<p>Someone stole my S's new laptop out of his locker on the last full day of school. He didn't think at his small private school that anyone would do something like that because you know- they don't need to. Sounds like someone will be enjoying a new macbook pro at HYPSM or tony NE LAC this fall. May each paper they type on it be fated for B's.<br>
I even feel violated. S is a photographer and all the pictures and other stuff on there, it's heartbreaking. Not looking forward to prom tonite. Ugh. School suggests we file a police report, not very helpful. And... lockers with no locks are not lockers. They used to have cubbies, but now at least they have doors. ...because you know, they don't need to lock anything.</p>
<p>So sorry to hear that. Nothing is safe nowadays.</p>
<p>My friend’s laptop was stolen out of her car parked in the school parking lot.</p>
<p>Unfortunately it’s a lesson in the need to back up files. Portable hard drives are cheap enough that I think I’ll buy one to give to S to take to college, just so he has a convenient place to back up the files on his laptop.</p>
<p>can you file an insurance claim?</p>
<p>so sorry to read this. lousy way to end the year.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear about your son’s stolen laptop. I have an opposite story -</p>
<p>My D’s expensive TI-89 calculator went missing in HS around the beginning of her senior year. I refused to buy her another one so she managed without it. On the last day of class of her senior year the calculator suddenly showed up on her math teacher’s desk. Apparently someone decided to help themselves to it to use for the entire year but actually returned it at the end when they were done with it (apparently they weren’t destined for an engineering/math major). It was the strangest thing.</p>
<p>$500 deductible, but for an expensive computer it would be worth it, but… agent said if anything else happened this year our rates would go up. So, when you factor that all in, I don’t know. Most of the files are backed up and most of the pictures are on his site but not all. It’s more that someone of questionable integrity has them all and is probably looking through them. Now its too late for any type of school announcement or guilt inspiring lecture. Headmaster isn’t going to get up at graduation on Weds and say, “Please return XX’s computer”</p>
<p>Did you buy it with a credit card - and does your card have insurance - some do…</p>
<p>few things are worse than a thief! hope whoever it was gets caught.</p>
<p>On his next laptop install LoJack. If someone steals it all you do is report it and then when the thief turns on the laptop the LoJack software will use its GPS tracking system to locate the laptop and the authorities will be alerted. I plan to have it on my daughter’s laptop that I get her for school.</p>
<p>Better yet, get one of those administrators from the school that spied on their students to install some of that software on the laptop and show you how to use it then when the thief turns it on you can watch him and take a screen shot of what he looks like and catch him red-handed. ;)</p>
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<p>I’d do that in a heartbeat. That and report the laptop as stolen to Apple. If the guy updates the software, it might be possible to grab his IP address. That and you never know, a college kid (with well to do parents) in town was arrested for stealing electronics. He got caught trying to sell the stuff on Ebay. Kids do dumb stuff.</p>
<p>If the school requires students to have laptops, but doesn’t offer any secure storage (i.e., no locks on the lockers), you might be able to make a case that the school is responsible to reimburse you for the loss, and let them use their insurance. Worth a shot, and even if they deny liability, they may offer a sum to get you off their back.</p>
<p>For others, or for next time, another choice is PCPhoneHome or MacPhoneHome (I’m just a satisfied customer, but without a theft so far 
). $30 per computer or $80 for the whole family, one time charge. I think they claim a 100% recovery rate.</p>
<p>It makes the computer secretly send a hidden email to PhoneHome’s server every time it is booted or awoken. After you notify them of a theft, PhoneHome will get the thief’s street address from the ISP that owns the sending IP address, and notify the police.</p>
<p>My son installed something on our laptop that will take a picture of the user with the webcam if it’s stolen. He tried it out here at home and it worked. Must be like the same thing they were using at that HS here in PA. He did that on our newish laptop. Newish because our old one was stolen last summer from our locked vehicle. I know how you feel Idinict!</p>
<p>I went to a small prestigious private boarding school many, many years ago. Theft was common. Money, jewelry, clothing, records you name it! We, too, had no lockable lockers just cubbies. Our dorm rooms could not be locked. My parents were stunned and disbelieving at first. The administration would not do anything. Finally my parents got me a foot locker with a pad lock where I kept cash and my LPs. I figured out quickly not to bring jewelry or articles of clothing that were important to me. </p>
<p>But theft is also common at my kid’s affluent suburban public high school. My D and S both had backpacks stolen and rifled through. They lost graphing calculators, ipods and cash.</p>
<p>Sigh… I didn’t understand it then and I still don’t get why students steal from their fellows.</p>
<p>So sorry this has happened to your son, OP. What a crummy way to end the year.</p>
<p>At almost every college campus we’ve visited, the tour guides/students go out of their way to tell us how theft-free the campus is: “See? When we go into the cafeteria, we all just leave our stuff here…See? I can leave my dorm room unlocked while I’m at class, and everything’s fine.”</p>
<p>My D and I nod and then, back in the car, reinforce our belief that safe possessions are locked possessions. It only takes one thief to really ruin your day, and maybe more.</p>
<p>ldinct, what if the headmaster announced that a laptop went missing, and if found, it could be returned to the office, no questions asked? </p>
<p>What a crummy way to end one’s HS experience. Am sorry your S had to go through this.</p>
<p>I am so sorry that this marred his happy graduation.<br>
What a sad note for him to thind of as far as his classmates… if it might make him feel better, what is the access to lockers after hours? </p>
<p>For next year, get dorm insurance that is not part of your homeowners. We bought CSI dorm insurance. Paid it three years and were wondering if it was worth it, but then she spilled water on laptop and after proving the problem, got full coverage. Laptop theft is covered %100 if they jump through a few hoops about installing tracking software.</p>
<p>“May each paper they type on it be fated for B’s.”</p>
<p>Easy on the vengeance, they’re only kids. </p>
<p>I would imagine that if they’re at a private school, they probably have a laptop of their own already, and are more likely to sell it than use it. Though I guess I don’t know the school, just my impression of private schools in general.</p>
<p>That does suck though. Condolences on the loss of the beloved electronic device. <em>Deletes some data in the memory of this laptop.</em></p>
<p>At-least it’s a lesson learned for when he goes to college.</p>