Bruce,
Sorry to burst your bubble, but just google "reset BIOS password". For most, if not all, systems it's pretty easy.
user account password log on enabled to windows
Wow, any half-intelligent thief / hacker can reset passwords on any Windows PC in seconds, given physical access to boot it from USB, CD or floppy. I can, but I'm a good guy, so it doesn't count!
The only way you are going to protect your data is to have partial (vault) or whole disk encryption. But you'd better not forget your password!
And whole disk encryption does have an impact on boot time and performance.
It's been mandatory in government and MOD environments for some time - and it's even becoming a requirement for local government. A lot of that is down to the number of stolen / lost laptops with confidential data that have been reported over the past few years.
SD