Stolen Laptop

If it has logmein installed, I would wait to catch it online then install Prey remotely. That may not work if you already changed the password.

Did you have your laptop setup for all user profiles having a password login? This should be a basic security practice to alleviate unauthorized use of your computer.

I had my laptop stolen in 2010 while at a training class in the Bay Area. I made the mistake of leaving it in my rental call while I had drinks and dinner with a couple of classmates. Not only did they get mine, but when I was giving the police my info (they actually showed up) I found out that they had done the same to the guys I was having dinner with.

I did not lose any data save a bit of e-mail and the computer was protected by passwords but they did get away with about $15000 worth of hardware locks.

I use both a hardware boot PW and a windows PW and just started using the cloud backup service Backblaze. They offer a "lojack" like service for free with the backup service, I have tried it and if the PC is online or has been online it can get the location, scary close to the real location, highly recomend this service. None of this helps with the current sitation and the odds aren't good of ever finding a stolen laptop, hopefully you didn't lose any important data. One other thing I always do in a vehicle is cable the laptop to the sear frame, hopefully that slows down any would be thieves.

SHG

How do I find the location of this IP address?

67.236.165.118

> How do I find the location of this IP address?
>
> 67.236.165.118

Looks like it's in Washington D.C.

Hope they catch the SOBS that stole your laptop!! JERKS!:-@

I really doubt it is in DC... but how'd you do that anyway?

This website does it.

I am no expert, but I think IP addresses can be easily spoofed.

Thanks man, that is pretty nifty, but I checked my desktop IP here in Franklin & it showed as being in Greenwood, about 10 miles north of here.

The laptop IP above was from 10.31.2011 also utilized here in Franklin & it showed as being in Bremen in Northern Indiana.

Oh well, still pretty nifty...

http://www.whatismyip.com/tools/ip-address-lookup.asp is what I used. It's the one we use to verify users IPS on here and our other websites. 🙂

Thanks Kiddo

Looks like "results may vary" (widely).

Your link says that my desktop here in Franklin, IN (I am pretty sure that is where I am sitting, I have only haad a couple so far)...

... is in Chicago, Illinois...?

Oh well, apparently not an exact science.

Backblaze Location Feature Clarification

The Backblaze "Locate My Computer" function ONLY works if the PC in question is connected via WiFi, why I don't know, BUT that is what I was seeing and I confirmed that with their support team, so this feature is probably a bonus with a laptop and a liability with a wired desktop system if it gets stolen.

SHG

IP ISP locaters

I am also told that as a layperson the only location I will get by looking up an IP address is the location of the Internet Service Provider. But the cops can take the same info to the ISP and get a more precise location of the IP.

IP ISP locaters

That might be true to some extent, but somehow the Backblaze "Locate My Computer" feature not only tracks the IP, BUT the actual location and plots that location in Google Earth correctly, BUT it only works with a PC hooked to the internet through WiFi, they don't say how it works of course.

SHG

> I use both a hardware boot PW and a windows PW

Passwords will keep out casual snoopers, and so are a good idea as they're easy to implement and not too obtrusive to use. Note, however, that on Windows machines neither a boot password nor an account password is difficult to defeat if the user has physical access to the computer. The defeat procedures will allow access to any files that aren't encrypted.