Considering that the Kensington hole in the laptop goes through only the thin plastic case and not through some metallic shell inside the laptop, it's not that difficult to chip off the plastic area where the Kensington lock is and break the laptop off the chain. It will have a nasty hole in the case on one side, but some people can ignore that to have a free laptop. Or they could even buy a replacement plastic case and move the components in it.

IMHO, that security chain is simply cosmetic, to scare away 99% of people inclined to steal the laptop. It's not a failproof solution for a persistent thief, though, it just makes the laptop more difficult to be snatched off in a second. Get your laptop insured against theft, keep it in your sight at all times in public spaces and public transportation (trains, airplanes) or locked away in a valuables box at hotel or wherever you're travelling. If you're taking the laptop to an important business meeting to make a presentation, make sure you have a back-up of your essential files stored on a flash drive or pocket hard drive (which must go through the X-ray machine at airport security, not in your pocket through the electromagnetic security gate!!!).

A friend of mine is an airline pilot, his laptop got stolen from the crew's carry-on luggage compartment while he was flying the airplane. Insurance covered most of it, but the time he was left without a laptop and the hassle of installing everything, getting back his settings and the personal files he lost were the real pains in the rear. If it happened to him, it could happen to others too.

[later edit] Instead of a simple lock with chain, I'd rather get one with a loud alarm, triggered by movement or being pulled on. An ear-piercing alarm draws people's attention (and yours) to the laptop, in case someone tampers with it, works very well as a deterrent.

Message Edited by puterfixer on 03-23-2006 04:28 PM

Worthwhile as a visible deterrent (non-visible solutions don't discourage casual theft). Buys you time but shouldn't be relied on as your sole means of defense. Most probably not much to choose between reputable makers products in terms of effectiveness. Worth considering if a key or combination lock would be more suitable for you. On balance I'd favour the key (you don't have to worry about people peeking over your shoulder to see the combination). Best to keep the key on a keyring (or certainly hooked to something else) so you're more likely to notice if it is missing. Casual theft is probably preventable, determined theft probably not (whatever you try). I suspect casual theft is more likely than a determined effort. On balance I'd say it's worth having.