IT/computer help needed please.
02-01-2008, 11:50 PM
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IT/computer help needed please.
My flying friend's wife computer (laptop) got legs and walked away the past weekend...
She is in realestate and uses the laptop for GPS/navigation and appointments, email, etc. The computer was taken from her car while visiting a house. My friend also uses the computer for general use including plane stuff. Here is my question for the computer gurus: is there a way to track the computer by serial number, IP address, usage? like a program that would look for the specific info accross the net and inform when it finds it? Most important loss is the names, address, phone numbers of clients.
Please help. Thanks.
She is in realestate and uses the laptop for GPS/navigation and appointments, email, etc. The computer was taken from her car while visiting a house. My friend also uses the computer for general use including plane stuff. Here is my question for the computer gurus: is there a way to track the computer by serial number, IP address, usage? like a program that would look for the specific info accross the net and inform when it finds it? Most important loss is the names, address, phone numbers of clients.
Please help. Thanks.
02-02-2008, 12:45 AM
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RE: IT/computer help needed please.
You can identify the machine if it has been set to a static IP address, which, I'm afraid, is unlikely.
It's more likely to be set to a dynamic address, so, when connected to a network or the Internet, it will take on an IP address given to it, just like any other machine.
However, it does have a unique hardware number called a MAC address, but you will need to know that to be able to identify it, which I doubt you have already done, as there's no real reason to have done so.
So, yes, you can trace it using either a PING or a TRACERT command (PM me if you want to know how to do that) but only if it has been set to a static IP address which you know.
There are many ways to uniquely identify a machine if you know where it is, but that probably doesn't help you!
PM if you want some more info.
Hope that helped a bit!
-David C.
It's more likely to be set to a dynamic address, so, when connected to a network or the Internet, it will take on an IP address given to it, just like any other machine.
However, it does have a unique hardware number called a MAC address, but you will need to know that to be able to identify it, which I doubt you have already done, as there's no real reason to have done so.
So, yes, you can trace it using either a PING or a TRACERT command (PM me if you want to know how to do that) but only if it has been set to a static IP address which you know.
There are many ways to uniquely identify a machine if you know where it is, but that probably doesn't help you!
PM if you want some more info.
Hope that helped a bit!
-David C.
02-02-2008, 12:47 AM
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RE: IT/computer help needed please.
ORIGINAL: Kaoma
My flying friend's wife computer (laptop) got legs and walked away the past weekend...
She is in realestate and uses the laptop for GPS/navigation and appointments, email, etc. The computer was taken from her car while visiting a house. My friend also uses the computer for general use including plane stuff. Here is my question for the computer gurus: is there a way to track the computer by serial number, IP address, usage? like a program that would look for the specific info accross the net and inform when it finds it? Most important loss is the names, address, phone numbers of clients.
Please help. Thanks.
My flying friend's wife computer (laptop) got legs and walked away the past weekend...
She is in realestate and uses the laptop for GPS/navigation and appointments, email, etc. The computer was taken from her car while visiting a house. My friend also uses the computer for general use including plane stuff. Here is my question for the computer gurus: is there a way to track the computer by serial number, IP address, usage? like a program that would look for the specific info accross the net and inform when it finds it? Most important loss is the names, address, phone numbers of clients.
Please help. Thanks.
James
02-02-2008, 12:23 PM
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RE: IT/computer help needed please.
I agree with what is said above. I'm afraid the laptop and it's data are gone. I would suggest a regular backup program on to a USB flash drive, or better yet automatic ONLINE backup. There are several companies that offer this service. A computer without a backup is just a disaster waiting to happen.
02-02-2008, 02:03 PM
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RE: IT/computer help needed please.
Thanks for input guys. She will look for the receipt (2+ years old) and call Dell for info as SN of the whole unit (if they want to give it to her). My friend will go to the Pawn shops around and inform them of the walking computer. Cops will only get involved if the computer is found and needs retrieval from the thief.
Too bad there is no program that you can put info in it (OS, name, SN, ISP, etc) and search the net.
I remember when the Army got some laptops stollen with a lot of info on them, how did they found them?
Too bad there is no program that you can put info in it (OS, name, SN, ISP, etc) and search the net.
I remember when the Army got some laptops stollen with a lot of info on them, how did they found them?
02-02-2008, 02:22 PM
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RE: IT/computer help needed please.
ORIGINAL: Kaoma
Thanks for input guys. She will look for the receipt (2+ years old) and call Dell for info as SN of the whole unit (if they want to give it to her). My friend will go to the Pawn shops around and inform them of the walking computer. Cops will only get involved if the computer is found and needs retrieval from the thief.
Too bad there is no program that you can put info in it (OS, name, SN, ISP, etc) and search the net.
I remember when the Army got some laptops stollen with a lot of info on them, how did they found them?
Thanks for input guys. She will look for the receipt (2+ years old) and call Dell for info as SN of the whole unit (if they want to give it to her). My friend will go to the Pawn shops around and inform them of the walking computer. Cops will only get involved if the computer is found and needs retrieval from the thief.
Too bad there is no program that you can put info in it (OS, name, SN, ISP, etc) and search the net.
I remember when the Army got some laptops stollen with a lot of info on them, how did they found them?
The Army more than likely had their MAC addresses recorded. Perhaps they tracked them down that way.
02-02-2008, 05:46 PM
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RE: IT/computer help needed please.
A little late now, but for future reference...
[link=http://www.lojackforlaptops.com/]http://www.lojackforlaptops.com/[/link]
seems like a good idea if you travel with your laptop frequently.
[link=http://www.lojackforlaptops.com/]http://www.lojackforlaptops.com/[/link]
seems like a good idea if you travel with your laptop frequently.
02-02-2008, 08:42 PM
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RE: IT/computer help needed please.
Well, I guess I should call my credit card co. to keep an eye on my account...A while ago I have ordered Sullivan parts on his computer with my CC.
02-02-2008, 08:48 PM
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RE: IT/computer help needed please.
If you've left passwords and on-line account numbers on the machine you should immediately log into those account from another machine and change all the passwords.
-David C.
-David C.
02-04-2008, 06:16 PM
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RE: IT/computer help needed please.
There's some good advise above and some not so good.
Never utilize a memory stick as a backup device. It should never be the ONLY place that your data exists.
Always preform regular backups of any and all data it would hurt your feelings to lose. Computers, like everything else, break.
If you don't know if it's backed up. It isn't. Always verify these backups, regardless of the method. A good backup device these days are inexpensive external hard drives.
There are three rules to utilizing a computer for data storage. 1. backup, 2. Backup, & 3. BACKUP!
Above there was mentioned the LoJack software. I insist all my business traveler customers utilize this and have been recommending it for 2 years. It's already saved one of them.
You're doing damage control now. Do as suggested and change or discontinue EVERYTHING!
Get your service tag and express service code from Dell and provide it to the police for reference. Make sure they attach it to your statement.
Best of luck and learn from this.
Never utilize a memory stick as a backup device. It should never be the ONLY place that your data exists.
Always preform regular backups of any and all data it would hurt your feelings to lose. Computers, like everything else, break.
If you don't know if it's backed up. It isn't. Always verify these backups, regardless of the method. A good backup device these days are inexpensive external hard drives.
There are three rules to utilizing a computer for data storage. 1. backup, 2. Backup, & 3. BACKUP!
Above there was mentioned the LoJack software. I insist all my business traveler customers utilize this and have been recommending it for 2 years. It's already saved one of them.
You're doing damage control now. Do as suggested and change or discontinue EVERYTHING!
Get your service tag and express service code from Dell and provide it to the police for reference. Make sure they attach it to your statement.
Best of luck and learn from this.
02-05-2008, 12:56 AM
#11
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RE: IT/computer help needed please.
ORIGINAL: Cryhavoc
There's some good advise above and some not so good.
Never utilize a memory stick as a backup device. It should never be the ONLY place that your data exists.
Always preform regular backups of any and all data it would hurt your feelings to lose. Computers, like everything else, break.
If you don't know if it's backed up. It isn't. Always verify these backups, regardless of the method. A good backup device these days are inexpensive external hard drives.
There are three rules to utilizing a computer for data storage. 1. backup, 2. Backup, & 3. BACKUP!
Above there was mentioned the LoJack software. I insist all my business traveler customers utilize this and have been recommending it for 2 years. It's already saved one of them.
You're doing damage control now. Do as suggested and change or discontinue EVERYTHING!
Get your service tag and express service code from Dell and provide it to the police for reference. Make sure they attach it to your statement.
Best of luck and learn from this.
There's some good advise above and some not so good.
Never utilize a memory stick as a backup device. It should never be the ONLY place that your data exists.
Always preform regular backups of any and all data it would hurt your feelings to lose. Computers, like everything else, break.
If you don't know if it's backed up. It isn't. Always verify these backups, regardless of the method. A good backup device these days are inexpensive external hard drives.
There are three rules to utilizing a computer for data storage. 1. backup, 2. Backup, & 3. BACKUP!
Above there was mentioned the LoJack software. I insist all my business traveler customers utilize this and have been recommending it for 2 years. It's already saved one of them.
You're doing damage control now. Do as suggested and change or discontinue EVERYTHING!
Get your service tag and express service code from Dell and provide it to the police for reference. Make sure they attach it to your statement.
Best of luck and learn from this.
02-05-2008, 10:49 AM
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RE: IT/computer help needed please.
Thank you to all guys that posted for help. I have passed all the info to my friend to give to his wife. From what I got, trying to find the computer is a lost cause at this point.
Now I have a question of my own: are Dell laptops more prone to failure than Toshiba laptops? We use Dell 620 and another group at work use Toshiba. Looks like Dell have a higher HD failure than the other computers....
Now I have a question of my own: are Dell laptops more prone to failure than Toshiba laptops? We use Dell 620 and another group at work use Toshiba. Looks like Dell have a higher HD failure than the other computers....
02-05-2008, 12:09 PM
#13
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RE: IT/computer help needed please.
ORIGINAL: Kaoma
Thank you to all guys that posted for help. I have passed all the info to my friend to give to his wife. From what I got, trying to find the computer is a lost cause at this point.
Now I have a question of my own: are Dell laptops more prone to failure than Toshiba laptops? We use Dell 620 and another group at work use Toshiba. Looks like Dell have a higher HD failure than the other computers....
Thank you to all guys that posted for help. I have passed all the info to my friend to give to his wife. From what I got, trying to find the computer is a lost cause at this point.
Now I have a question of my own: are Dell laptops more prone to failure than Toshiba laptops? We use Dell 620 and another group at work use Toshiba. Looks like Dell have a higher HD failure than the other computers....
02-05-2008, 03:03 PM
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RE: IT/computer help needed please.
I too am in the "business" and we are seeing HDD failures at about 2 years in laptops irregardless of brands. Almost all of the drives are hitachi or toshiba.
02-05-2008, 08:51 PM
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RE: IT/computer help needed please.
I would never suggest using a USB flash drive as the ONLY place the data is stored. A backup drive is a backup drive; a copy of existing data. After being in this business for more than 10 years, I have seen the high failure rate of hard drives, (I replace mine every two years) and recommend a high capacity USB jump/flash drive for backup. They are less bulky, and have no moving parts. Unless a person is archiving old unused files, the flash drives are the ticket.
PDR reports a 300 percent year-on-year increase in cases of USB drives that have "suddenly stopped working," as a result of "faults, misuse and an increasing number of poorly manufactured devices on the market."
Reliability is still an issue with flash drives, because of the limited number of write cycles. The biggest problem with flash drives, though, is that they're block-level random access devices sitting at the end of an interface designed for devices where
locality of reference is THE major issue, using file systems designed to optimize performance on hard drives.
Koby Biller, founder of the Israeli software firm, Disklace Ltd., also believes USB flash drives need to be measured for fragmentation and then defragged before the damage to memory reaches a point of no return, which is a common occurance. A former systems engineer with IBM, Biller has 27 years experience working on a variety of IT systems.
Myself, I'm an engineer and have only been at this 33 years, (not to sling resume's), but numerous people much smarter than myself indicate that data redundancy utilizing current technology with these devices should not be considered.
Just an FYI regarding giving this "advise" to clients. Best of luck.
02-06-2008, 01:59 AM
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RE: IT/computer help needed please.
ORIGINAL: Cryhavoc
According to a report issued by data recovery specialist Payam Data Recovery (PDR http://www.payam.com.au/ ), cases of faulty USB flash drives are on the rise, growing at an even faster rate than unit sales themselves.
PDR reports a 300 percent year-on-year increase in cases of USB drives that have "suddenly stopped working," as a result of "faults, misuse and an increasing number of poorly manufactured devices on the market."
Reliability is still an issue with flash drives, because of the limited number of write cycles. The biggest problem with flash drives, though, is that they're block-level random access devices sitting at the end of an interface designed for devices where
locality of reference is THE major issue, using file systems designed to optimize performance on hard drives.
Koby Biller, founder of the Israeli software firm, Disklace Ltd., also believes USB flash drives need to be measured for fragmentation and then defragged before the damage to memory reaches a point of no return, which is a common occurance. A former systems engineer with IBM, Biller has 27 years experience working on a variety of IT systems.
Myself, I'm an engineer and have only been at this 33 years, (not to sling resume's), but numerous people much smarter than myself indicate that data redundancy utilizing current technology with these devices should not be considered.
Just an FYI regarding giving this "advise" to clients. Best of luck.
I would never suggest using a USB flash drive as the ONLY place the data is stored. A backup drive is a backup drive; a copy of existing data. After being in this business for more than 10 years, I have seen the high failure rate of hard drives, (I replace mine every two years) and recommend a high capacity USB jump/flash drive for backup. They are less bulky, and have no moving parts. Unless a person is archiving old unused files, the flash drives are the ticket.
PDR reports a 300 percent year-on-year increase in cases of USB drives that have "suddenly stopped working," as a result of "faults, misuse and an increasing number of poorly manufactured devices on the market."
Reliability is still an issue with flash drives, because of the limited number of write cycles. The biggest problem with flash drives, though, is that they're block-level random access devices sitting at the end of an interface designed for devices where
locality of reference is THE major issue, using file systems designed to optimize performance on hard drives.
Koby Biller, founder of the Israeli software firm, Disklace Ltd., also believes USB flash drives need to be measured for fragmentation and then defragged before the damage to memory reaches a point of no return, which is a common occurance. A former systems engineer with IBM, Biller has 27 years experience working on a variety of IT systems.
Myself, I'm an engineer and have only been at this 33 years, (not to sling resume's), but numerous people much smarter than myself indicate that data redundancy utilizing current technology with these devices should not be considered.
Just an FYI regarding giving this "advise" to clients. Best of luck.
Bottom line, ANY digital file storage system is flaky at best. CD's and DVD's self destruct in 10 years or less, hard drives fail, USB flash drives fail, and floppy disks have to be the most unreliable of them all. That is why it so important to have COPIES of your data. The likelyhood of both sources (original and backup) dying at the same time are pretty low. REMEMBER: You are only as good as your last backup.
Large capacity file storage is still in it's infancy, and it will take time to work the kinks out. Thank you for this information. It is always helpful to pick like minded brains, which is why we seek out places like RC Universe the first place.
Respectfully,
Randy Rossmiller
