Guide To Free Laptop Tracking (Like LoJack, but Free!)

Guide To Free Laptop Tracking (In case of loss or theft)​

There are many ways to track your laptop in case of theft or loss, but they all cost MONEY!

This guide will show you how to get laptop tracking completely free!

Requirements:
A Laptop (preferably with Wi-Fi)

Guide:

1. First visit http://www.ihoundsoftware.com/

2. Create an account on ihoundsoftware.com

3. Log in, and click My Devices

4. Click Add Device

5. Enter the Description, serial number and other information for your Laptop, and in the device type selection, select other

6. Click Submit

7. Find your device in the My Devices list and click ‘Edit Device Profile’
In device Profile:
Click Disabled under ‘Tracking for this device is:’ (enable this if you lose your laptop and you will get tracking info and email notifications if it is located)
Then add your information to the ‘Display Return Information’ text box
Change executable name to DeviceAntiTheft
Finally, click save and then ‘Hide Device Profile’

8. Download the Software by clicking ‘Windows’ next to your device name in my devices

9. Run the Downloaded Software

10. Click your Drive C: (or whatever your main windows drive is), and click ‘Install on Device’

11. This will install 4 files to the drive: DeviceAntiTheft.exe, Device, Icon.ico, and autorun.inf

12. Go to the drive you installed to and delete autorun.inf and icon.ico

13. Create a Shortcut to DeviceAntiTheft.exe

14. Go to the start menu, all programs, right-click on the startup folder, and click open

15. Drag the shortcut to the startup folder

Now, every time you startup, the software will report the location of the laptop and you will get a mildly annoying screen like this: on startup (a small price to pay for free laptop tracking)

Make sure that when this dialog comes up, that you click cancel (it will still report the location of the laptop, but it won’t take you to the website)



Now if your laptop is ever stolen, it will report its location and you can check its location (on ihoundsoftware.com or googlemaps) and even print a ready made police report with details of your stolen laptop.

Happy Laptop Security!
+rep if you like this idea

 

Problem is that this works through Windows and not the BIOS. How are the thieves going to get into your Windows account with it's password?

Good intentions, but faulty implementation.

 

Well with my laptop, I have it log me in automatically so no typing in pw necessary.

 

Its really not that hard to get into a windows account... (solutions can be found with a simple google search),
But, most thieves won't think to disable a startup program...

 

I'm probably not gonna use this... But rep anyways.

 

Yeah, cool idea. I've wondered if there is a way to do this myself. However, the program that runs should run silently. The first time someone logs in and sees that message, they will shut down and format the drive.

I've thought it would be interesting to run something like an SSH server and have tools that can use the video camera to take pictures of whoever is using the system (except the bright light next to the camera turns on). Maybe VNC and/or a keylogger to really be able to get into the system and see what they are doing.

All of this however requires that the thief can login to the laptop without reformatting or anything like that. You'd have to have no password on the system so they had no idea something was up.

 

If I stole a laptop (hypothetically, of course), the first thing I would do is reformat it. But that's assuming I'm after the laptop and not the data on it.

 

Just found a way to disable to prompt every time it sends the location of the laptop to the website. Just edit the device and click do not display return information. I tried it out and it works. You just click the executable and nothing happens but it sends the location to the website.
I have a question though about its effectiveness. The program will run when you log on but it takes a while for my (or any?)laptop to connect to the internet, it takes about 30 seconds for me. So the program will think its not connected to the internet and not send the location. Or will the program keep trying to connect to the internet until it gets a connection?

 

it worked for me at startup (mine connects almost immediately)

 

I never tried that before
Thanks

 

We should do field testing if this really works.

Ill be the guy that steals your notebook, and you be the guy trying to retrieve the notebook.

 

i think we would know who would win

this isn't really a deterrant for thieves who know what they are doing with technology

 

I don't really think it is a deterrent as much as it is a way for someone to get their laptop back, or at the least, get some sweet revenge. From the thief's perspective, the odds of stealing a laptop with a tracking device have got to be incredibly low.

 

by deterrant i meant that it wouldn't get in the way of them being able to restore/reinstall and then have no problems (and then you would never get it back)

 

Sorry to raise a dead thread, but any idea on how to set this so it doesn't automatically open my C drive?

 

I'd like to see a review of how this works in practice. Sounds like a possibly useful alternative to LoJack, and I actually like that it works within Windows instead of the BIOS - never did install LoJack because of the whole un-disableable tracking setting in the BIOS.

As to how effective it is, provided you don't have a password, I could see it being decently effective. After all, I'm sure a decent number of thieves at least check the hard drive for identity-stealing information instead of formatting the hard drive and selling the laptop right away.

 

I can see it as being decent, and theres a program that I can't remember the name of but automatically runs a program after standby or hibernation which could be used with this as well, but I'm having a hard time getting that to work.

Anyways, better than nothing I guess.

 

Yeah I got my gaming notebook stolen last month, and I'm regretting now that I didn't install Lojack or this trick, because at least I know I can have a clue to where it is. The reason I was hesitant to install Lojack was the being hard to disable since it's in the Bios and this I'm kinda thinking other ppl can stalk you to.

I asked about this post and someone linked me to Adeona, I downloaded that but still need to study and research it before I go ahead and install. Heck I just might even try this one since I just bought another gaming notebook that I'm typing this on.

Oh going back to my stolen notebook, I now have subscription videos in my youtube account that I don't think I ever subscribed to. Maybe the person who stole my notebook is somehow using my account? Any ideas how I may trace or find my stolen notebook?

 

See if any other changes are made to any other accounts you have? Contact yahoo for IP info maybe (doubtful, but hey).

I think a better solution is a notebook lock; all these tracking systems make me very nervous/paranoid. This type of stuff is exactly what I try to keep OFF my PCs.

 

Yeah the Big Brother stuff, but it's already implemented. Look at youtube being forced to give user info. Look at iphone 3g where they can disable programs on your phone remotely. They ambushed us and put trojan tracking devices in all electronics and rfid in clothes and food so everyone is already being watched no matter if we like it or not. What are the elites gonna do with the info don't know but I guarantee they already know alot about you. I just wish they tell me who has my stolen note book. And the lock thing well I left mine sitting on a table in Starbucks and went to the bathroom I think if I did have a lock he probably wouldv'e yanked and dropped it, since the witness said it was a little punk kid, walked in ran out and into a truck.