Good job!!
... but what happens if the would be thief was to pour water on it?? wouldnt that be more annoying than having the machine stolen?
if i was a thief, i'd toss it out the window whist it's try to zero the HD!!
BTW, what's stopping the thief from stealing the mac and the wooden thing it's bolted to?
I'm not sure which wooden thing you are referring to, but the MDF that the laptop sites directly on is attached to my desk with a steel cable, and the desk is bolted to the floor! I guess they didn't trust us with the furniture.
There's not much I can do if a thief wants to damage the computer. It would be annoying, but at least they wouldn't profit off it, and some parts might be salvageable. I could keep it in a safe or a locked box or something, but that would be highly inconvenient. Just keeping it out of sight (locked or not) might work, but that would still be kind of inconvenient.
Zeroing the hard drive should be impossible in theory. I always lock the screen with the screen saver when I walk away for even a minute. I could, but don't, have an EFI password that prevents someone from using the OS X CD to reset my account password, and the lock prevents someone from resetting the EFI password by changing the RAM (unless of course they defeat the lock).
Of course, I my lock isn't perfect. It can easily be defeated with a drill, a hacksaw, cable cutters, big pliers, or a Dremel. A truly secure lock would have to hold the laptop with steel, which is much harder to cut than wood or aluminum, and it would have to be attached to the desk with a much thicker cable. I think I used 3/16" cable, but it would take at least 3/8 cable to resist everything but bolt cutters or a Dremel.
AdamLikesMusic said:
Seriously, though, the inability to close your laptop kind of sucks. It also looks extremely cumbersome.
I don't mind not being able to close the lid. I can still put it to sleep if I want, but usually I just leave it on 24/7. I only use this lock at my desk, so it isn't too cumbersome. Locking/unlocking it whenever I want to take the computer is an extra step, and I will admit that sometimes I leave my laptop in my room just because I don't feel like disconnecting everything and unlocking it to move it, but I got used to it. I don't think it is any more difficult to use than a regular Kingston lock. Taking this lock anywhere, like the library, would be very cumbersome, but I just don't let my laptop out of my sight if I'm not in my room.
Theft was never a problem in my dorm. I think at most an ipod or two went missing. Basically everyone on my floor became friends or at least knew each other, so any outsiders would have stood out (and there are three locked doors to get from outside to the floor I was on, so it is hard for anyone to get in unless they are with someone who has a key). My roommate and I (though it was more my roommate) rarely locked our door, and nothing was ever taken. Theft around campus did become a bit of a problem towards the end of the year with a rash of armed robberies (this is in downtown Atlanta), so a lock wouldn't do me much good in that case, but that's why I also have Undercover. I would be more concerned about my car than my laptop, though.
