<p>So for all those people who are in college already and live in the dorms, can you leave a laptop laying around in your room? I'm hesitant about buying a laptop just because of the reason that it might get stolen. Does anyone else have the same worries or am I just paranoid? I know I can buy a cable lock or even go to lengths to buy Lojack for it. But all these solutions aren't really steal-proof. The cable lock can be cut, picked, ripped off and the Lojack can be dealt around by simply reformatting the laptop. Another solution I've thought about is carrying the laptop everywhere I go, but that solution seems possible but not probable. One solution that might help is just taking my desktop but, I would like the portability of a laptop. </p>
<p>So my question is...
Am I being super paranoid or is there a solution that I haven't mention that can keep my laptop from being stolen?</p>
<p>To answer my own question for future readers.
Lojack for laptops can not be erased in laptops if the laptop contains Computrace. Computrace is integrated in the laptop bios so unless the thief flashes the laptop’s bios then Computrace/Lojack will stay on the laptop. </p>
<p>I bought a laptop safe that attaches to a dorm bedpost, bolts inside the box so it can’t be removed without unlocking it. Was on huge sale at tiger direct, s/b $79ish, but paid like $20 for it.</p>
<p>A simple, cheap piece of advice is to put stickers on the thing that make it less desirable and more obviously yours. Keep it in a drawer instead of leaving it on your desk when you’re out of your room. Don’t walk away from it in a coffee shop, food court or library. You can use a cable in a library - though few people do - because someone would have to cut it in front of other people.</p>
<p>Here’s an easy solution: lock your door when you leave. The thieves will target the other 5 or 6 rooms in the hallway with open or unlocked doors.</p>
<p>I assumed that isn’t entirely in his control due to roommates. Locking the door is like my suggestion about using a wall locker or something like that. Both are easy to defeat, but when it comes to easy thieving, “out of sight, out of mind” is a big factor.</p>
<p>My son goes to a university with 40,000 students. According to the housing people, they have never had a theft of a laptop from a dorm room that was locked. Moral of the story: Theft of laptops are crimes of opportunity.</p>
<p>So, at a minimum, get a cable to lock your laptop to something secure. 80% of the time your will be there, or the room will be locked. For the remaining 20% of the time, the lock will deter 99% of the thieves that are casual.</p>
<p>Nothing is 100%, but for $20 bucks it is cheap insurance. Lojack is even more insurance, and if you are really paranoid, can erase your data.</p>
<p>The only thing that is 100% sure is: Don’t bring a computer to school. Even desktop computers can be stolen. If you have a $3,000 gaming rig …</p>
<p>If you can’t trust your roommate to not steal your computer, then you’ve got bigger issues. Other than that, locking your door and using some common sense is all that most people should need.</p>
<p>The majority of laptop thefts are targets of opportunity. The bottom line: if someone has a bolt cutter to cut your laptop cable, they’re serious enough about stealing computers that they’re probably going to find a way to steal it no matter what. The lock will keep honest people from getting tempted. Keep your door locked and invest in a cable. You can buy a fancy safe or something, but you probably will get lazy and stop using it… most people are too lazy to even lock their doors.</p>
<p>It depends on where you are. I just carried my laptop everywhere, and when that’s impractical, I kept it hidden.</p>
<p>Personally, I’m more concerned about the privacy implications of technologies such as Computrace or Lojack.</p>
<p>People are unlikely to steal from dorm rooms when there are so many people who will leave their laptops out in the open in libraries. Use a bit of common sense, as well as several backups, and you should be good.</p>