[tubbs]

On the subject of DNA - the arse who broke into mine, and lots of others, car at the Premier Inn at the NEC last year was caught thanks to leaving his blood on the broken glass. He got 18 months, which was far more inconvenient than me driving back to Dorset without one of my back windows.

 

[Houdini]

Heaven forbid I give the impression of extremism, but if we'd taken his arms at the shoulder - would he re-offend?   ???

The bugger about renting is dog ownership is verboten.  Shame, for all concerned.  Doberman's rule.

[tomtom]

thankfully i had all my laptop backed up on my external hard drive....

A wise move indeed - my mate's experience of having laptop burgled with all his pics of 4 yrs of travelling, family weddings etc on it made me (and most of my mates) pull our fingers out and back shit up.

His face when I asked '...but you've got all your stuff backed up somewhere haven't you?' made me wish I hadn't asked.

I spilt a cup of tea on my laptop 2 years ago, and paid £200 to recover my files from my HDD, after that I signed up to the online backup service carbonite which just potters around in the background backing stuff up automatically.
I'm downloading all my backed up files now... (phew). not sure if its the best of its type, but certainly recommended for disorganised people like myself who forget to back up...

[SA Chris]

I spilt a cup of tea on my laptop 2 years ago, and paid £200 to recover my files from my HDD, after that I signed up to the online backup service carbonite which just potters around in the background backing stuff up automatically.
I'm downloading all my backed up files now... (phew). not sure if its the best of its type, but certainly recommended for disorganised people like myself who forget to back up...

Sounds like me. Will get onto that carbonite forthwith. Good call, carbonite sounds like my cup of tea (sorry).

[nik at work]

The bugger about renting is dog ownership is verboten.  Shame, for all concerned.  Doberman's rule.

Dogs are great, cats 'aint gonna do shit to protect the family silver...

Hope all the above sad tales have happy insurance covered nice shiny new electrical equipment type endings. Maybe the following story of burglary gone bad may cheer your hearts.

The only time anybody has tried to rob me was when our current house was in the very early stages of renovation and we weren't living in it. I actually saw the scrotes pull open a boarded up window to get in as I was walking up to the house in the morning. At this time the house was pitch dark as all the windows were boarded up but I had wired up lights throughout that came on with one central switch, also there were hardly any internal walls so it was essentially just one big open space. So whilst the scrotes were stumbling around in the dark I got the chainsaw and took it to the lightswitch. A quick pull to start up the chainsaw, rev it a few times then flick the lightswitch. Man those fuckers could run fast. Never been troubled since....

[Jaspersharpe]

Genius.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

I spilt a cup of tea on my laptop 2 years ago, and paid £200 to recover my files from my HDD, after that I signed up to the online backup service carbonite which just potters around in the background backing stuff up automatically.
I'm downloading all my backed up files now... (phew). not sure if its the best of its type, but certainly recommended for disorganised people like myself who forget to back up...

Sounds like me. Will get onto that carbonite forthwith. Good call, carbonite sounds like my cup of tea (sorry).

Sounds good, couple of other alternatives to look at...
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/maintenance/tp/online_backup_services.htm
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/online-storage,review-29690.html
http://www.idrive.com/compare-service.htm (not independant site)

[SA Chris]

A quick pull to start up the chainsaw, rev it a few times then flick the lightswitch. Man those fuckers could run fast. Never been troubled since....

What if your chainsaw is away for cleaning?

[Bubba]

problem is i live in rented accomodation, and i don't want to pay for the burglar alarm...

If you get one of those wireless ones you can take it with you when you move - no wiring necessary; the main box is solar powered and the sensors take 9v batteries. Well handy...

[nik at work]

Don't worry Chris we have a couple of fall back options, nail gun, axe, oxy-acetelene torch....

We don't get trick or treaters at Halloween either, wierd.

[Bubba]

A quick pull to start up the chainsaw, rev it a few times then flick the lightswitch. Man those fuckers could run fast. Never been troubled since....

I'd love to have heard their conversation as they ran away

Sounds like me. Will get onto that carbonite forthwith. Good call, carbonite sounds like my cup of tea (sorry).

Mozy looks better to me...

[tomtom]

A quick pull to start up the chainsaw, rev it a few times then flick the lightswitch. Man those fuckers could run fast. Never been troubled since....

I'd love to have heard their conversation as they ran away

Sounds like me. Will get onto that carbonite forthwith. Good call, carbonite sounds like my cup of tea (sorry).

Mozy looks better to me...

My recommendation of carbonite is without trying anything else... so please bear that in mind.. mozy and the others may now be better etc.. (was 2 years ago I subscribed to Carbonite). I'd also use the trial first, as you may not like how it works and/or it may hog some system resource (though carbonite seems OK). I think it cost me £20 for two years, which at the time seemed like quite a bit - but well worth it compared to the 200 sheets to get my data back off my HDD...
Actually, my carbonite sub is up in a month, so if anyone has any experience of the others, please let me know..
T

[saltbeef]

problem is i live in rented accomodation, and i don't want to pay for the burglar alarm...

If you get one of those wireless ones you can take it with you when you move - no wiring necessary; the main box is solar powered and the sensors take 9v batteries. Well handy...

any idea of a name?/link?

[robertostallioni]

Just found these guys,http://www.digiteck.org/category.php?categoryid=bfa-04
Bog standard with 4 motion sensors 137 quid up to 350 for 8 zone & autodialler whatever the fuck that is.

ADDITION:-

found this too, a PDF of how to fit a wireless alarm system. The autodialler calls up to 6? numbers in sequence when the alarm goes off, quite usefull I guess
http://www.jpalarms.co.uk/Docs/SolarGuard%20SG4000.pdf

[tomtom]

Just found these guys,http://www.digiteck.org/category.php?categoryid=bfa-04
Bog standard with 4 motion sensors 137 quid up to 350 for 8 zone & autodialler whatever the fuck that is.

ADDITION:-

found this too, a PDF of how to fit a wireless alarm system. The autodialler calls up to 6? numbers in sequence when the alarm goes off, quite usefull I guess
http://www.jpalarms.co.uk/Docs/SolarGuard%20SG4000.pdf

Just got one from B&Q - made by friedland - £120 for solar alarm box, 2 pir's, 2 door things and control box. All wireless... and the solar thing  keeps the external alarm box topped up. I also got an identical dummy external box for out back (normal batteries and flashing lights).
I was putting it in tonight, but decided it was past the hammer drill watershed 
I'll let y'all know what its like in a couple of days if you like?
T

[Bubba]

Mine was a B&Q jobby too, cost £99 back then...

[tomtom]

Mine was a B&Q jobby too, cost £99 back then...

Still going OK?

[Bubba]

Yeah, it's fine - the batteries in the PIRs need changing regularly as they're in a cold garage but the unit has always stayed charged using solar power through winter, etc.

[tomtom]

Thought I'd post an update.. Just had a call from Humberside police, and they've arrested and charged someone over my burglary.. they've admitted it and are in court tomorrow. He wouldnt tell me any other details, but given what he said ("dont worry they'll be in prison tomorrow") I suspect its a breach of probation/bail...
No surprises that none of my kit has been found/reclaimed. But pretty quick seeing as it happened 8 days ago, I suspect its a case of the DNA results came back today and the went and knocked on someones door....
I know it doesnt always work out this way, but I've been pretty impressed with how the dibble dealt with everything..
Anyway.. a result of sorts   

(not thinking about the raised insurance premium, the boards on my window and the new alarm on the house...)

think its time for a 

[Sloper]

Make sure you get your victim impact statement in, that might increase their sentence by, ohhh hours............

[slackline]

Thats some consolation (unless they got a mis-match on the DNA!).

[tomtom]

Thats some consolation (unless they got a mis-match on the DNA!).

Yup - though still keeping my eye out for thin lanky scrotes wearing my jeans and goretex 

[andy_e]

We got robbed last night- someone beat up my (female) housemate and robbed her laptop. Good job two of my other housemates are rugby players eh?

Lowlife scum- breaking in to someone's house is bad enough, but hitting a girl? That just takes the biscuit for being an utter twat.

[Bubba]

That fucking sucks

Did the two other housemates deal with the thief?

[slackline]

That does suck.

Hope the bastard had twenty different colours of shit kicked out of him by your rugby playing housemates, although if they actually robbed her laptop it sounds as though the cunt got away