Can my stolen laptop be found?

[DoctorP]

Ok...here is the deal. Someone jacked my laptop from my van this week. The likelyhood that the person will be found is slim.

My question is: If they hook it up to the internet, is it tracable by anyone? Such as Compaq/HP or Microsoft? Or am I just out of luck?

 

[lexico]

If this quote it true, that "most of the big laptop makers-IBM/Lenovo, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Gateway-have just begun embedding a recovery chip on their system boards," AND you have registered your laptop with the manufacturer, AND the culprit somehow allows an on-line software to read the system board ID off of the laptop while hooked up, THEN you might have a chance.
Does LoJack For Laptops Work ? - Laptop recovery with a vengeance
David A. Andelman, Forbes.com 19 Aug 2005

The Forbes.com article is about a commercial theft recovery software, but the system board ID thing should still work in principle. The question is are the conditions met ? How far will the manufacturers go the extra mile to give you, the customer, a helping hand without the privacy infringement argument ? (Until the thief is proven "guilty," he might have certain rights ! Yeah, right.)

 

[DoctorP]

lexico...thanks for the info...but I'm not sure if my laptop has that information. I'll have to do some more research.

 

[-Rudel-]

Each laptop has what is known as a mac address. Every single, Cable Modem, DSL Modem, Computer, and Laptop have one. It a unique number to that unit. If you knew your MAC address, and knew how to search for it over the ISPs network, I'm sure you could find it. But it would take for ever and ever and ever with the billions of people on the internet.

 

[Maciamo]

If you knew your MAC address, and knew how to search for it over the ISPs network, I'm sure you could find it. But it would take for ever and ever and ever with the billions of people on the internet.

He could try limiting the search to the IP address in Japan, and if possible in Okinawa . That would make it much faster.

 

[-Rudel-]

Still wouldn't work without the MAC address. ut eliminating the ISPs to Okinawa, would definately help out. If I remember, I think they only have about 6 or so.

Sunny Net
Yahoo
Juno
Southern Cross
OCN

Then you have to find the IP ranges for each of those companies. OR regions. Then limit it down to the Repeaters, HUB, server, etc etc.

 

[DoctorP]

actually there are at least 30-40 different ISP's here...I appreciate you guys trying to help!