I recently ordered a 6’ NoteGuard LKCP-0093S Universal Notebook Security lock from Geeks.com. It came with instructions on how to set a personal lock code and I did that. I had it on the table earlier today and a friend of mine was playing with it. I didn’t realize what he did but when I left it on the table it was set to the passwcode and somehow he changed it. He doesn’t know what it is because he was just fooling with the numbers. It’s not an expensive lock so I’m not going to pay a locksmith but if anyone knows if it’s possible to reset the lock I’d appreciate the info
If you look on Amazon you will see a lot of comments about people accidentally resetting the password and not being able to get in. They have to cut the cable.
My google fu is not working tonight can you link me to some of those comments please.
I’m not familiar with this exact lock, but it looks like a pretty standard cable lock.
This is one of those things that’s easier to show than it is to type. But I’ll try…
This is also MUCH easier the first time if you have another cable lock that you know the combination to.
You can take a thin, relatively rigid piece of plastic (thinner than a credit card… I usually cut up a piece of plastic “clam shell” packaging) and cut it to have a shallow-angled tip. I usually go kind of claw-shaped. Too pointy and it will bend, too much of an angle and it won’t stick in.
stick the tip of the plastic doo-jobby in the gap between one number wheel and the casing. (you should do this on one of the wider side windows – not the top where you view the combination). inside is a rounded surface with a notch corresponding with one of the numbers. Slide the piece of plastic back and forth between the edges of the slot, and see if you feel a notch. If you don’t, rotate the number wheel by one digit and try again. You should eventually feel that notch – if you’re not sure, your point may not be pointy enough. Provided you identify the notch, note what digit is in the window (on that wheel) where you would normally view the combination. Write it down.
Do the same for the other 3 wheels, taking care to do the “stick the plastic in the side window” on the same face of the lock. That is… when you’re done, the notches should all reside on the same side. And it’s possible that you find the notches in an “up”, “centered” or “down” position - line them up (centered is easiest) and take note of the 4 digits
now pretend you’ve come up with 6806… that’s not quite the combination – the actual combination will be something plus or minus (probably) 3 for each digit. Depending on which side you worked from. In my example here, it wound up being 9139.
I’ve never tried this on this specific lock, or one that had a user-configurable combination, so it may or may not work. But I’ve never found a rotating-thumbwheels-style cable lock I couldn’t recover within a couple of minutes.
Some pictures might help describe this better…
http://img576.imageshack.us/img576/2400/photo0561.jpg
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/6169/photo0560i.jpg
If it helps, I think those are called sesame locks (as in ‘open sesame’)
Here is a link to the lockpicking 101 site for Japanese sesame locks
Here is a youtube video that says it shows you how to decode them. haven’t viewed it though.
edit: I have picked a couple of those by feel, but they were padlock types (with a u-shank) so you wouldn’t be able to use the same technique.
(Writing this knowing the problem is probably full-well solved by now… Meh…)
IANALS, but I can tell you a lot of spin combo locks can be picked by feel alone don’t ask me how I know this (office furniture installer, you don’t know how many cubiclees [?] don’t unhook their g-darn computer equipment in anticipation of a move.) Is there any play when it’s locked when you try to pull the cord out? Jiggle it back and forth as much as it will allow.
Start with the outermost (computermost? [closest to the computer]) tumbler, turn it to every number and pull it, is there one number that provides just a wee bit more play than any of the others? Awesome! You’ve found the first number! If not, try the innermost tumbler and see if that yields any results. If it does, repeat the process for the rest of the tumblers.
They make 'em pretty snug, but oftentimes there is just enough play even in the expensive ones to feel it out, although I will be honest and say the bolt cutters have come out a time or three before.
OR…
In elementary school, a guy I knew had an extremely poorly designed spin combo lock that the combination could be changed by undoing a screw at the bottom, (which conveniently fit a dime PERFECTLY!) choosing the numbers, and tightening the screw again to set the new number.
Well, there was a regular ol’ Nelson Muntz at that school, and he used to take pleasure in changing poor Steve’s lock combo every Friday after last recess…
So you’d see poor Steve most every Friday standing at his locker, frustrated, going:
“0,0,0, Nope!” “0,0,1, Argh!” “0,0,2, Gosh darnit!” “0,0,3, YOU FOTHER MUCKERS!!!” Of course, not quite THAT fast!
That being said, I see your lock has four numbers, so it’s only NINE THOUSAND possible numbers more… So pay a neighbourhood kid thirty bucks to do it…