Stolen laptop?

[Cream Soda]

My brother gonna buy a stolen laptop for cheap. Before he buys it, is there any way they can trace the laptop or some shit like that?

[Rafbacca]

newer laptops do have a call home feature, depends on whether it was installed. some even have them installed in the BIOS. Guess it depends on which laptop it is.

[Jotaru]

And its punishable by jail time. Wouldn't recommend it.

[Khamsin]

My laptop has a CompuTrace option in the BIOS; it allows it to be tracked. I do not have it enabled, however once I enable it, it cannot be disabled.

Well... I'm sure there's a way if he opens the laptop and sets the jumper to reset the BIOS or drain the backup battery until it forgets everything, but I haven't done that sort of thing in years, and might be different on today's computers/laptops.

But the important question is, does that laptop have that setting enabled, and do you/the dealer know how to disable it if it is? And is it worth it?

[Pikarya]

Serials. Literally everywhere.

In this day and age, especially knowing its illegally stolen. I'd avoid your glorious purchase of a "cheap laptop" for knowing it was ridden of someone wrongfully.

But whatever.

[Tanthalass]

Computrace LoJack for Laptops

[Ratatapa]

ISP can trace you with the MAc adress of your network card if you didn't change it

[hagun]

I want to say buying a stolen laptop is one of the dumbest ideas ever, but I won't.

[jmc]

Purchasing any stolen item is usually a bad idea, and is punishable by jail time.

For lojack for laptops..... some laptops do have them, but most ones purchased in stores do not have them.

As for a law enforcement stand-point, I really don't even see how officers can trace it. Lojack in cars, sends out a beacon that select cruisers equipped with a "lo-jack responder" can pick a signal from a stolen car once activated...... but the beacon the car puts out, has a horrible range <1mile.

[Khamsin]

A laptop can be traced if you try, and arranged for it to be that way beforehand. But it won't be as easy as it just sending out a signal.

So for cars, do cops just not really look for stolen cars (via the lojack system), they just get lucky sometimes and happen to pass by one?

[MisterBob]

How about you don't buy stolen goods? Would you like it if I stole your laptop?

[Jefe]

Check the BIOS (under security) and see if there's hidden shit residing there. If so, reformat + Bios repacker, you also may need atapwd (google).

[thestalkmore]

=/

[Cream Soda]

How about you don't buy stolen goods? Would you like it if I stole your laptop?

Sure wouldn't, but I'm not buying it and I'm not his dad, not gonna tell him what to do.

Thanks for the replies all.

[levish]

considering netbooks start at 259$ new with win xp home, why bother?

[Jotaru]

How about you don't buy stolen goods? Would you like it if I stole your laptop?

Haha. This made me laugh.

And who cares if you aren't his dad- he's your brother. My sisters are the closest things to me, and I'd never let them do something like this without first at least trying to persuade them out of it. Tough love, etc.

[jmc]

A laptop can be traced if you try, and arranged for it to be that way beforehand. But it won't be as easy as it just sending out a signal.

So for cars, do cops just not really look for stolen cars (via the lojack system), they just get lucky sometimes and happen to pass by one?

Pretty much get lucky.

If a car is within...lets say a 2-mile radius of a cruiser equipped to pick up lo-jack signals.... then it will display on the MDT what type of car/plate/color/year etc... for officers to try to find visually.

[mootsfox]

How about you don't buy stolen goods? Would you like it if I stole your laptop?

+1

Or find somewhere else to ask the question.