kensington locks

Hi.

I've noticed lots of notebooks touted their compatibility with kensington locks.

What are they, what are they used for, and how would i use them?

Thanks

 

Click this link

 

so they just chain a laptop down on to a desk, bed, floor, wall, etc?

 

Yes, thats it. If the lock slot of your notebook is not very strong, then some one can still rip it out, even when secured by a cable lock.

 

At the cost of time and destroying a part of the laptop.

Its a very small deteraint to stop the opertunity theif from taking your laptop at the cost of convience. They work pretty well, but theres nothing you can do to stop someone who is both smart and deteramined, so the lock stops people who are neither, which makes up 95% of criminals.

 

i use one all the time at my university, just to stop some opertunistic bas**rd walking off with my lappy. also allows me to walk away from it to get another pint without someone nicking it. people think im nuts leaving it alone, until they realise ive effectively bolted it to the sofa.

and to be honest, i think someone would notice if a guy yanked the laptop hard enough to break the side of the laptop just to walk off with a now fairly worthless heap of twisted metal. i think the sofa moving 4 feet by itself would be a good givaway too.

 

Exactly.

 

whats the point of having that if someone can easily pull it hard enough and break it?!

 

I would think it would maul the side of your notebook with the lock slot when you force it out.

 

The point of the Kensington lock isn't a foolproof way to prevent your laptop from being stolen - it is extremely easy to circumvent. Many cables with the locks are easily cut, and some poorly designed laptops with the slot will allow one to rip out the lock cable with minimal case damage.

Rather, the point is to discourage potential opportunity-seekers.

 

i wasn't being serious.

 

i dont find them very useful

 

In my old Medion you could remove the Kensington lock without any damage at all - the slot is that loose...

And since I can't seem to remember the combination... so I can't try on my Vaio...
(Without damage of course)

But as stated - its just against opertunists.
Not a serious security measure.

 

Until someone walks off with your precious laptop. I own one and have used it traveling. For daily use, my laptop is never available to the public, so no need to use the lock. It's just a deterrent, just like the lock on your car door. Pretty easy to circumvent by smashing a window.