Ever left your work PC unlocked?

Vonhelmet · 17 Jun 2011 at 13:05

I'll lock mine if I'm going to be away for much time. If I'm just going to get a brew or go to the loo I usually don't bother, unless I'm doing really sensitive work, say one of the big football clubs that I work on.

I once left my computer unlocked and the chap next to me sent an IM to one of my managers calling him a knob. Cheers for that.

LordSplodge · 17 Jun 2011 at 13:11

meghatronic said:
Always lock. Win+L, always.

Set up an automator action in OSX for my work computer, ⌘+ctrl+L.

Why? See below...

Brian8bit said:
Ctrl+shift+eject puts the display to sleep. Then make sure you have "require password immediatley after sleep or screen saver begins" ticked in security settings.

Yeah this is the easiest way if you want to lock your Mac.

Van Hellseek · 17 Jun 2011 at 13:38

Never.

Also, I'm in an internet cafe and i just got a block on the second page of this thread. Apparently it has Portuguese pornography on it, so I can't open it.

Dewotter · 17 Jun 2011 at 14:09

meghatronic said:
Always lock. Win+L, always.

Set up an automator action in OSX for my work computer, ⌘+ctrl+L.

Would you be so kind as to post the script?

I'm currently clicking my username in the menu bar and choosing Login Window. I'd rather not waste space with my name there in the first place.

LordSplodge said:
Why? See below...

Yeah this is the easiest way if you want to lock your Mac.

Because, at least for me it puts the laptop to sleep, not just the display.

Brian8bit · 17 Jun 2011 at 14:17

RKO said:
Would you be so kind as to post the script?

I'm currently clicking my username in the menu bar and choosing Login Window. I'd rather not waste space with my name there in the first place.

Because, at least for me it puts the laptop to sleep, not just the display.

For my laptop and iMac I also use Expose and active screen corners. I set the bottom left corner to start the screensaver and just whip the mouse cursor to the bottom left when I want to start the screensaver. Again, making sure security settings has enable password immediately set.

Dewotter · 17 Jun 2011 at 14:22

Brian8bit said:
For my laptop and iMac I also use Expose and active screen corners. I set the bottom left corner to start the screensaver and just whip the mouse cursor to the bottom left when I want to start the screensaver. Again, making sure security settings has enable password immediately set.

I have to be consciously aware not to hit a specific corner then

However, I won't hit Cmd+Ctrl+L accidentally.

Brian8bit · 17 Jun 2011 at 14:24

RKO said:
I have to be consciously aware not to hit a specific corner then

However, I won't hit Cmd+Ctrl+L accidentally.

I was worried about doing the same, but I've never managed to set the screensaver off automatically with it in the bottom left. Probably wouldn't if it was bottom right. But top left and right, I probably would as I'm always scrolling about up there for various things.

.Ox. · 17 Jun 2011 at 14:31

Win+L all the time for me.

Thanks for the Ctrl+Shift+Esc tip bledd.!

fullmetaltony · 17 Jun 2011 at 14:36

You can pop keys out of a keyboard and re-arrange them, changed the keys on a workmate's keyboard so they spelled out a very rude word for a lady garden. He started typing.... suddenly stopped and then laughed very very hard, job done

Delvis · 17 Jun 2011 at 14:38

fullmetaltony said:
You can pop keys out of a keyboard and re-arrange them, changed the keys on a workmate's keyboard so they spelled out a very rude word for a lady garden. He started typing.... suddenly stopped and then laughed very very hard, job done

unless you don't know where which key should be.....how would this work?

SourChipmunk · 17 Jun 2011 at 15:09

I always lock my PC as a habit, though my coworkers now aren't pranksters. Back in the early Pentium days, though, it was always fun to put every .exe on the person's machine into their Startup folder. It was nice to have them wait over 1/2 hour for the PC to boot.

LordSplodge · 17 Jun 2011 at 15:17

RKO said:
Because, at least for me it puts the laptop to sleep, not just the display.

Fir enough.

Brian8bit said:
For my laptop and iMac I also use Expose and active screen corners. I set the bottom left corner to start the screensaver

I do this but only to blank the screen on my 27" iMac and use the bottom right corner (as per my previous post we don't lock computers at home)

mark_t50 · 17 Jun 2011 at 15:25

I learnt the hard way to always lock my machine, even if I turn my back for a second.

I've had my wallpaper changed to a pic of the Boston gay mens choir on parade :confused:

, My windows startup music changed to YMCA, an email sent to one of the girls in the office declaring my fetish for her shoes! and the worst was my autosig changed from 'Mark' to 'Mary' which I didn't notice for a week and had been happily sending emails to customers all that time, Grrr :mad:

waso_dude · 17 Jun 2011 at 16:12

robgmun said:
We do, but we don't do ****ty things to each other, that's grade school stuff

I bet you got bullied at school for not being able to take a joke.

Dam its a bit of banter. Doesn't hurt anyone its all in good fun and games!

Skeeter · 17 Jun 2011 at 17:33

Lol. I love all the "no, I work with adults" comments.

Nice to see we have a selection of those people who think being Professional means having no sense of humour. I.e. boring farts obsessed with their 'image' at work, rather than their actual ability to do their job.

Wicksta · 17 Jun 2011 at 17:38

Skeeter said:
Lol. I love all the "no, I work with adults" comments.

Nice to see we have a selection of those people who think being Professional means having no sense of humour. I.e. boring farts obsessed with their 'image' at work, rather than their actual ability to do their job.

I've been working in various office environments as a contractor and permanent for nearly 20 years now and you get to know the type, I hate working in an office with people like that. You can almost see the tutting, rolling eyes and hand wringing through their posts. Miserable!

Ironically the most professional/productive office environments I've worked in are the ones where I'd be most likely to lock my screen.

HangTime · 17 Jun 2011 at 20:40

I sometimes leave mine unlocked if I'm only going away for a short while, not aware of anything ever happened to it in my absence.

Nope - on the spot sackable offense if I ever did.

Seems a bit harsh to me, I know some people will work in industries where they are dealing with critical systems (military, health etc) and completely get why it would leave them open to disciplinary action, but an on-the-spot sacking for something like that seems incredible. You could have a guy who excels at his job for 20 years, then one time he gets up to go and put something in the bin (doesn't move more than 10ft away from his PC) and forgets to lock it - BAM, you're fired!

robgmun · 26 Jun 2011 at 12:05

waso_dude said:
I bet you got bullied at school for not being able to take a joke.

No, becuase we we're at school and thats when we did pracks. Not in a professional work place :rolleyes:

mejinks · 26 Jun 2011 at 14:17

In my old place of work, its a sackable offence. Although, people who did it, that I noticed, suddenly announced to the office that they will be buying cakes the next friday. Expensive, but the alternative is sacking.

MagicBoy · 26 Jun 2011 at 14:25

A colleague of mine has a nasty habit of selecting all emails in your inbox them opening them if you leave your machine unlocked...