
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, April 16, 1995                   TAG: 9504140013
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: F-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder Newspapers
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SOFTWARE TELLS POLICE LOCATION OF STOLEN COMPUTER|

We have software that protects software, but what about software that protects hardware? If you have the CompuTrace software system installed on your hard drive and your computer is stolen, CompuTrace will help you find it.

Absolute Software's theft retrieval system is like the LoJack of the computer world, except that it uses ordinary telephone lines to pinpoint the computer's location and notify police.

According to Absolute, CompuTrace works just like some stealth computer viruses that bypass standard memory and hide on the hard drive. CompuTrace works silently in the background while everyday work is being done. You, or the person who stole your computer, won't even know it's there.

Every week, CompuTrace turns off the modem's speaker and silently places a phone call to Absolute's monitoring facility. If the computer is hooked up to a phone line that's being used, CompuTrace will scan for a clear line. If the computer isn't hooked to a phone line, CompuTrace will know that, too, and will wait until it detects a connection to a phone line.

CompuTrace even automatically adapts to dial a special prefix in case the thief uses your stolen computer in a hotel or an office. After placing the call, CompuTrace transmits your computer's identification information.

If you have told Absolute your computer has been stolen, the computer is identified as such and its location is traced via telephone company equipment. .

If you haven't reported your computer as stolen, it gets an all-clear from Absolute, hangs up and calls again in a week.

Absolute developed CompuTrace with assistance from the FBI, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Stolen Computer Registry, municipal police departments and legal professionals. Many insurance companies offer discounts for CompuTrace users, and Absolute will pay up to $200 toward the insurance deductible if your PC isn't recovered in four months.

CompuTrace works with IBM-compatible desktop and portable computers; a Macintosh version is in the works. CompuTrace sells for $79.95 for the software and one year of monitoring service. From then on it's $69.95 a year, and software updates are free.

by CNB