Just set a password or completely power off the pc (flip the power switch on the back of the case) and just act like you don’t know why it’s not turning on
I have a Lenovo ThinkStation from 2010 that has a case lock built into it, also if you have a case that doesn't have a lock but has a spot for a normal case side panel thumb screw you can buy locking thumb screws. Retailers occasionally use them for their computer display models to help reduce theft of the internal components like graphics cards or RAM
They weren't to lock out power, they were there to disable the keyboard (aka keyboard lock). And since this was before USB, and keyboards used a DIN port, it meant that you couldn't just plug the keyboard into another port. And if the keyboard was unplugged during startup, you needed to reboot after plugging it back in to get it to work. On a side note, I once wired one of those keyboard locks to the reset pins on the motherboard in an IBM Server 300 case, as the case didn't have a reset switch. :)
I'm old. Years ago a co-worker goes on a vacation. We, being in the IT biz as developers, were also cunning and devious, took the hard drive out and stuck it into another PC. From there, we modified the start up apps. Nothing that was NSFW but pretty close. He comes back, turns on the PC and "You flipping a Holes... You are bunch of ....." He wasn't really that mad, because he was capable of doing that stuff also. Alas, now a days, all the "PCes" are virtual PCs and everything is looked down tighter than a drum.
Yo that's actually sick! Maybe its just my bias towards keys opposed to buttons in cars but i would love to have a computer that turns on via turning a key, I would never need a password to keep unwanted people off the computer
My 386 and 486 PCs in the 1990s had locks like that. The lock on the 386 PC prevented the PC from turning on when turned counter clockwise but the lock on the 486 PC made it ignore keyboard inputs when turned clockwise. The 486 PC had another lock to the right side of the case that prevented unauthorized people from opening the computer case.
@frstwhsprs Yeah the way in the video is just a joke and you could still easily start the computer without even touching the lock. But do remember those locks and chains on pcs and laptops in my schooldays. And judging how even the keycaps got stolen, those locks really were necessary.
I need this so whenever I show off my nonexistent computer tower to my nonexistent friends I can be all like "so this is my computer" and I turn the ignition
You can easily bypass this by taking some thin copper or something conductive and feeding it between the three contact hollow points, creating a current and turning on the PC. Could probably only do two contacts but not sure if the third goes to an external supply