The two companies are teaming to offer software called TheftGuard, which is designed to be anchored in the guts of PCs and automatically disable any stolen machine connected to the Internet.

TheftGuard is also meant to help victims of computer theft track down a perpetrator, if he or she uses the stolen machine to go online. "You know how he's accessing the Internet through his ISP, and then you can get the cops involved," said Timothy Eades, senior vice president and general manager of San Jose, Calif.-based Phoenix.

TheftGuard, developed by Austin, Texas-based Softex, is designed to run independently of a computer's operating system. It is installed on Phoenix software called the Core Managed Environment, which resides on the computer's underlying hardware and on part of the machine's hard drive. Phoenix's Core Managed Environment technology is centered on the firm's FirstBIOS, which is basic input/output system software.

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