Since layered security is so fundamental to effective security, it helps to have yet another layer. This one is actually fairly strong, at least in one sense.

Set a password in your laptop’s BIOS. This is not the Windows password that would be used to access Windows, but a low-level password that is set right in the laptop hardware itself. Consult the documentation for your laptop for how to enter its setup mode and assign the password, but on most machines press F2 during the boot process (BEFORE Windows loads) will get you there.

Setting this password (and using a SECURE value, not “password” or “testme” or “pass123!”) prevents the thief from even accessing the rest of the boot process.

However, note that this still does not protect your data if a thief, or his buyer, wants it. He can simply remove your hard drive and attach it to another system, accessing its filesystem that way. Thus, encryption is still a must.

But again, every layer helps!