Windows Vista Enterprise or Ultimate come equipped with BitLocker drive encryption. If you aren't using one of these versions of Windows Vista, and your company has not implemented any other sort of enterprise-wide encryption solution, you can use an open source solution such as TrueCrypt to protect your data.
5. Document Identifying Information: In case your laptop does end up lost or stolen, you should be able to provide detailed information about the make, model, serial number and any other identifying information. You may need the information to file a claim with the airline or your insurance company, or to provide law enforcement.
6. Use Strong Passwords: Follow the advice in Creating Secure Passwords to make sure that your passwords can not be easily guessed or cracked if your laptop falls into the wrong hands.
7. Use a BIOS Password: Protecting your laptop with an operating system login and password is a good idea, but there are ways to circumvent that protection and gain access to the data still. For better protection, you should enable password protection at the BIOS level so that the laptop can not even be turned on without the correct password.
8. Implement Remote Data Protection: Another step you can take to make sure your data does not fall into the wrong hands is to look into products that will allow you to remotely destroy or erase the data on your laptop if it is lost or stolen. These products generally require that the unauthorized user connect to the Internet first in order for them to do their work though, so they are not a guarantee.
9. Use Portable Storage: To make sure you have the business critical PowerPoint presentation or Excel spreadsheet that you need to show your business partners in order to seal the multi-million dollar deal (or whatever other important files and documents might be on your laptp) you should carry a copy on a USB thumb drive or some other type of portable storage that you can carry separate from the laptop in case it becomes lost or stolen.
10. Just Leave The Laptop At Home: When it comes to all of the hassles and all of the issues that can arise from traveling with your laptop, you should also consider whether you really need to take it. You can carry your data or files on portable storage such as a CD, DVD or USB drive, or you can just email or FTP the data ahead of you. Then, you can borrow a desktop or laptop system once you are safely on the ground and at the office site you are visiting.
Jumat, 28 November 2008
7 ways to boost your notebook battery’s life
You’re sitting comfortably on a flight. You’ve got your notebook PC in front of you, and you’re working on a presentation for an important meeting. Isn’t mobile technology great? But then, your battery dies – and your work abruptly comes to a halt.
Unfortunately, this is an all-too-familiar scenario for many notebook users. While notebook batteries become a little more efficient each year, we’re also relying more heavily on our notebooks for day-to-day computing. But don’t be discouraged. There are simple actions you can take – as well as new innovations you can take advantage of – that help your battery last longer, so you can stay productive.
1. Disable or disconnect
Peripheral devices can drain your battery life, even when they’re not in active use. So remove, disable or turn off your external hard drives, DVDs, USB devices, wireless cards and other accessories when they’re not needed.
Uninstalling little-used startup programs in Windows® XP or disabling them in Windows Vista® can also help reduce the power needed to load and run them every time your restart your PC.
2. Dim it down
One of the notebook’s biggest energy drains is its screen. Most HP Business Notebooks are equipped with Ambient Light Sensors, which automatically dim the screen in bright light. This prevents eyestrain and can save as much as an extra hour of runtime. If you need to manually adjust the brightness on your HP notebook, hold down the Fn key and use F7 and F8.
3. Manage your power
The power management utility of your notebook lets you set when your computer goes into hibernation in Windows XP or the new, more efficient sleep mode in Windows Vista. Using these energy-saving features can be an effective way to reduce the amount of power your notebook consumes.
4. Keep your cool
Notebook batteries should be used and stored at room temperature. Extreme temperatures can take a toll on battery life, causing irreversible capacity loss over time. So minimise battery exposure to extreme conditions, like bright sunlight or a hot car.
5. Take charge
Did you know that new batteries should be fully discharged and charged the first few times they’re used? This tells a battery’s “memory” exactly how much charge it can hold. If your battery is not going to be used for more than two weeks, you should remove it from your notebook.
Built into new business notebooks, HP Fast Charge technology charges your battery up to 90 percent in only 90 minutes to ensure you’re always powered up and ready to go.
6. Give your battery a check-up
The HP Battery Check is a smart and simple tool that tests the “health” of your battery to ensure that everything’s working properly. Windows XP users can download and install the utility while Windows Vista users can launch the tool from the Help and Support menu.
The diagnosis may ask you to calibrate your notebook battery so that the battery gauge accurately displays the level of charge. If your battery is no longer functioning correctly, which is normal over time and after regular use, HP Battery Check will tell you to replace the battery.
7. Carry a backup
Busy mobile professionals may find it necessary to carry a spare or get a secondary battery. Two options are the HP Extended Life battery, which provides up to an additional five hours of battery life with the added convenience of being able to charge the battery while docked; or the HP Ultra Capacity battery, which increases the battery life of an HP Business Notebook by up to 10 hours.
From: http://h71028.www7.hp.com
Unfortunately, this is an all-too-familiar scenario for many notebook users. While notebook batteries become a little more efficient each year, we’re also relying more heavily on our notebooks for day-to-day computing. But don’t be discouraged. There are simple actions you can take – as well as new innovations you can take advantage of – that help your battery last longer, so you can stay productive.
1. Disable or disconnect
Peripheral devices can drain your battery life, even when they’re not in active use. So remove, disable or turn off your external hard drives, DVDs, USB devices, wireless cards and other accessories when they’re not needed.
Uninstalling little-used startup programs in Windows® XP or disabling them in Windows Vista® can also help reduce the power needed to load and run them every time your restart your PC.
2. Dim it down
One of the notebook’s biggest energy drains is its screen. Most HP Business Notebooks are equipped with Ambient Light Sensors, which automatically dim the screen in bright light. This prevents eyestrain and can save as much as an extra hour of runtime. If you need to manually adjust the brightness on your HP notebook, hold down the Fn key and use F7 and F8.
3. Manage your power
The power management utility of your notebook lets you set when your computer goes into hibernation in Windows XP or the new, more efficient sleep mode in Windows Vista. Using these energy-saving features can be an effective way to reduce the amount of power your notebook consumes.
4. Keep your cool
Notebook batteries should be used and stored at room temperature. Extreme temperatures can take a toll on battery life, causing irreversible capacity loss over time. So minimise battery exposure to extreme conditions, like bright sunlight or a hot car.
5. Take charge
Did you know that new batteries should be fully discharged and charged the first few times they’re used? This tells a battery’s “memory” exactly how much charge it can hold. If your battery is not going to be used for more than two weeks, you should remove it from your notebook.
Built into new business notebooks, HP Fast Charge technology charges your battery up to 90 percent in only 90 minutes to ensure you’re always powered up and ready to go.
6. Give your battery a check-up
The HP Battery Check is a smart and simple tool that tests the “health” of your battery to ensure that everything’s working properly. Windows XP users can download and install the utility while Windows Vista users can launch the tool from the Help and Support menu.
The diagnosis may ask you to calibrate your notebook battery so that the battery gauge accurately displays the level of charge. If your battery is no longer functioning correctly, which is normal over time and after regular use, HP Battery Check will tell you to replace the battery.
7. Carry a backup
Busy mobile professionals may find it necessary to carry a spare or get a secondary battery. Two options are the HP Extended Life battery, which provides up to an additional five hours of battery life with the added convenience of being able to charge the battery while docked; or the HP Ultra Capacity battery, which increases the battery life of an HP Business Notebook by up to 10 hours.
From: http://h71028.www7.hp.com
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