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UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
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#1
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Locking a workstation
I'm buying one of these... http://tinyurl.com/djsew
Any suggestions on ways to lock it? I don't want a hasp and padlock coz they look horrible. Si - off for a furkle through Screwfix and Toolstation |
#2
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"Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot" wrote in message
... I'm buying one of these... http://tinyurl.com/djsew Any suggestions on ways to lock it? I don't want a hasp and padlock coz they look horrible. Si - off for a furkle through Screwfix and Toolstation What are you trying to protect, and from what? Occasional fiddling with the PC from kids? Is so, you could just set a BIOS password on the PC, this can be defeated, but requires the PC to be opened up, so not straightforward! Sparks... |
#3
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Any suggestions on ways to lock it? I don't want a hasp and padlock coz
they look horrible. If you want to prevent someone else using the PC (but not necessarily accessing the cupboard) there are, I believe, USB devices that will prevent the system from operating without it (i.e. encrypt the bloody lot) |
#4
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Sparks wrote:
"Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot" wrote in message ... I'm buying one of these... http://tinyurl.com/djsew Any suggestions on ways to lock it? I don't want a hasp and padlock coz they look horrible. Si - off for a furkle through Screwfix and Toolstation What are you trying to protect, and from what? Should have said really: I'd rather not be burgled at all, obviously, but if I was I'd like to make it really difficult for the ****s to steal my pc, or at least more difficult than just ripping it away from its cables. I thought about bolting the case to the desk but that would just be a PITA for me when I buy a new toy for it. Si |
#5
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Should have said really: I'd rather not be burgled at all, obviously, but if
I was I'd like to make it really difficult for the ****s to steal my pc, or at least more difficult than just ripping it away from its cables. I thought about bolting the case to the desk but that would just be a PITA for me when I buy a new toy for it. OK, this is probably a crap suggestion, but remove the right hand panel (hopefully its one that simply slides to remove, and doesn`t require moving at an angle etc), drill and fix it to the side panel of the unit at the correct height. You might want to use the left hand panel, having had a second look at the unit :-} To secure it, simply slide the base unit into place onto the now- attached side panel, and lock in place with (preferably) a thumb screw - should only need one at the top, which should still be fairly readily accessible. |
#6
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Colin Wilson wrote:
OK, this is probably a crap suggestion, Snip panel-screwing shenanigans Not a bad idea, Colin. I was thinking more along the lines of locking the doors shut but I can't find owt suitable so perhaps I'll just put a padlocked bar across the front of the pc...? Si |
#7
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In article ,
"Mungo \"two sheds\" Toadfoot" writes: Should have said really: I'd rather not be burgled at all, obviously, but if I was I'd like to make it really difficult for the ****s to steal my pc, or Forget it. If the unit is locked, it will be turned into pile of firewood in 3 seconds. Put your effort into stopping the burglar ever gaining entry to the house in the first place. What you might consider is keeping off-site archives, and possibly a hidden fileserver so that if there is a burglary, you just need to replace the PC, and don't lose all your data. -- Andrew Gabriel |
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Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article , "Mungo \"two sheds\" Toadfoot" writes: Should have said really: I'd rather not be burgled at all, obviously, but if I was I'd like to make it really difficult for the ****s to steal my pc, or Forget it. If the unit is locked, it will be turned into pile of firewood in 3 seconds. Put your effort into stopping the burglar ever gaining entry to the house in the first place. What you might consider is keeping off-site archives, and possibly a hidden fileserver so that if there is a burglary, you just need to replace the PC, and don't lose all your data. A fair point. It's about time I backed it up anyway. Si |
#9
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Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot wrote:
Should have said really: I'd rather not be burgled at all, obviously, but if I was I'd like to make it really difficult for the ****s to steal my pc, or at least more difficult than just ripping it away from its cables. I thought about bolting the case to the desk but that would just be a PITA for me when If it's locked it will just encourage a burglar to bust it open on the principle that there must be some valuable in it. Unless you have a laptop or one of the very small form factor PCs I wouldn't bother. A normal PC is too big and bulky to be attractive to any burglar. They depreciate so fast it's unlikely to be worth anything to a thief, especially assuming the usual drugged wretches who want only cash or something readily convertable to cash. Even laptops are cheap these days, a colleague just brought one from Dell for under £400, perfectly good for a typewriter to use in the BL. Giving them away with cornflakes next I shouldn't wonder. -- David Clark $message_body_include ="PLES RING IF AN RNSR IS REQIRD" |
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Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot wrote:
Colin Wilson wrote: OK, this is probably a crap suggestion, Snip panel-screwing shenanigans Not a bad idea, Colin. I was thinking more along the lines of locking the doors shut but I can't find owt suitable so perhaps I'll just put a padlocked bar across the front of the pc...? Si In all due respect, a locked cupboard is a gleam in a burglars eye, they won't stop at nothing till the thing is opened to see whats inside. Put a boxing glove on a heavy spring and compress it when your shutting up for the night or going out. Only problem here is when you've had a few ales and you forget about it. :-) |
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Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot wrote:
Andrew Gabriel wrote: In article , "Mungo \"two sheds\" Toadfoot" writes: Should have said really: I'd rather not be burgled at all, obviously, but if I was I'd like to make it really difficult for the ****s to steal my pc, or Forget it. If the unit is locked, it will be turned into pile of firewood in 3 seconds. Put your effort into stopping the burglar ever gaining entry to the house in the first place. What you might consider is keeping off-site archives, and possibly a hidden fileserver so that if there is a burglary, you just need to replace the PC, and don't lose all your data. A fair point. It's about time I backed it up anyway. And then a simple motion sensing bit of webcam software sending pics offsite immediately leads to... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programme...ne/4542689.stm |
#12
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Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot wrote:
Sparks wrote: "Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot" wrote in message ... I'm buying one of these... http://tinyurl.com/djsew Any suggestions on ways to lock it? I don't want a hasp and padlock coz they look horrible. Si - off for a furkle through Screwfix and Toolstation What are you trying to protect, and from what? Should have said really: I'd rather not be burgled at all, obviously, but if I was I'd like to make it really difficult for the ****s to steal my pc, or at least more difficult than just ripping it away from its cables. I thought about bolting the case to the desk but that would just be a PITA for me when I buy a new toy for it. Si 2nd hand computers ain't worth that much. I would suggest using the money to get a BS Standard front, back door locks & window locks. -- zaax |
#13
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Forget it. If the unit is locked, it will be turned into pile of
firewood in 3 seconds. Put your effort into stopping the burglar ever gaining entry to the house in the first place. Speaking of which, some darling kiddies (aka tw*ts) destroyed one of my fence panels at the back of the house last night - not sure what they hit it with, but at least a couple of the fairly heavy (1/4"?) vertical slats were reduced to splinters. I have trellis on the top, with loops of barbed wire sandwiched between the trellis and the panel itself, anti-vandal paint, and the panels are "wired" down to the concrete footer panels to stop them being lifted. They decided to come straight through instead :-( |
#14
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PC Paul wrote:
And then a simple motion sensing bit of webcam software sending pics offsite immediately leads to... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programme...ne/4542689.stm Excellent - I like that! *Makes mental note to investigate further* Si |
#15
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On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 19:07:35 +0100, Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot wrote:
Any suggestions on ways to lock it? In a word: DON'T! The only things you should lock away are items of high sentimental value and firearms. If you lock it, the buggers will just force it open, cut themselves and bleed all over your sofa. If they are already in your house, let them take what they want and **** off, then claim on insurance. -- Nigel M |
#16
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Mungo \"two sheds\" Toadfoot wrote:
Any suggestions on ways to lock it? I don't want a hasp and padlock coz they look horrible. A couple of door-bolts on one side and a mortise lock on the other (a little one)like on office furniture. There is little point in anything more robust as the cabinet is made of chipboard or mdf and will succumb to a screwdriver. A locksmith can supply two matching locks i.e. same key for both. A dog's check-chain and a couple of P-clips screwed into the cabinet and hardware will possibly frustrate the burgular into going elsewhere. Of course, it is only the amateurs that steal stuff like this. Also indelibly postcode it all. I think the order is like NN3 4DR 12, house number last. Allow me to provide a parable. Some years ago at an educational establishment ahem not far from me, a gentleman turned up in the obligatory white Transit and a white coat with a bag of tools early one morning to fix a fax machine. After about fifteen minutes, with much sucking of air through his teeth, he said that it was a workshop job and took it off to his van. Then he said that there was a callout on the photocopier, could he get into the other office? The caretaking staff, being obliging chaps, acceded. Guess what? Another workshop job. This was a large photocopier and needed not only the "engineer" but three caretaking staff, huffing and puffing, to load it into the van. It was when the office staff arrived that the realisation that all was not right sunk in. They had not made any callout. Here comes the punchline: A week or so later, the police stopped a Ford Cortina (clue as to how long ago this was) driving erratically. In the boot they found a fax machine with a postcode on it. This corresponded to this educational establishment and the officers invited the gentleman to their interview room for a cup of tea and a chat. On obtaining a search warrant, they went around to his house and in his lounge they found one large photocopier. I am not sure whatever else they found, nor what punishment was meted out, but this shows the virtue of postcoding your valuables. John Schmitt |
#17
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On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 21:25:19 GMT, PC Paul wrote:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programme...ne/4542689.stm "... can send you a warning e-mail too, although you will need to know the simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) of your e-mail server" Perhaps not written by a technical writer. -- Nigel M |
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Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article , "Mungo \"two sheds\" Toadfoot" writes: Should have said really: I'd rather not be burgled at all, obviously, but if I was I'd like to make it really difficult for the ****s to steal my pc, or Forget it. If the unit is locked, it will be turned into pile of firewood in 3 seconds. Put your effort into stopping the burglar ever gaining entry to the house in the first place. What you might consider is keeping off-site archives, and possibly a hidden fileserver so that if there is a burglary, you just need to replace the PC, and don't lose all your data. You would be better off with a chain kit to join together the various items inside the cupboard and make it hard(er) to pick up and carry. You could optionally run the chain through the holes in the backs of the shelves (which I assume exist so you can run cables). Then they'd have to break up the cupboard and carry PC, monitor, printer & scanner in 1 go. -- Spamtrap in use To email replace 127.0.0.1 with blueyonder dot co dot uk |
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John Schmitt wrote:
snip I am not sure whatever else they found, nor what punishment was meted out, but this shows the virtue of postcoding your valuables. Many places use a paint which also etches into the plastic, but the kits are expensive. There are various "invisible" markers which normally come with stickers for the deterence factor, but visible marking may be more effective - unless you think you'll want to sell the kit later of course! -- Spamtrap in use To email replace 127.0.0.1 with blueyonder dot co dot uk |
#20
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"Nigel Molesworth" wrote in message ... On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 19:07:35 +0100, Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot wrote: Any suggestions on ways to lock it? In a word: DON'T! The only things you should lock away are items of high sentimental value and firearms. If you lock it, the buggers will just force it open, cut themselves and bleed all over your sofa. If they are already in your house, let them take what they want and **** off, then claim on insurance. Definately better to keep them out of the house. The buggers ****ed all over the furniture before ****ing off when they visited my Grandads house some years ago. Adam |
#21
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Nigel Molesworth wrote:
On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 21:25:19 GMT, PC Paul wrote: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programme...ne/4542689.stm "... can send you a warning e-mail too, although you will need to know the simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) of your e-mail server" Perhaps not written by a technical writer. Are they ever? |
#22
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Chris Hodges wrote:
Many places use a paint which also etches into the plastic, but the kits are expensive. There are various "invisible" markers which normally come with stickers for the deterence factor, but visible marking may be more effective - unless you think you'll want to sell the kit later of course! The markers are usually UV fluorescent and yes, the police do go over any suspected stolen items with a UV lamp. If it is visibly marked, and the police turn up with something you have sold on, one hopes that you (not personally, generally)have sufficient honesty to direct them to the buyers. Normal procedure would appear to be to strike through the old postcode, leaving it legible, but clearly invalidated and append the new one. This applies to moving address too. This allows an amount of backtracking if needed. John Schmitt |
#23
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On Mon, 22 Aug 2005 19:49:50 GMT, ARWadsworth wrote:
Definately better to keep them out of the house. The buggers ****ed all over the furniture before ****ing off I believe it is quite common for the "stress" of robbing someone to cause involuntary bowel movements, usually on your carpet. -- Nigel M |
#24
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John Schmitt wrote:
The markers are usually UV fluorescent and yes, the police do go over any suspected stolen items with a UV lamp. If it is visibly marked, and the police turn up with something you have sold on, one hopes that you (not personally, generally)have sufficient honesty to direct them to the buyers. Normal procedure would appear to be to strike through the old postcode, leaving it legible, but clearly invalidated and append the new one. This applies to moving address too. This allows an amount of backtracking if needed. I've got a UV pen, but some of my PC kit is marked with "alpha dot" IIRC which is tiny particles in a sort of varnish. This is from when I lived with my parents, who bought the kit. I know what you mean about honesty on the visible markings, but I'm sure it will reduce the legit resale value just as much as the stolen property value. Chris -- Spamtrap in use To email replace 127.0.0.1 with blueyonder dot co dot uk |
#25
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In article , ben
wrote: In all due respect, a locked cupboard is a gleam in a burglars eye, they won't stop at nothing till the thing is opened to see whats inside. ITYM "Will stop at nothing" ? -- AJL Electronics (G6FGO) Ltd : Satellite and TV aerial systems http://www.classicmicrocars.co.uk : http://www.ajlelectronics.co.uk |
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