[pmikal]

I recently recovered a laptop because I had installed Prey on it (http://preyproject.com/). It's free, sends you the IP, a webcam snap, desktop grab and attempts a geo-location.

I also always install Microsoft's Live Mesh on my machines, which is helpful for remote login if one has gone missing. Free. (https://www.mesh.com/)

[uptown]

Great suggestion with Prey. For the future, another idea might be to use Dropbox to deliver a payload that gets executed upon bootup. This would give you the ability to deploy and execute software that might help you locate your stolen equipment. Of course you run the risk of some malicious software being auto-executed if the folders you sync from become compromised, so that's something to weigh when considering this option.

[dave_lo]

Will be installing Prey ASAP. Great recommendation.