Here is an article about How To Make A Stolen Laptop Untraceable? Accidents sometimes happen even if you feel like giving your gadget the finest care possible. In modern society, anyone can easily become a victim of theft without being aware of the circumstances beforehand.
The agony and heartbreak are real whether the theft involves cash, a smartphone, a laptop, or any other valuable commodity. When your laptop is taken, it feels as though everything has come to an end for you. Your laptop, which is laden with private data that you can’t share with anyone, is your most important asset after your phone.
To make a stolen laptop untraceable as soon as possible, however, you must be on the other side of the tale and have bought it from the black market. Let us give you a basic explanation of the black market if you’re unfamiliar.
It is simple for thieves to sell a nice-looking laptop on the “Black Market,” where stolen goods are offered for much less money. You can obtain so many fantastic offers from here with a bit of a bargain.
Many unlicensed vendors also buy goods in large quantities on the black market for cheaper money. It’s not unusual for people to purchase expensive laptops or other technology from unauthorized sellers; this occurs worldwide.
Try to make the laptop untraceable if you were fortunate enough to get it from an unlicensed seller and received a great deal. It may be simple for the prior owner to find you if he seeks to recover his gadget.
How To Make A Stolen Laptop Untraceable?
Fortunately, there are various techniques to prevent the laptop from being monitored; however, keep in mind that none of them would apply to you. Be careful only to use your laptop’s internet connection once you have made it untraceable because your IP address might be connected to the tracking system.
Remove All Personal Information
Cleaning your laptop would be fantastic, so remove all personal information. Make sure all of your data is first deleted from the laptop. After that, you can begin copying your files back onto the laptop. You must make a list of the data you want to save before you delete everything else. The laptop needs to be formatted next.
On the laptop, you shouldn’t put too much. Use all of the space you have available. You can recover the erased data from your computer once the procedure is finished. It’s now time for your new laptop. Before you sell the old laptop to someone else, you need to clear it out.
You will only lose something if you do. When putting a stolen laptop into storage, you should remove a few items from it if you’re using it: In addition to being troublesome to keep track of, these things could be compromised if your laptop is stolen. When putting your laptop in a closet or under a bed, it is best to take all of these items out.
Never save personal information on your laptop, including phone numbers, email addresses, credit card numbers, etc. Clearing your computer of all personally identifying data is an innovative practice.
That makes it considerably more challenging to keep track of what you’ve stored and makes it simple for hackers to obtain your personal information. Consider using free online storage services like Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive, even if you don’t store your data in the cloud. They can aid in defending you against any unintentional data loss or misplacing.
Change The Operating System
A laptop can be pretty simple to steal. The only issue is that once a laptop has been stolen, it cannot be used again. The folks who took it left it because the issue was too huge for them to handle. But you can still use the computer.
This is the ideal time to switch to a new operating system. Finding and downloading the necessary software may be challenging for individuals who have yet to use it. Nonetheless, it should be fine for others. Alternating the hard disk with a new one is the simplest method. There are two ways to reinstall the hard disk once you’ve removed it.
Just slide it back in or pop it into the drive. Start by taking out the hard disk because you’ll need to put it back in the computer no matter what you decide. Next, shut down the computer. Then switch it back on. Take the drive out of the computer and put it into the slot by doing the same as you did when you took it out. Just slide it back in once it is in.
Making an OS change through a new install is a regular procedure. This entails erasing the hard drive and installing a fresh one. Of course, you may purchase a different hard drive and set up Windows or Linux. Even though it might seem like a lot of work, it will be worthwhile. You can start over with a blank slate if you install a new OS from scratch.
Disable The Trackpad
As you know, we are talking about hiding a stolen laptop. Many laptops and desktop computers have a trackpad that allows you to swipe left or right, up or down, or even right-click to open an application like an image editor.
But, there are occasions when this tool is more of a burden than an assistance, especially if you have other tasks. How do you turn off the trackpad on a desktop or laptop? Here is what to do. Open System Preferences and scroll down to the Trackpad area on an Apple laptop to quickly and easily disable the Trackpad.
You have three options to choose from: Click, Click & Drag, and none for “when a trackpad button is pushed.” The trackpad’s default settings are Click & Drag and None; however, you can turn off clicking by selecting Click.
Because laptops are getting bigger, trackpads may also get bigger. Disabling them can be a decent solution for those who don’t like large trackpads. This is how: Go to Mouse in System Preferences. Choose “None” by clicking on the Trackpad icon.
Remove The Backlight
Most likely, you are familiar with the backlight. The light appears on your laptop or smartphone’s screen when it’s on but not in use. It is bright and white when you gaze down at your computer screen. When touched, it ignites and turns black. But the backlight comes back on when you turn it off.
Its illumination makes it possible to see the laptop screen in entirely dark environments. Because it doesn’t need to run constantly, it preserves battery life and enables your eyes to acclimate to the darkness.
How to make a stolen laptop untraceable and turn off a laptop screen’s backlight? There are three options: turning off the backlight on your laptop, installing a light intensity-reducing program, or both. You can also cover the screen of your laptop with a black mask.
Delete All Data And Encrypt The Hard Drive
You may prevent anyone, even the government, from retrieving personal information about you by encrypting the data on your hard drive. If you’re looking for something straightforward, look at Cryptkeeper, which is available for Windows PCs and Macs.
Many free encryption tools on the market do a fantastic job of keeping files from being recovered by others. All your data can be readily stolen if someone gains access to your computer. That includes details about your email account, finances, and other personal and account-related information.
They can also read your emails and open apps you have downloaded from the Internet. Thieves might use your computer to break into your accounts if you don’t encrypt the hard drive. Your data is only partially secure even if you encrypt it. Since you can decrypt the data, anyone with your key can still access it. Even while it is better than nothing, action is still required.
Although setting up data encryption software can take some time, it pays off when appropriately utilized. Then, after using a free tool like BitLocker Disk Encryption to wipe all data from your hard drive and encrypt it, you should back up any additional files you require before formatting the hard drive. After formatting the hard drive, it is strongly advised that you re-encrypt it with a program like TrueCrypt.
Make Sure The Laptop Doesn’t Turn On
Many people are using technology to assist them in thwarting thefts already underway since laptop theft is increasing at an alarming rate. Here’s how to quickly shut off your laptop.
You’re about to make a significant step. You must first turn the computer off to prevent mistakenly turning it back on. After that, switch the machine to standby or hibernate mode. The computer should then be shut down as the next step.
After that, switch it to standby or hibernate mode. There are numerous benefits to doing this. One explanation is that the computer will restart itself if the battery fails. But, until the battery is changed, you won’t be able to use the computer.
Another issue is that the computer uses a lot of electricity, so if you keep it running during a power outage, you’ll wind up with a hefty bill. Also, the computer’s processing speed will drop if it is left on while the power goes out, causing it to operate more slowly than usual.
Both laptops and desktops share this characteristic. Nevertheless, the main issue is that if you are using a stolen laptop and it turns on, you could be caught at any time. As a result, you need to take care to prevent this from happening.
Throw It In The Trash
Someone may report you to the police or the FBI if they have evidence that your laptop is stolen. You can only do something legally to get the money back if you are asked to pay for a missing laptop but don’t have evidence that it was stolen.
Even if you have proof, it’s unlikely that anyone will reimburse you. Avoiding difficulties is best achieved by not stealing laptops in the first place. Nevertheless, if you do, you must discard the laptop.
You shouldn’t be using the laptop just because you stole it, regardless of how. If the owner learns, they may demand payment for the necessary repairs. Additionally, the owner can find you if the laptop was stolen and you tried to sell it online.
Conclusion
You can take a few steps for How To Make A Stolen Laptop Untraceable? Choose a secure password first, and never use words that are simple to decipher or readily available personal information like your birthdate. You may always use a safe network and routinely back up your data.
Moreover, if you ever discover that your laptop has been stolen, act immediately to erase all the data on it and get a new one. But, if your laptop has been stolen, you can use any of the strategies we’ve listed to make sure it can’t be found again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a stolen laptop be tracked after a factory reset?
After a factory reset, a stolen laptop can be located if tracking software is installed. A laptop maker can modify the BIOS to include code for Absolute Software’s LoJack. So, even after a factory reset or hard drive wipe, the assigned investigator and tracking agent can still locate a stolen laptop.
Can a stolen laptop be tracked with a serial number?
With just the serial number, it can be challenging to locate a stolen laptop. A laptop’s serial number may only be used with other information to track a stolen laptop.
Are stolen laptops traceable?
There are methods for tracking a stolen laptop, but they require an internet connection. If your laptop has a tracking capability, you must first register the gadget with the manufacturer (such as Apple or Microsoft). Sign up for third-party laptop tracking services.
Can a stolen laptop be tracked after a factory reset?
After a factory reset, is a laptop still trackable? Regrettably, no. Your computer cannot be located if the thief wipes your hard drive or resets it to factory settings (using the manufacturer’s factory restore procedure).