Best way to write my name on my laptop

I just got my m1210 for college. I want to write my name on it in case it goes missing. What's the best way to go about this without making it look sloppy. My father took a permanent marker to his laptop and it looks terrible.

 

Hrrmmmm, hard to say, unless you customize it using paint, Laser etching etc.

Stickers won't do good though...

 

what kind of business do i look for in the yellow pages to find someone who will laser etch my laptop?

 

Some homebrew ideas:

1. Spray Paint and a stencil made of cardboard/bristol-board.
2. Same stencil, but use a marker or other 'marking/colouring' device
3. Same stencil, but use a sandblaster (if you've access to one!). If no sandblaster, consider using coarse grit sandpaper, that actually looks pretty good, just be sure to make is deep enough to not be obliterated by wear-n-tear.


In short, there is a lot you can do that looks 'professional' with a stencil. You can draw the stencil in photoshop/gimp/whatever, print it out, transfer it to board, and you're golden. You can do a lot more than just your name too.

 

just overclock your videocard alot, wait till its really really hot and the plasticcover of your notebook is already melting.. then use your fingers and put a fingerprint in the plastic.. better than a name

lol j/k
why don't you simply open the battery thingy and write inside of your notebook? the thief (if it goes missing) won't notice it.. but if it really just goes missing, I'd recommend the name inside + you can have your boot login or bootscreen tell your name.. there's lotsa tutorials of how to do that and while you are at it you can make it look quite cool too

if you want to invest some money, there's a foil you can kind of "glue" to your notebook (make a search here, it has a nice article on that).. that foil can have any graphic, such as your name.. but it's medium/hard to apply

or you can go with jeffsmythe's good ideas

 

Can I get a link to the tutorial regarding writing your name on the boot screen? Also, is it possible to set a BIOS password? The password I place on my windows account can be bypassed by just re-installing windows, so is there a BIOS password that will prevent that?

The problem with writing my name on the inside is that the theif will still be able to use it without raising suspicion. If my name is on the outside, then the theif's peers will be suspicious of the laptop. I think laser etching or using a stencil+permanent marker is the best bet right now. What kind of business carries a laser etcher for public use?

 

a lock is a much better deterrent than your name.

if i wanted to steal your notebook, i coudln't care less that you wrote/etched/stenciled your name on it somewhere, even if it was right on top. i would just cover it with a sticker or something.

EDIT: re: BIOS password, yes, just go into your BIOS. don't forget the password because it's not something you can get around once it's set; i.e., if you set it and forget it, nobody can or will help you.

 

That sandblasting idea is pretty good, but If you did it then I'd suggest you paint it also then clear coat over the sand blasted area(as well as the rest of the laptop) because who wants to have a rough laptop? Not me for sure.

 

Get a label maker, and type your name out and stick the label on the bottom of your notebook. Discrete and simple. IF you want to be bold and daring, add also, If you take my notebook, I will hunt you down and destroy you!

 

Sharpie anyone?

(I gotta cut down on my caffeine so I can sleep at night --sigh)

 

i was gunna say a sharpie

 

you could have a sticker made with your name on it at one of the little sticker booths in malls?

 

I like the OC'd graphics card idea.

As for sand blasting.....getting all that sand out gives me nightmares....

 

Hmm. Lojack is like 60 bucks a year? I dont know the price but if you get your laptop stolen, you can track it down.

 

Why dont you just take it to a jewler and get ur name, whatever, etched on it? I presume there is a material that could be ethed on your laptop.

 

CompUSA had a special for 30 bucks a year for lojack

you could also "bedazzle" your name onto it like. Use those little crystals like people put on their cell phones and stuff

 

I'd also suggest putting it on the inside of one of the removable compartment doors (like the memory lid) with a paint pen. It won't be easily seen to be removed by a thief, and it'll definitely prove it's yours. Also consider a notch or something in the plastic in a specific place (where it won't matter), something that isn't able to be repaired easily, but is still easily visible.

 

Can't you just change the jumpers around on the motherboard to get it back to factory settings?

 

Write your name in those rhinestones....Really big....it will scare people away so you don't even have to worry about thieves. if the people aren't scared away, they will be blinded by the sparkling beauty of it....lol

 

cant u reinstall windows to get past that?

 

I am not sure if you are trying to deter theft or have it ID for retrieval? If the later then use sharpie under the battery on the lappy so the thief will not look there and find it to remove.

Then if you were so brave some kind of marking that only you would recognize on the outside. A small scrape or permanent ink mark. Something that looks like 'nothing' so it is not seen as an identifier

 

Can't believe nobody has suggested it already - may I recommend a UV marker pen? Invisible under normal light, making it a little less conspicuous than a sharpie.

This is purely a security suggestion though, nothing cosmetic, so I am probbaly giving an answer to a different question than the one being asked.