  We have performed a detailed study of conductance anisotropy and
magnetoresistance (MR) of La2-xSrxCuO4 (LSCO) thin films (0.10 < x < 0.25).
These two observables are promising for the detection of stripes. Subtle
features of the conductance anisotropy are revealed by measuring the transverse
resistance Rxy in zero magnetic field. It is demonstrated that the sign of Rxy
depends on the orientation of the LSCO Hall bar with respect to the terrace
structure of the substrate. Unit-cell-high substrate step edges must therefore
be a dominant nucleation source for antiphase boundaries during film growth. We
show that the measurement of Rxy is sensitive enough to detect the
cubic-tetragonal phase transition of the SrTiO3(100) (STO) substrate at 105 K.
The MR of LSCO thin films shows for 0.10 < x < 0.25 a non-monotonic temperature
dependence, resulting from the onset of a linear term in the MR above 90 K. We
show that the linear MR scales with the absolute Hall resistivity, with the
constant of proportionality independent of temperature. Such scaling suggests
that the linear MR originates from current distortions induced by structural or
electronic inhomogeneities. The possible role of stripes for both the MR and
the conductance anisotropy is discussed throughout the paper.
