So, I’ve got a laptop, it dual-boots into Ubuntu 8.04 and Windows Vista. I am considering installing LoJack for Laptops on it just in case it gets stolen. The only thing is, my system dual-boots into Linux and Windows, with the default choice being Linux. Does the way LoJack works mean that this would be a problem in the event it was stolen? (Both OS’s use a password logon)
Also, my WiFi doesn’t work in Linux at all, driver issue. If I plan to use LoJack, is there an easy way to switch the booting order for the OSes I have installed so it loads into Windows by default?
Just looking at their website, LoJack is a Windows/Mac application only - in other words, it won’t protect your Linux system at all. To be fair, though, your Linux system will be as protected as it needs to be anyhow, and I have doubts about the real value of LoJack in protecting Windows either. I mean, for LoJack to work, the laptop has to be booted, the password cracked, connected to the internet, traffic has to reach the LoJack servers, they have to identify the ip address, then the ISP and approximate location, and the LoJack people need to get the ISP to identify the user of that IP address and the police need to take the LoJack claim and data seriously and …
it does not work if the laptop is just erased and reinstalled immediately and resold :smack:
To answer your second question: changing your default OS option will involve editing the boot configuration file - this depends on the boot loader and Linux version you have installed. It will probably be in /boot/grub/menu.lst - the entry will be default 0 to boot the first entry. Change this to the entry that specifies your windows boot. Remember to edit menu.lst as root or via sudo.
And WiFi is one of my biggest Linux issue at the moment. Fedora 9 uses my wifi card erratically, and sometimes locks up, but suspend-hibernate-resume is great. Kubuntu 8.04 was OK for wifi, but suspend-hibernate-resume did not work at all, and OpenSuse 11rc1 does not work wifi-wise, but s-h-r is just fine. Once I get a distro that does wifi/suspend-hibernate-resume/3D acceleration, I will be much happier.
Don’t bother, we get calls all the time asking about stripping passwords and or clean reloads. We have had more than a few shady lookin folk come in with laptops that they want reloaded clean. As long as they have windows licences on them, we reload them. Lojack will not survive repartitioning. If lojack had 3 firing braincells they would make a deal with a laptop manufacturer to modify network drivers for that model to call lojack once a week or something then bundle it as a value added feature, no driver/no internet = pretty much worthless laptop.