Dell Blanking plate issue

[greenj2]

We have a number of Dell SFF optiplex machines with blanking plates covering the 3.5in opening. We have found that a number have been pushed in or removed allowing students to remove or tamper with RAM. We have tried replacing these plastic covers with the same covers with the same effect as they have little tabs to hold them in place (easily snapped off!),these also work out at £10 each. Does anyone know or have a solution to this problem? We have tried a metal cover covering the hole but this just gets bent allowing access again as there is nowhere inside the machine to secure it on all edges. Edited March 15, 2012 by greenj2

[Dom_]

I've had this issue before, and tried allsorts... thinking back, it would have been easier to just buy a load of floppy drives and screw them in... if you're paying £10/tab, why not buy a cheaper floppy drive instead?

 

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[andy_nic]

we use 0.5cm plastic with some really good plastic glue from DT. we have never had one pulled off or snapped.

 

just to add we also glue on to the outside of the machine to stop them having anything to push against.

Edited March 15, 2012 by andy_nic

[AngryTechnician]

Mousetrap just inside the opening.

[difinity]

We had a spate of kids pushing in the CD blanking plates here, we had hot glued them but the determined ones still pushed through.

Our DT technician made some mdf rectangles that we hot glued in, no troubles since.

[greenj2]

Thank you just had our DT Technician up to look at doing a similar idea to yours. Unfortunately there is not much inside those cases to attach anything to but he seems to have a solution in mind.

[Gaz]

Perhaps their unsupervised access needs to be revised if they can't behave? Fortunately we've not had that problem but annother annoyance is that they unplug the keyboard and mouse and plug them into the front USB ports intsead! why for the love of all things fluffy why?!?!?!?!?!

[sjatkn]

We have a similar problem with some HP DC7800's, we managed to source some covers and are starting to glue them in with pipe weld glue (designed to glue ABS plastic). Hopefully these will be a little more robust.

[greenj2]

We solved that problem by padlocking the cables to the case through the security latch, they are then unable to pull them through to plug in the front. As regards unsupervised access, all our IT rooms are locked until there is a teacher with the students. No student is allowed in an IT room without supervision except our 6th form and ......guess what...no plates missing there!

[difinity]

Our 6th form rooms are the most vandalised and messed about with in our whole school !!!!

[ricki]

Hi

 

We had this at one of my previous schools and we got tech to make a metal plate this shape ] and then drill holes and tap the holes in the correct place so we could put then in the machine behind the plastic blanking plate so when the kids pushed the plate it pushed the plastic against the metal. They did this as part of manufacturing part of class.

 

We also had this with some tochibas and tried buying metal backed blanking plates and they cost £10 or £12 then and it cost a lot.

 

Richard

[NikChillin]

We use copious amounts of super glue which helps and padlock or cable tie the leads to stop tinkering.