<p>Well i will be having a random roomie and was wondering if you had any tips about making sure it does not get stolen.</p>
<p>I know I know make sure we BOTH lock the door at anytime.</p>
<p>Dont leave it vulnerable.</p>
<p>I was thinking of getting a nice new backpack and pretty much bringing it with me to all my classes.</p>
<p>I mean why not?</p>
<p>You can get a lock that will secure your laptop to your desk or any other heavy piece of furniture in your room. Mine came with my laptop since I bought it from the university, but I think they probably run around $40-50. I wouldn't suggest hauling it around unnecessarily, because even though it might seem very portable, your hard drive takes significant wear and tear when it isn't held in a stable position while your computer is on, not to mention all of the inadvertant hazards your computer is exposed to in your backpack (people coming up behind you and grabbing it to get your attention, setting it down harder than you meant to, etc). Computer people may want to disagree and I'm sure most brands of laptop are more durable than mine (IBM Thinkpad R40 provided through UNC CCI, aka the biggest piece of crap ever), but I can say that I don't know a single person at UNC who hasn't had at least one hard drive replacement...I nudged mine the wrong way during an exam and had to have it replaced DURING FINALS WEEK - talk about stress!!</p>
<p>IBMs dont do that, you drop em while they are running from 3ft and the work fine (don't try it at home, and yes I have seen it happen), IBM must unload all the lemons on your school.</p>
<p>Oh, clearly they do!! We all realize it after they talk up the great insurance plan (maybe we wouldn't need such a great insurance plan if the things weren't pieces of crap!!!) - they warn you that "you caaaaan get a different laptop, but we won't repair it for freeeeeeee if you don't buy the CCI version!". I've had it in the repair center 6 times in the two years I've owned it, which is excessive. And they sure charge us the kinds of prices that should not be charged for a known crappy product. Not to mention that anytime you take it to the shop, their first courses of action is to replace the hard drive (although I can say with confidence after having to reimage it 2 times in the year and a half I owned it, my replacement was sadly necessary). I'd suggest to any college student, crappy laptop or not, to use your campus network drive to back up important papers and such so laptop crash won't leave you up a creek without a paddle, because most profs tell you at the beginning of the year that they don't consider that a valid excuse for not turning in a paper on time.</p>
<p>Or use a usb flash drive and that problem get solved easily. Its funny that your school has so many IBM problems while IBM is rated tops for durability nationwide in all the magazines and people buy them like crazy because they are known for durability and people can vouch for it everywhere. Then again the model your school has isn't exactly top of the line, but at the same time their not bad.</p>
<p>yeah, the R line is a funny little line that may not be the greatest.</p>
<p>You are probobly better off with X or T</p>
<p>I think that the R line must getting better. I got the R51 through my school, and I haven't had a problem with it at all, and I haven't heard of many people who have had problems that have had anything to do with the computer itself rather than mishandling. As far as durability, I'm careful with mine, but it's still had to take a lot this year, and has come through fine.</p>
<p>As for keeping it safe, I second Carolina's suggestion of a laptop lock. I've got one of the ones made by Kensington (I'd also advise getting one of the ones with a combination lock rather than a key--anyone who finds the key can unlock the computer, and if you lose the key, you're up a creek). It's not fool proof, but it'll deter most people who want to steal computers.</p>
<p>taking your laptop to all of your classes seems a little extreme, unless you plan on taking notes with it. your roommate is pro also thinking the same thing.."i'm rooming with a stranger..how do i keep my comp/other stuff safe?!?" so you'll prob. end up with a general mutual respect for your roommate and his/her stuff. most schools also have a strict honor code that also works wonderfully.</p>
<p>i didn't know my roomie going into college, but we ended up getting along wonderfully. i think both of you just locking your door when you aren't around will keep your stuff safe. i never had any prob leaving my laptop on my desk or bed. the only "surprises" i came to find were messages and pictures my friends sneaked onto my desktop background.</p>
<p>what about CyberAngels & other Lojack kind of recovery systems?</p>
<p>I smile when I read the comment by OP that he/she intends to make sure the roommate always locks the door. I cannot envision any circumstance other than conjoined twins where this could happen!! I have lived in boarding school dorms and university dorms and usually do NOT lock my door.....never had a problem and don't anticipate one.</p>
<p>If you decide to buy a lock, then I have heard that the best laptop lock ever made is The PC Guardian Notebook Guardian ComboLock. (well, it's not foolproof as nothing is, but it is much harder to fool!) The MSRP is $40, but I got it off buy.com for $24.99.</p>