Desktop PC in Extended Stay Hotel...good idea? Bad idea?

[dderidex]

As above. I'm moving into a new city, have a job lined up, and am in the process of buying a house...but that won't be all sorted out for a month into my job. Sooo...staying at an Extended Stay hotel for the time being.

I definitely DO want to be able to do some computer-related stuff while there, and they have wireless internet connections at the place...I'm just concerned about leaving my desktop PC in a hotel room while I'm away for the day. Should I be?

The alternative is to take the laptop up instead of the desktop...but given how light and small it is, I'd say leaving THAT in the room would be an even BIGGER risk (presuming there is risk at all), so I'd need to take it with me back and forth to the office...on the mass transit....

 

[stinger25]

its fine, fine....just fine

 

[narutofan36]

if i had to, i would really feel confortable leaving my computer in a hotel.


btw, how expensive is your destop and labtop?

 

[Mo0o]

It'll be fine unless the hotel is in a really bad neighborhood

 

[wetcat007]

If it's a decent hotel, in a decent neighborhood should be fine.

 

[Toonces]

laptop/desktop cable lock to the desk?

if anything, a hotel is more secure than any old college dorm...

 

[dderidex]

Originally posted by: narutofan36
if i had to, i would really feel confortable leaving my computer in a hotel.


btw, how expensive is your destop and labtop?

Desktop PC = in the middle of upgrades, and halfway awesome, halfway 'meh'. X2 CPU, Radeon X1600XT video card, 1gb of ram, in a Shuttle XPC, 17" LCD, etc.

Laptop = (My wife's) 2-year-old HP Pavilion, AthlonXP-M '2500+', 768mb ram, no video card, tiny hard drive, 15" LCD. HEAVY (for what it is, anyway) and clunky.

Desktop PC is definitely worth a LOT more than the laptop....but it's hardly a cutting-edge balls-to-the-wall system. Not that I'd expect the type of folks who break into hotel rooms and steal things to really be able to tell the difference....I doubt most of them hack into a system and fire up 3dMark while sitting in the room to see if it's worth stealing. :roll:

Hrm....maybe if I took the case off and set up a BSOD-looking screensaver to make it look kinda disfunctional? And then left an XBox360 in the corner of the room or something as decoy bait incase the room IS broken into and they want to find something 'valuable'?

:laugh:

 

[dderidex]

Originally posted by: UNESC0
laptop/desktop cable lock to the desk?

/
||

This sounds interesting, what is this?

 

[Phlargo]

I don't see why this is a big problem - if you are really concerned ask the hotel manager or whomever is in charge if you can attach it to the furniture with a lanyard of some sort

 

[dderidex]

Originally posted by: Phlargo
I don't see why this is a big problem - if you are really concerned ask the hotel manager or whomever is in charge if you can attach it to the furniture with a lanyard of some sort

What has me concerned is the 50% 'bad idea' vote! :shocked:

 

[kranky]

I'd do it and not worry about it.

Originally posted by: dderidex

Originally posted by: UNESC0
laptop/desktop cable lock to the desk?

This sounds interesting, what is this?

Kensington makes locks/cables for this purpose.

 

[cerebusPu]

does the room have a safe? you can lock up the laptop while you are done for the day.

i think if the hotel is a nice hotel in a nice are you will be fine. you can leave both the laptop and desktop in the room.

 

[FoBoT]

take a crappy desktop, that one is too good

or else just take the laptop

 

[markgm]

I'd take the laptop and leave it in the room. I always leave 2 in my room when I travel and I've never had any reason to even think twice about doing that.

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: dderidex

Originally posted by: UNESC0
laptop/desktop cable lock to the desk?

/
||

This sounds interesting, what is this?

You can get them at just about any computer store. It's a short piece of steel cabling (maybe 3 feet max) that you hook up to your laptop, lock the other end to the desk, and unless someone carries bolt cutters with them, it ain't going nowherez.

You find it a lot on the equipment in school labs... some provide a key lock, others just provide a space for any lock you want, so you could have a combo lock or a key lock... whatever you feel comfortable with.

 

[CVSiN]

Originally posted by: dderidex
As above. I'm moving into a new city, have a job lined up, and am in the process of buying a house...but that won't be all sorted out for a month into my job. Sooo...staying at an Extended Stay hotel for the time being.

I definitely DO want to be able to do some computer-related stuff while there, and they have wireless internet connections at the place...I'm just concerned about leaving my desktop PC in a hotel room while I'm away for the day. Should I be?

The alternative is to take the laptop up instead of the desktop...but given how light and small it is, I'd say leaving THAT in the room would be an even BIGGER risk (presuming there is risk at all), so I'd need to take it with me back and forth to the office...on the mass transit....

you will be fine.. np at all with a desktop

 

[dderidex]

Originally posted by: Injury
You can get them at just about any computer store. It's a short piece of steel cabling (maybe 3 feet max) that you hook up to your laptop, lock the other end to the desk, and unless someone carries bolt cutters with them, it ain't going nowherez.

Yeah, I Googled it. Not sure I want to stick something to the side of my nice case.

I think what I'm going to do is just sell off the video card and soundcard for now, and use integrated for the time being. If it DOES get nicked, it cuts down the value of what would be taken substantially.

Still - how to protect the data on the hard drive? My 'My Documents' folder contains...oh, everything one would need to really screw me up financially.

 

[thirtythree]

Originally posted by: dderidex

Originally posted by: Injury
You can get them at just about any computer store. It's a short piece of steel cabling (maybe 3 feet max) that you hook up to your laptop, lock the other end to the desk, and unless someone carries bolt cutters with them, it ain't going nowherez.

Yeah, I Googled it. Not sure I want to stick something to the side of my nice case.

I think what I'm going to do is just sell off the video card and soundcard for now, and use integrated for the time being. If it DOES get nicked, it cuts down the value of what would be taken substantially.

Still - how to protect the data on the hard drive? My 'My Documents' folder contains...oh, everything one would need to really screw me up financially.

I don't know that this is the best solution, but there's a program called Access Administrator that allows you to password protect specified folders. When they are locked, they don't even show up under My Computer.

 

[dderidex]

Freeware?

 

[ForumMaster]

the thing that would worry me is all the mexican cleaning ladies who open the rooms to clean them up. while they are probably too stupid (no offense meant to any mexicans), they may still take it. it is a burden to take ur laptop with u, but it is much safer and you can feel safe then.

 

[newParadigm]

Originally posted by: dderidex

Originally posted by: Injury
You can get them at just about any computer store. It's a short piece of steel cabling (maybe 3 feet max) that you hook up to your laptop, lock the other end to the desk, and unless someone carries bolt cutters with them, it ain't going nowherez.

Yeah, I Googled it. Not sure I want to stick something to the side of my nice case.

I think what I'm going to do is just sell off the video card and soundcard for now, and use integrated for the time being. If it DOES get nicked, it cuts down the value of what would be taken substantially.

Still - how to protect the data on the hard drive? My 'My Documents' folder contains...oh, everything one would need to really screw me up financially.

Encrypt it and then get a fvcking long and complicated PW. Unless they watn to spend motnhs decoding 512kb encrytption, you're all set.

 

[DurocShark]

I'd just use the laptop. Take a monitor and kb/mouse if you need to. But keep your valuable stuff with you.

 

[dderidex]

Originally posted by: newParadigm
Encrypt it and then get a fvcking long and complicated PW. Unless they watn to spend motnhs decoding 512kb encrytption, you're all set.

XP Home and not XP Pro - how does one go about encrypting it, then?

Originally posted by: DurocShark
I'd just use the laptop. Take a monitor and kb/mouse if you need to. But keep your valuable stuff with you.

Only downside to that is the public transportation thing. Not sure I want to lug a heavy laptop around on the bus/train/etc. Besides, isn't larceny more common than burglary?

 

[thirtythree]

Originally posted by: dderidex
Freeware?

30-day free trial... I assume there are similar programs out there though. download.com

 

[dderidex]

Originally posted by: ForumMaster
the thing that would worry me is all the mexican cleaning ladies who open the rooms to clean them up. while they are probably too stupid (no offense meant to any mexicans), they may still take it. it is a burden to take ur laptop with u, but it is much safer and you can feel safe then.

It is, indeed, the cleaning folks I was worried about. I'm sure breaking and entering happens in hotels....but it can't be that common, or the hotels would be fuX0red. But cleaning peoples....hrm....

Originally posted by: thirtythree

Originally posted by: dderidex
Freeware?

30-day free trial... I assume there are similar programs out there though. download.com

Will take a look, thx!