Lost my Kensington keys...

Has anyone lost their Kensington keys? I had to take my laptop home for the month from university, so I cut the cable and now I have the lock stuck in my laptop. I'm thinking of taking it to a locksmith, but if anyone has any good suggestions then do post up!

I did a Google search and turned up the Bic technique and the toilet paper roll, but neither have worked :base:

 

Yeah, a good suggestion is never to use those dumb locks. I know it's not what you wanted to hear, but it's true.

 

Ugh, that sucks. The locksmith might be your best option. I don't think Kensington will send you a master, LOL. Maybe they can send a key based on the serial number, but I don't know.

 

As a followup, this is the solution that I have been through..

I first tried to pick the lock myself with 2 buddies. We tried a whole whack of materials from plastic credit card materials to thin metal sheets to paper clip-like clamp materials to toilet paper rolls and tape to Bic pens. Nothing worked, so I brought my laptop with the Kensington lock stuck in the Kensington lock slot to a local locksmith. He had a look at the tubular lock and told me "Okay, I can take it off for you." He took my laptop and attached lock into his office and emerged a minute later and handed me both the laptop and the lock. I later checked out the lock - it had been picked as opposed to cut off, as it was all in it's original, functional state.

When I finished my final exam for this semester and was going to be picked up to get a drive home for my 4-week break until next semester, I had to cut my wire cable in order to bring my Ferrari 4005 home with me. With ordinary cutters, it was a fairly easy task, and required three squeezes of the pliers.

I asked the locksmith about the Kensington lock and it's level of security. He told me that the wire cable would be it's weak link, because the lock itself it very secure and only the right tools would crack its code.. and that the lock design has been updated since the internet videos of toilet paper rolls and Bic pens.

Heh, bottom line: If you lose one Kensington key, you can order another one from Kensington. If you lose 2, a good locksmith can bail you out (that one I used charged $25).

Enjoy

 

Just proves that Kensington locks aren't that good. They are good for high visibility areas, but anyone schmuck could cut the cable and walk away with a new Lappy and got to a smith to get the rest off How reassuring.

 

Charged $25 for one minute worth of work? Kewl.

 

Heh, when you've got a monopoly and a customer with his stupid Kensington lock stuck in his Ferrari notebook, you rake in the dough

 

He can only charge for that one minute but he needs to subsidize many, many hours of practice.

 

Yup, it's a capital society. Pick our pockets they do. So which lock would be recommended then?

 

No lock. Just careful laptop safekeeping policies.

 

If you insist on using a lock, go with the PC Guardian Ultra... that cable is WAY more difficult (15 minutes to cut) than the Kensington crap, etc... have a look

http://www.pcguardian.com/Notebook_Security/Notebook_Guardian_Ultra_2001.html

and a press release

http://www.pcguardian.com/Press/20021008_Notebook_Guardian_Ultra_Editors_Choice.html

 

If you have to leave your notebook regularly, for instance on your desk in a common workplace, then I would at least advocate some lock to be used as a deterrent. Notebooks, like bicycles, are more likely to be stolen in crimes of opportunity rather than planned or organized enterprises. Someone is walking by, sees an unprotected valuable, and nicks it to resell for some quick cash. If your notebook (or bicycle) is locked and another one nearby is not then guess which one is more likely to get grabbed.

It is certainly true that these locks won't protect you from anyone who is planning on going to steal a notebook. If anyone wants your notebook enough it's not going to be that hard. But if you have known risks of this type then you'd better keep the thing chained to your wrist anyway.

I was very interested in the notebook alarms, but as has been said they don't give more protection from deliberate thefts, and I have a feeling they are far more likely to inconvenience their owners than to scare off robbers. How would you like one of these things going off when you fall asleep in your university library?

 

Yah, I've made up my mind *NOT* to get a lock unless I find that I'll be using my laptop at work and leaving it on desk a lot, etc....

otherwise, in a cafe or library situation, if I'm alone I figure I'll just fold it up and carry it with me. At least I have peace of mind that way. I'm not going to ask some stranger "hey can you watch my laptop for a few minutes?" lol Or simply lock it up in public so I can save my seat at a table (though I'd be tempted to, lol.. Starbucks can get so **** crowded).

As for hotels.... I decided that if I do get my Thinkpad in time for vacation, I'm going to bring this steel mesh net to but my laptop bag in if I'm going to leave it in the hotel. It's the same thing I use on climbing trips to put my pack & gear in while we are climbing and need to leave our stuff down on the ground. So I just put the thing in there and lock it to some other object. That I think will be worth it. It's true that someone who is *planning* to steal something can probably get away with it... but at least I wont have to take the laptop out of its bag, and lock it down just laying around the room in order to secure it. I'd rather have the whole bag in a more discreet place, out of sight, and locked if possible.

It sounds like a lot of trouble. However I don't think anything is too much trouble when you are trying to protect a very personal piece of $2300 equipment. Even my 3yr plan which covers accidental damage will clearly not cover theft. LOL.
I'd be pretty depressed if it was stolen... as this will be my first laptop and its also a graduation gift.

 

goldrush76, could you post a link to the mesh net you're talking about? That sounds like it would be useful for other people too.

You can get your notebook covered while travelling under a "floater" policy and/or on homeowner's or renter's insurance. Make sure that you're covered while travelling, while the notebook is in a car, etc., and make sure you know whether the policy would require that you use a notebook lock.

I'm going to be using a lock with mine when I bring it into work with me. It will be on my desk for eight hours at a time and I don't want to have to carry it with me every time I step away. Outside of this relatively safe environment I'll just keep it with me.

 

Here's the link to all of the Pac-Safe products

http://www.pac-safe.com/viewallproducts.aspx

 

Cool, thanks!