Toshiba laptops: The Laptop Security Problem

Toshiba laptops: The Laptop Security Problem

http://www.securitykit.com/laptop-antitheft-products.html

http://www.microsoft.com/atwork/security/laptopsecurity.aspx

The Laptop Security Problem

A rash of news items has brought the laptop security issue to widespread public attention:

• In October 2002 an Air Force sergeant was charged with the theft of two laptop computers taken from the military command center that oversees U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The laptops were missing for nearly two weeks before they were recovered, but according to military sources, no sensitive information was taken (4).
  
• In a report released in August 2002, five agencies under Justice Department jurisdiction reported 400 missing laptop computers. The classification level of 218 of the missing laptops was unknown, and the report noted, “It is possible that the missing laptop computers would have been used to process and store national security or sensitive law enforcement information that, if divulged, could harm the public (5).”
  

• In June 2002 a laptop computer and stamps used to grant access to the United States were stolen from an Immigration and Naturalization Service office (6).
  

• In March 2002 a laptop computer belonging to the Auditor General of Nova Scotia was stolen from his home, raising concerns about a security breach affecting auditing officesacross Canada (7).
  
• In July 2001 the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that 184 laptops had been lost or stolen. At least one and possibly as many as four contained classified information (8).
  

• In April 2001 the British Defense Ministry reported 205 laptops missing since 1997, most of which contained classified material (9).
  

• In September 2000 three laptop computers and a handheld device were stolen from a Democratic National Committee office (10).
  

• Also in September 2000, the laptop of Qualcomm’s CEO, Irwin Jacobs, was stolen from a conference room in which he had just given a presentation. Jacobs told participants that the computer contained proprietary information that could be valuable to foreign governments (11).
• In three separate incidents between March and May 2000, British intelligence and military agents lost laptops that were reported to contain state secrets. In the first, an intelligence officer for MI6 mislaid a laptop, which was recovered by police two weeks later. In the second, a laptop containing classified material on Northern Ireland was stolen from an MI5 security officer. In the third, a naval officer’s laptop, containing details on a fighter plane being jointly developed by Britain and the United States, was stolen and later recovered by a British tabloid (12, 13).
• In February 2000 a laptop computer with “highly classified” information disappeared from
  the U.S. State Department (14). The laptop was not password protected and the data on it were not encrypted. It was reported to contain several thousand pages of highly classified documents. In May 2000 two more laptops were reported missing from the U.S. State Department (15).
  

Toshiba Tecra M11-S3420 Laptop

How to take apart and repair Toshiba laptops

The following laptop step-by-step disassembly manuals I have created myself. You can use them if you have a Toshiba laptop and want to repair or upgrade it yourself. You shouldn’t disassemble your laptop if you have no experience with computers because you can easily damage it. Also, you shouldn’t open it if the laptop is still under warranty. I’m still developing new laptop teardown guides and my goal is to add new guides every week for new models of Toshiba laptops.

Hard drive failure symptoms
A few days ago I had to repair a notebook with symptoms that didn’t look like a hard drive failure at all. But the problem was fixed after I replace the hard drive.

It was Toshiba Tecra M11-S3420 notebook with the following problem.
When I press on the power button, the laptop starts up as usual and a red Toshiba logo appears on the screen. After a moment the logo disappears and the screen turns black without any faint image and flashing cursor. The blue light around the power button stays on and fans continue to spin normal but nothing appears on the screen. I noticed that the hard drive LED blinks green on the startup and after that shows no activity at all. After a closer inspection I noticed that the screen is not completely black (like dead black), it didn’t have any image on it but it had a very faint backlight (I would say about 3-5% of normal brightness). I was able to see that there is some backlight after I pressed on the lid close switch and the screen turned to completely black.

Here are my troubleshooting steps that I went through to find the problem.
First of all, I replaced the memory module and didn’t get any changes. Removed the wireless card, still had the same problem.
After that I removed the hard drive and started the computer. This time I got something. The notebook successfully passed the Toshiba screen and started looking for a boot device. I got some activity on the screen. To make sure that the notebook itself works fine, I booted it from Knoppix (live Linux CD) and successfully loaded the Linux operating system to the desktop. So, that’s the hard drive problem!
I installed the hard drive back in the laptop and tried to boot it again. The same failure occurred again; I got a black screen with a very faint backlight and no hard drive activity at all. I tested the hard drive with Hitachi DFT test and failed an advanced test. The problem is detected!
Finally I installed a new hard drive, reimaged the drive with a recovery DVD and got the laptop back up and running.

Toshiba Tecra M11-S3420
Laptop Features

Dual-core Processor
The two cores on this processor let you do more at once. They also energy-smart, sipping battery power so you can go farther unplugged.

6-Cell Li-ion Battery Pack
This rechargeable 6-Cell battery is perfect for staying connected longer while on the go.

USB Sleep-and-Charge
Power up your smart phone and other favorite portable electronic devices, even when your Toshiba is asleep or off.

Bluetooth
Synch your smart phone and other portables, or expand your laptop entertainment potential with external speakers, headphones and more... all without cords.

7200 RPM Hard Drive
High-speed 7200RPM SATA hard drives give you quicker access to your files and multimedia, so you'll spend less time waiting and more time enjoying.

Memory Card Reader
Transfer files easily from our your digital camera, camcorder, MP3 player or smart phone, sharing home movies and play lists with SD cards, Memory Sticks and more.

Fingerprint Reader
Get added security and convenience by replacing passwords with the simple swipe of a finger.

Easy Guard Technology
Stay more agile, productive and competitive with Toshiba's exclusive Easy Guard Technology which offers greater mobile reliability, security and convenience.

Eco Utility
Quickly adjust the settings and power plan of your laptop and monitor your ongoing power usage with just a click.

Energy Star Compliant
Engineered with respect to our planet, 93% of Toshiba laptops, notebooks and Tablet PCs have met the ENERGY STAR 4.0 standard since it was established in 2007.

Gold Compliant
EPEAT™ Gold is the highest possible ranking of the acclaimed Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool which measures products across 51 different dimensions.

1GB Ethernet
Plug right in and get access to the Web or other networks to work, communicate and enjoy yourself.