laptop * walking-off *

Someone has just had to buy a new laptop, but they are rather trusting by nature and also absent minded; i can just see it *walking-off* in no time at all, especially at the coffe shop.

One of those steel cables that lock into the laptop seems an obvious answer, but there is not always somewhere handy to connect the cable to. Any other suggestions please ?

Reply to
john east
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"steel cables" aka a Kensington lock...as secure as a piece of cardboard

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Reply to
The Other Mike

Maybe something like this?

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Reply to
Richard

Laptops are so emminently stealable that your best (and only) security is vigilence. If the "someone" paid for it with their own money I would suggest that after it's been stolen they might well be slightly less trusting and absent minded.

Tim

Reply to
Tim Downie

A colleague at work had his Kensington-secured laptop stolen. They just cut the cable with wire-cutters and left it dangling there.

Reply to
Davey

Welding the lappy to a 1/2 inch thick steel plate should do the trick. Then chain it to yer mate's leg.

Reply to
Parko

It would need to be armed and disarmed and someone absent minded probably isn't going to remember to do that. Even if they *are* reminded by the thing going off then their trusting nature will ensure that they don't bother arming it in the first place.

I found from experience with my children at least, if you want them to look after something, make them buy it themselves. Mobile phones & laptops gifted to them will have a very short life otherwise.

Tim

Reply to
Tim Downie

Fit a cheap lithium battery from a Chinese seller on Ebay. Then when the laptop gets stolen it burns their house down.

Reply to
The Other Mike

There is malware (aka security software) that does an ET phone home action when the stolen PC is next connected to the internet.

The steel cable only really works to stop opportunist thieves of the sort that got our technical directors PC - smash and grab through an external ground floor window. It wasn't chained down so that was it.

The laptop can still end up knackered even with a Kensington lock as the thief will give it a damn good pull and then drop it before running off. Had this happen once in a front office in Belgium - someone came in off the street distracted the secretary and then tried to run off with her laptop. It didn't bounce particularly well :(

Reply to
Martin Brown

Sadly, no use.

The best solution is to buy a cheap second hand ex-lease laptop if you do not need the latest & greatest Apple.

- An example would be a Thinkpad X60 or X61 or T61 or T400 or T500 with fingerprint reader.

- Second hand prices are X60 =A3150, X61 =A3165, T61 =A3189, T400 =A3240, T=

500 =A3299 (from some online shopping TV channel).

- Avoid any Thinkpad with ATI or nVidia and go with Intel onboard graphics - reason being solder/chip problems which a BGA solder reflow only temporarily fixes.

Fingerprint Readers, BIOS & hard drive password security on Thinkpads tends to make them a little less disposable (can still be stripped for parts). I recall some Dell have similar, but transferring the warranty on a Dell is usually impossible - whereas any factory warranty on a Thinkpad is with the machine.

Likewise fitting an obviously non-UK keyboard, makes it visually less appealing.

Laptops with onboard camera can have a photo & phone home software app BTW, a better solution if you have an =A3800-1700 Apple.

Reply to
js.b1

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ROFL! Completely and utterly useless.

Unclip device. Walk away with laptop.

Thanks for reminding Usenet why taking advice about computing from you is pointless.

Reply to
Desk Rabbit

Wrong richard :)

Reply to
Evan Platt

Suggest fingerprint scanner for login, Dropbox for data synchronisation (don't keep data ONLY on the machine), and tracking software like preyproject

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Get it securely marked with SmartWater, and visibly label accordingly.

As an above paranonia, go for whole hard drive encryption and implement both hard drive and bios passwords. Encorage network application access via VPN.

Steel cable is good. Accompany the laptop with a ferocious dog* and attach it to that, when away from the table.

  • - microchipped, of course...
Reply to
Adrian C

All suggestions are great, but none will prevent the laptop from growing legs and being stolen.

Reply to
Evan Platt

Then use your imagination. Paint it with a material that looks like someone has just thrown up on it.

It's not only growing legs that is the problem. Mugging is a problem as well. In both cases the crime does not stop there, hence the advice.

I'm pretty discrete carrying around technology for work, I don't have a dog however.

Reply to
Adrian C

No match against my Klein linesman pliers.

Of course!

Reply to
G. Morgan
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Easy peasy; replace the 2nd battery with C4 and set the lappy to ignite it after the screen saver with password has a 3rd failed login attempt.

HAND

Reply to
§ñühwö£f

Some people are congenitally hopeless. My SiL takes CDs off the deck and just puts them in the nearest empty CD case - so you can never find any CD you want to play. A woman I was speaking to at lunch was heating some wax on the stove to use while tie-dying, went upstairs and forgot about the wax. Result: BOOM!

The above are examples of the lesser- and greater-trouble you can get into if you are a flake of one sort or another. I don't know what to do about it, as such people are *immune* to injections of common-sense.

Reply to
Tim Streater

Best advice so far.

Reply to
Tim Streater

It is trivially quick and easy to use a TrueCrypt encrypted drive for all your data, browser cache, site login details, emails and documents. It won't stop anyone stealing the computer but it will stop them accessing any of your personal information and stealing your identity too.

Reply to
David in Normandy

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