Taking M15X to college - how to keep it safe?

As I have been on NBR for quite some time now, I have noticed that a lot of people are taking their m15x's and well other high end notebooks to college. I mean you are carrying a notebook that everyone will stare at due to the looks and lights it has. What are your plans on keeping your notebook safe from theft? Has anyone here tried Lojack? Is it worth getting or is their something better out there? Thanks in advance guys

 

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Scary....... very scary! But believable...

 

well if you ask me, one of the best ways to keep your laptop safe is to carry it around discretely try to avoid showing it around people you dont know and well of course the obvious dont leave it unattended!

 

you should be safe as long as you are around your notebooks at all times. if you go to a college where the kids arent that great then there would be something to worry about. if you go to a college like MIT or something, then i highly doubt anyone there would steal your notebook.

 

Lay $3000 cash on a table and walk away, someone will steal it

 

if i was dorming, i'd never get it ... but its gonna be either on my back, in my cars trunk (when im in the car) or in my password-protected lab (theres like 5 kids in there and everyone knows everyone), so i guess its kinda safe...

 

Well i'm staying on campus but my roommate is a good friend of mine so i dont have to worry about him. The gun idea is funny but unfortunately I can not use,lol. Anyone here use LoJack b/c i'm not sure if its worth it or not

 

I suggest you get the same protection device that the vampire hunter Blade used with his sword. If someone touches your laptop without the same fingerprints, spikes will pop out of it.

 

just get a lock for it.

 

For Lojack to work it has to be in the laptop, if it is stolen, the theif takes it apart and removes said lojack item and tosses in the bushes, it does no good.

Lojack on a car makes more sense, it can be hidden in several spots and may take a long time to find, theres not very many hiding spots in a laptop? Maybe I am wrong about the lojack unit?

Either way the laptop has been stolen already. You want to PREVENT the theft,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Your just going to have to keep it near you at all times.

Try to walk around with a "twitch in your eye" and talk to yourself whilst swinging violently in the air with your fists.

They will say that dude is F'ed up stay away from him.

Crazy people tend to be avoided

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7x1aic74Mg. Do it.

 

But get a lock that fits the M15x as not all of them do. Targus Defcon CL does, if my memory doesn't fail me.

 

The lojack thing for laptops is software, basically it's hidden away on the hard drive and whenever the computer is connected to the internet it transmits location information. Of course i'm pretty sure that any disk wiping program would be able to remove it

 

According to http://www.lojackforlaptops.com

It cannot be removed so easy.

But they do offer you your money back for the Lojack software if they cant recover your laptop

 

i know this is in the wrong forum, but isnt there a safety system built into the new montevinal laptops? or maybe just the M860TU. what does it do?

 

In concept I dont think lojack is much help. first of all, if I was a laptop thief, first thing I do to a stolen laptop is a clean install, lojack+dead. second, what if your laptop is stolen and lojack cant recover it? what good is a full refund of the software?

 

well anyone that is stupid enough to steal probably won't know what lojack is, but if they know what they are doing it is very easy to get rid of it. I work in security and I've shown people how easy it is to get rid of.

 

LOL, thats pretty hilarious man

 

looks like I'll go with a lock, any commendations? What is the best out there, Targus Defcon?

 

Maybe I should put spikes on my cell phone and use it as a throwing weapon,lol?

 

Daedric, lock is really the only thing you need. No one will carry around those big metal scissors (whatever they are called).
Unfortunately the M15x has a slight conception problem and not all locks will fit (specially the better and safest ones). You will have to go with locks whose locking teeth expand lateraly (Like the Targus Defcon CL). Locks whose teeth turn perpendicularly DO NOT fit the M15x security lock. Why? God knows why...
Reviews on the Targuns locks are pretty bad... but that's what we can have. It depends on a combination of numbers (not keys) and there several cases reporting it doesn't lock properly and that sometimes the code resets and some people had to saw the lock off. Yummmmiiii...

All and all, all is beautiful in the land of the M15x.

 

One thing I read about in laptops. With or with out Locks. All it take is a few seconds with chaincutters. Laptop should be close and view by the person. Or it will be solen. That is the same with cars trucks and so on.

You think a wire will protect a laptop.

 

I have my swiss army chaincutter with me at all times. Quite handy when it comes down to steal other people's laptops. Sometimes people interrogate me why do I have my chaincutters with me, but that's not a big deal. It's to cut my nails...

Now seriously... if you are in college, workplace, whatever... A LOCK IS A MUST. No one carries chaincutters around in public places without being noticed. Whereas, not having a lock just means that any slight distraction can allow people to take your laptop away unoticeable. At my workplace it's compulsory to use locks. As I'm always in several places, I can't always keep my eyes on a laptop. Several laptops were stolen from my institute and guess what... these were all unlocked. Locked laptops were never stolen.

Be smart... Lock it.

 

Don't you guys have lockers there?
And keys for your door?

 

dont walk away from it always put it in a satchel or some such.. (big backpacks are not really very smart as u will get tired of packing it away for just a walk across the room etc. locks are not really practical unless its a set up room for where u plan to leave it for some time unatended which is not really that smart imo. Lock it in your dorm mabye...

but yer nice small bag and always close and stow it when your not using it .. thats my advice. keep your gun at your side at all times.. (thats the reason u want a 15-16 in laptop in the first place.)

it all really dep what your collage or uni is like... mine is really good security and has little outsiders wondering around and the students cant afford to be dodgy.. as we are quite secluded. but some are more transparent.. and my facalty inside that is a office building arrangement with pass card entry and video cam surveillance at every door.. so if it was another student they would get quite busted future ruined.. etc etc.

 

You know I keep my laptop in 15 feet from me. It setup in a way it can not be Stolen . Unless the Moron kill me. If that happens. I hope he get the life in prision or death.

I think laptop and the way they are protected is weak. a wire or cable not going to help. software and gps will. It will give morons where they are locations and your system location so they are in jail.

 

My friend I keep my laptop at my side. You bring a true valid point.

 

FYI guys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frBFE-OayLI

Targus locks are dam insecure in the first place.

FYI as well... the only reason AW lock slot does not support kensington locks it's because of a defect in design. Why would the M17x support Kensington then? Why would all the CS I talked to acknowledge the problem?

I'm growing tired of maybes... People should not be allowed to present completely biased information without no solid proof of what they are saying and they should be warned by the mods as this is really disruptive and leads people to believe in lies. Big sentences like "New chassis", "9800GTX", or the ones stated here, are the sentences that people will take home with them.
I was warned by the mods because I made some comment about overheating and I was told I had no solid proof... I hope mods will apply this rule to everyone.

Appart from that... I agree that in a place like a college, the best thing is to keep it hidden or locked in a locker. But if you have to step away for your laptop from time to time, ALWAYS use a lock. The lock won't keep your belongings unreacheable. The lock will just make it a bit harder, get you some time and make it more difficult for someone to steal it in a public place (like a library, for instance). Obviously if there's a professional thief... there's no lock safe enough.


Let's hear the professionals (Columbia Met's Police): http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1237,q,543203,mpdcNav_GID,1548.asp

What can you do to reduce the risk of having your laptop stolen?

Don't leave a laptop in an unlocked vehicle, even if the vehicle is in your driveway or garage, and never leave it in plain sight, even if the vehicle is locked—that's just inviting trouble. If you must leave your laptop in a vehicle, the best place is in a locked trunk. If you don't have a trunk, cover it up and lock the doors.
Parking garages are likely areas for thefts from vehicles, as they provide numerous choices and cover for thieves. Again, never leave your laptop in plain sight; cover it or put it in the trunk.
Do be aware of the damage extreme temperatures can cause to computers.
Carry your laptop in a nondescript carrying case, briefcase, or bag when moving about. Placing it in a case designed for computers is an immediate alert to thieves that you have a laptop.
Going to lunch, or taking a break? Don't leave a meeting or conference room without your laptop. Take it with you, or you run the risk that it won't be there when you return.
Lock the laptop in your office during off-hours.
Don't have your own office? Use a cable lock that wraps around a desk or chair leg. Or put the laptop in a locked closet or cabinet.
Don't let unaccompanied strangers wander around in your workplace. Offer assistance and deliver the visitors to their destinations.
Apply distinctive paint markings to make your laptop unique and easily identifiable. Liquid white-out is a good substance to apply.
Consider purchasing one of the new theft alarm systems specially made for laptops.
Be aware that if your computer is stolen, automatic log-ins can make it easy for a thief to send inappropriate messages with your account.
Back up your information on disks today, and store the disks at home or the office.

 

in one of milc's tips i dont suggest wrapping it around a chair leg. i could just lift the chair and then i can take the lock and the laptop with me.

 

It's not my tip! It's Columbia's Mets Police tip. I guess what they mean is if you can lock it to the body of the chair in a way it can't be removed just by lifting the chair. Or that, or the Met Police are not really clever.
Ahahah... that's funny though.

 

hmmm...that doesn't sound too good to me, lol. I would much rather have a lock with a key because people can just figure out what my combination is eventually

 

milcs, thanks for all the info on the locks. I'm going to get a lock I just don't know which one yet and I'll report back on what I find

 

Search on the forum as there is already a topic on the locks that work for the M15x. Hope you get your lappy soon.
Maybe we should all organize a bit LAN meeting. But we will need a room with the AC turned really low!

 

I would suggest getting lo-jack. Chances are that the people who will steal your laptop will most likely bring it back to their dorm and go online with it. The chances of someone that has a windows vista / xp disc sitting in their room stealing it is pretty slim.

Honestly just get lo-jack, I have a feeling that no computer nerd will steal it.

 

Well I think I'll get loJack as well, hopefully never use it, but if they stole it and they damaged my laptop I would just press charges and have whatever they damaged repaired. I'm more than likely going to have it glued to my side though so its going to have to be forcefully taken, lol. Hopefully it'll never get stolen

 

i dont think you need the vista cd key since the robber can just use respawn. and it will be just like when you first had the laptop out of the box.

even if you did need the cd key its on the bottom of the laptop.

 

Yea what I'm trying to say though is that most likely someone will steal the laptop and when they get back probably go online with it to check out the laptop and see if its any good before they sell it or just keep it. Whatever it may be, I don't think anyone that steals it is going to be using AW respawn when they get it unless they know about computers.

Trust me, all the kids that I would think of that would steal my laptop at my school would all be kids who would just take it and use it at home who have very little knowledge with computers and then would get arrested because of low-jack

 

By the way who keeps on rating threads here?

 

i always thought that lo-jack was hard to remove and that a standard OS reformat wasnt enough to get rid of it....
after reading some replies here... feeling alittle doubtful now =\ any details?

 

I'm currently finishing college now, I have a backpack which my m15x fits nicely, believe me that backpack is with me at all times only left it alone once with a friend which I trusted a lot.

 

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3736