The Security Mentor

Usually the worst thing your computer can do to you is to destroy your work and your memorabilia.

Hardware problems can be worse. According to the first reports from the authorities, one person's Dell laptop was the source of the fire that burned his house to the ground. He's tried to call Dell about it. He's tried more than once. He says Dell has hung up on him.

I'll give you my usual advice that includes important things that have nothing to do with your computer as well as technical measures.

• Take an inventory of your house. Easiest is to walk around with a camcorder chattering about what each object is. Remember to open closets and drawers.
• Put important papers in a safe deposit box (best), a fireproof safe (may be OK), or at worst in your freezer (don't laugh, it's insulated and airtight)
• Get a monitored security system. If the security company calls the fire department as soon as a smoke detector goes off, they've got a much better chance of containing the blaze.
• Check the serial numbers on your laptop batteries and search the web to see if they've been recalled
• Don't sue your laptop vendor without checking with your insurance company. You could jeopardize their rights by making the wrong legal moves
• I don't know whether to recommend taking batteries out of unattended laptops. After all, where would you put the battery?