Stolen

[phillipH]

A laptop was stolen from my school and my teacher/ceo asked me to find a way to track it down. i understand that using something like Lojack would help but none of the school laptops have tracking programs on them. is there any way to MAYBE get the laptop back? ANYTHING other than buying another one or stealing one (lol). please help at the best of your abilities.

 

[frozenlead]

No, she's pretty much gone. Unless you marked it with something from the school and see it in public, you don't really have much of a chance of finding it.

 

[amnotanoobie]

i understand that using something like Lojack would help but none of the school laptops have tracking programs on them.

You've pretty much answered your own question. Having a tracking program for all laptops would pose as a big privacy risk, as any decent hacker could know where you are.

 

[frozenlead]

Having a tracking program for all laptops would pose as a big privacy risk, as any decent hacker could know where you are.

With this logic, the internet would never have been invented.

 

[amnotanoobie]

With this logic, the internet would never have been invented.

Huh? What I was indicating was that if all laptops had a sort of tracking software installed and hidden by default then it would be a serious security risk. Not all users have the need or want for such things and not having such software installed without their knowledge. Inherently all computers could be hacked, it is usually just a matter of how determined a hacker is and how much resources they have.

Would you feel safe if Microsoft installed tracking software that could use gps, or wifi to determine where your laptop is even without your knowledge?

 

[frozenlead]

Inherently all computers could be hacked, it is usually just a matter of how determined a hacker is and how much resources they have.

This is comparable to saying that all cars could be crashed, and all humans could die, so there's no point into making cars or living.

I'm just picking on you, I like to do things like this

edit: spelling

 

[amnotanoobie]

This is comparable to saying that all cars could be crashed, and all humans could die, so there's no point into making cars or living.

I'm just picking on you, I like to do things like this

edit: spelling

Incorrect analogy.

Cars = Laptop
Lojack = Software based Lojack

Would you prefer a government mandated LoJack for your car which can be turned on by the government anytime they wish (and could be hacked by a determined hacker)?

 

[howardp6]

If the school did not have Lojack on it you are out ofluck. If the person gets caught and the police can identify it as a school computer they may get it back. I purchased lojack for my sons laptop, but it has to activiated and a report has to be filed. It also has to connected to the internet for them to find it. If the hard drive is reformated it will not work. See if your parents have a homeowners policy andif it covers the computer. Does the school have insurance on it. Good luck.

 

[dfusco]

A laptop was stolen from my school and my teacher/ceo asked me to find a way to track it down. i understand that using something like Lojack would help but none of the school laptops have tracking programs on them. is there any way to MAYBE get the laptop back? ANYTHING other than buying another one or stealing one (lol). please help at the best of your abilities.

Other than using old fashioned detective work you are out of luck. You may want to check and see if it was insured.

 

[frozenlead]

Incorrect analogy.

Cars = Laptop
Lojack = Software based Lojack

Would you prefer a government mandated LoJack for your car which can be turned on by the government anytime they wish (and could be hacked by a determined hacker)?

Not really...
The software based lojack for the car would be something you'd buy to protect yourself. You might not get it based on the fact that the government (or anyone else) could hack it to control your car (or do some other undesirable action). This defeats the purpose of getting it, as it can be turned against you. Similarly, you buying a car would be something you do to get to work faster. However, you might not get it based on the fact that the car can kill you (in a number of ways that may not even be related to you). This defeats the purpose of getting it, as it can be turned against you.
With the "it could be turned against you" logic, nothing would ever get created or done in the world, out of fear that the whatever could be used adversely.
But really, this thread's kinda done.

 

[megamanx00]

If you had some kind of remote assistance software running, and a way to identify the particular laptop, then you could possibly do something about it. Otherwise, your SOL. If it has a factory install of windows, then perhaps you can try containing the vendor to see if they can help you out. HP usually ships their newer stuff with that kind of software, but if it's not auto starting then the criminal would actually have to go and run it. I always use a clean install when I can and try and uninstall all that junk if not. Well good luck.

 

[phillipH]

Thank you all for your help. The biggest thanks go to amnotanoob and frozenlead. Your argument made me laugh.

 

[amnotanoobie]

Not really...
The software based lojack for the car would be something you'd buy to protect yourself.

With the "it could be turned against you" logic, nothing would ever get created or done in the world, out of fear that the whatever could be used adversely.
But really, this thread's kinda done.

Thanks for twisting my words. Does the government mandate that all laptops must have Windows? No. They do not, you could install linux, unix, osx, or anything else for all they care. My concern is if a "Green Dam" scenario is applied and required to all laptops.

K thanks, bye.