Laptop stolen - interrupted burglars this morning - help with back ups?

MuddledOfMiddlesex

Woken up at 4am today by two burglars in the flat - I ran after them (no glasses on, no description) but they jumped out of the 10ft window with two laptops.

Am very freaked - they came into the bedroom, or one did, perhaps as a look out - but now I know I need to get back to work. I'm self-employed and all my work was on there, but I do back up using Windows Backup and Restore on an external LaCie LittleDisk. I have - um, HAD - a Sony Vaio running Vista and am now keen to buy another brand as I haven't been all that impressed with Sony over the years... the windows back-up is pretty much all there is on Little Disk, no other back ups in terms of basic documents, which is probably silly of me but there we are...

Can someone tell me whether it's likely I will be able to recover my files from the Back up and whether it's going to make a difference if I do buy another Vaio. About to look at the sub-£400 laptops thread too but I am in a complete panic especially with tax return to do etc.

And when I get a new laptop (kept under pillow from now on) and try to recover files, should I go to an IT shop or might it work to try it alone? I am normally moderately savvy but am terrified of losing the data I have.

Thanks so much in advance, am so shaky I can't think straight:mad:.

Also - how worried should I be about personal data? Am changing passwords etc this morning but it's a slow process. Police think it was opportunist and that here (in Spain at the mo) the thieves' main concern is to WIPE as much data as poss to flog the thing quickly and have clean hands/a few Euros in the pocket. But everything's on there. Emails. Spreadsheets. etc etc....

bertboy60

If you go for same version of windows then you can go for any machine and yuo will be able to restore your data.

Browntoa

windows back up/restore should allow you to get all your data back on any machine, you may need to re-purchase any specialist programs you had before.

i'm wondering if you had any user passwords on your windows account as you log in as this encrypts the data

bertboy60

You can do it with different version of windows as well but it does not always work. So to be safe I would go with same version of Windows.

MuddledOfMiddlesex

Thanks Browntoa and Bertboy60 - I did have a user account (one of the ones you select at the start with either fireworks or kitten pix, right) but the password wasn't particularly strong, I don't think. I am guessing anyone with any hacking background could crack it.

So you're saying I ought to buy an older laptop with Vista rather than a new Windows 7 one?

Browntoa

can I suggest one of these cables

http://www.pcwb.co.uk/catalogue/item/KEN64343?cidp=Froogle

a Kensington lock cable , to secure your new laptop. The normally come with a wall mounted barket as well , one end clips into the laptop ( they all have the mounts) and you feed the cable through the wall mount to tie it down. Makes it a LOT harder for people to remove ( don't go for the cheaper option with the number tumbler on it, you want a lock with a key)

Browntoa

I would hope that Windows 7 would access the back up , vista and Win 7 share the same core program

I am worried about the windows password aspect....you do realise they are NO security ( I can remove ANY windows password with a CD in 5 minutes) , something similar to safeboot is better as it locks the whole thing down at BIOS level. At least you then have the satisfaction in know the little so and so's have a worthless laptop

MuddledOfMiddlesex

Browntoa, of course, realise that now. Will do that for next time, thanks for the tip. I am one of those ultra-cautious people - hide my computer or always take it with me, never let out of my sight. So of course though I backed up, it was more with the idea that my laptop might die rather than be nicked.

Next time.... arrgh!

Browntoa

if possible see if you can go to a friends with a vista or Win 7 machine and see if you can access the data ??

if nothing else I'd be interested to know

cybergibbons

Browntoa wrote: »

can I suggest one of these cables

http://www.pcwb.co.uk/catalogue/item/KEN64343?cidp=Froogle

a Kensington lock cable , to secure your new laptop. The normally come with a wall mounted barket as well , one end clips into the laptop ( they all have the mounts) and you feed the cable through the wall mount to tie it down. Makes it a LOT harder for people to remove ( don't go for the cheaper option with the number tumbler on it, you want a lock with a key)

Unfortunately, if someone has already broken into a house, in the middle of the night, it's highly unlikely that one of these will stop someone. They are designed to stop someone stealing your laptop in a public place, and give at most a minutes protection.

The combination locks are poor, the key locks not much better, but the issue is that with a sharp tug, you can normally cleanly snap the locking slot out of the laptop. It does leave damage, but not enough to stop it being resold to someone who knows they are buying stolen goods.

Buy a safe that you can fit your laptop inside.

kwikbreaks

Browntoa wrote: »

i'm wondering if you had any user passwords on your windows account as you log in as this encrypts the data

No it doesn't.