SRL Archive - NOTA

Well, we recently bought a nice laptop off this guy in a wal-mart parking lot. Now the computer was nice, Dual core 2.2ghz and 1gb of ram and a 80gb hard drive, all for $75.
After I re-installed with a different windows I let my dad have it cause he doesn't have a good computer. Now fast forward 2 weeks, today, we hear a door bell ring and a couple of knocks at 9 am. My mom opens it and it's 2 FBI detectives.

They said the laptop was stolen from a school, we didn't get in trouble cause they knew we was telling the truth cause the school is like a whole bunch of miles away. The tracked it with a "computer LoJack", which allows them to see everything you do and all your files on the computer. Yes, I had peer guardian running 24/7 too. Basically, the moral of the story is don't buy hot computers.

Yikes.

The moral of the story is, install a new OS BEFORE going online.

Did you get your money back?

From: bullzeye95
The moral of the story is, install a new OS BEFORE going online.

Did you get your money back?

We did install a new OS, it was a hardware LoJack.

No, we lost our money but he said that's not even bad.
He said he took other computers that people invested 800 bucks in, now they were mad.
Thats what he said^^

From: Buckleyindahouse
We did install a new OS, it was a hardware LoJack.

No, we lost our money but he said that's not even bad.
He said he took other computers that people invested 800 bucks in, now they were mad.
Thats what he said^^

New moral: "Remove the hardware before installing the new OS."

From: bullzeye95
New moral: "Remove the hardware before installing the new OS."

I lol'ed ^

Meh, I hope they can't track it if I buy an iPhone from ebay..

OMG, that's really scary.

EDIT: I mean if it was the cops, it wouldn't be that bad, BUT THE FBI!

What kind of school was it stolen from? 'Cause unless it was, like, a university, I don't see the FBI getting involved.

From: senrath
What kind of school was it stolen from? 'Cause unless it was, like, a university, I don't see the FBI getting involved.

I'm not sure, but it must be a big school like a UNI cause it was a nice computer.

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2483

It was that but a few models higher.
It had blue tooth, Fingerprint scanner, lots of stuff.

Oh yeah. I don't see anything lower than a University having that kind of computer (unless it was a VERY nice private High School).

Yeah you shouldn't of connected it to the internet it was obviously stolen if he was selling it for THAT cheap. So when you booted what happened did it boot normally? or did that lock thingy come up and do something? What did the 2 police say to you?

From: senrath
Oh yeah. I don't see anything lower than a University having that kind of computer (unless it was a VERY nice private High School).

:p My high school is public and we have those. It started out as a private school based on technology, and one of the top 100 schools in the country (including colleges). But schools get money based on how many kids they have, not how good the school does (unless it's a crappy school that state/federal governments don't think are in need of money), so now it's public and it sucks because it used to have about 10 kids a class (40 kids in the whole school, it's just one hallway that's 5 feet across, and 50 feet down (or less probably, I haven't been there for a bit), and now there's a couple hundred. That's not a lot for a high school (my home high school will have about 2500 next year), but for a small area and only 5 teachers, that's a lot.

I honestly don't know why I wrote all that. I'm just bored as hell from being inside for a few weeks and just laying in bed. :/

Sucks to hear that though, is your dad gonna get another computer? :)

From: ian.
:p My high school is public and we have those. It started out as a private school based on technology, and one of the top 100 schools in the country (including colleges).

And that would be why.

From: cycrosism
Yeah you shouldn't of connected it to the internet it was obviously stolen if he was selling it for THAT cheap. So when you booted what happened did it boot normally? or did that lock thingy come up and do something? What did the 2 police say to you?

Well, we didn't know it there was a such thing as a LoJack for laptops and we didn't think about it being stolen at the time. the FBI didn't say nothing, they just said we're here for the computer, so we just gave to them after they checked the serial code. We really didn't wanna escalate it to anything else besides them coming and leaving.

From: ian.
:p My high school is public and we have those. It started out as a private school based on technology, and one of the top 100 schools in the country (including colleges). But schools get money based on how many kids they have, not how good the school does (unless it's a crappy school that state/federal governments don't think are in need of money), so now it's public and it sucks because it used to have about 10 kids a class (40 kids in the whole school, it's just one hallway that's 5 feet across, and 50 feet down (or less probably, I haven't been there for a bit), and now there's a couple hundred. That's not a lot for a high school (my home high school will have about 2500 next year), but for a small area and only 5 teachers, that's a lot.

I honestly don't know why I wrote all that. I'm just bored as hell from being inside for a few weeks and just laying in bed. :/

Sucks to hear that though, is your dad gonna get another computer? :)

I don't know why you wrote all that either, No he has my old PC which is good enough for him. He's not too much of a PC guy.

From: senrath
And that would be why.

It was probably crappy and in need of money and couldn't support their "technological" needs.

Into an computer can be included chip which one allows to trace computer position. so here can be that way, because just detect mac address in several internet suppliers can took same days (not all ppl have on all computers in the home) .. also FBI.. >.< maybe they just look like them. maybe there was just cops similar FBI… :)

From: Laimonas171
Into an computer can be included chip which one allows to trace computer position. so here can be that way, because just detect mac address in several internet suppliers can took same days (not all ppl have on all computers in the home) .. also FBI.. >.< maybe they just look like them. maybe there was just cops similar FBI… :)

They flashed their badges.

A super new moral "Don't buy / use computers" :)

~Home

You bought a computer that good, in a walmart parking lot, for $75 and you didn't think it was stolen?

From: Home
A super new moral "Don't buy / use computers" :)

~Home[/QUOTE

but computers are most of our lives here !!!

Anyways, I think the best thing that happened here is FBIs actually took the time to come to your house. I wish they could come to my house, just so I can get an experience of it. for 75$ to get them to visit my house? I would pay that xD.

p.s. you could've broken down the computer and smash it into peices to make some sorta techy art work :). then noone can track you!

seriously … that sucks… if anything… that does… wow… sorry about that man.. you usually are more safe with places like ebay… the people that sell the stuff usually wipe it first..

@mrpickle… finish your quote…you left a bracket off…

From: mrpickle

p.s. you could've broken down the computer and smash it into peices to make some sorta techy art work :). then noone can track you!

You could also do that for much cheaper with old computers. I actually did something like that, once, when I accidentally fried an old mobo and killed the computer. That was probably the most satisfying $5 I have ever spent.

From: Home
A super new moral "Don't buy / use computers" :)

~Home

anyway.. FBI is better then MAFIA :D :D :D

From: anonymity
seriously … that sucks… if anything… that does… wow… sorry about that man.. you usually are more safe with places like ebay… the people that sell the stuff usually wipe it first..

@mrpickle… finish your quote…you left a bracket off…

I wiped it myself, It was a hardware tracker.

sucks for you dude. you put on a pirated os? at least you didn't get busted for that or something :p

i hope this has taught you a lesson
dont buy computers from a parking lot XD

~shut

Shit luck buckley :(

Also, you people who talked about how it obviously was stolen, if someone offers a laptop like that for $75, it works etc, I don't think FBI tracking the laptop down is gonna cross your mind even if you knew its stolen…

EDIT: loled at ur sig btw :p

From: Brain
sucks for you dude. you put on a pirated os? at least you didn't get busted for that or something :p

They don't know if I put that OS on there or not. So :).

From: n3ss3s
Shit luck buckley :(

Also, you people who talked about how it obviously was stolen, if someone offers a laptop like that for $75, it works etc, I don't think FBI tracking the laptop down is gonna cross your mind even if you knew its stolen…

EDIT: loled at ur sig btw :p

exactly, he said laptop for 75 bucks, i looked at it. Saw a gig of ram and dual core and said wtf and bought it. I usually don't think about the FBI knocking at your 9 am 3 weeks or so later when I purchase things.

That sucks.
$25 a week for a laptop is much more than i would pay:D

the party v& is here…

Hmm. I have never ever heard of Laptops having a Lojack system in them. They must have been custom or something. If I would of bought something "hot" I would have been sure to look through the bios and such and maybe even spoof the mac address. You should have taken it apart and seen if it was an add-on card or something.

EDIT: I just googled some stuff on it. Personally I think you are bs'ing you formatted it. From what I can tell it is just a software side thing.

I've heard of the lojack systems. They mainly use them in universities and high schools, maybe even libraries(?) where laptop theft is at a very high risk.

From: Mr.Klean
Hmm. I have never ever heard of Laptops having a Lojack system in them. They must have been custom or something. If I would of bought something "hot" I would have been sure to look through the bios and such and maybe even spoof the mac address. You should have taken it apart and seen if it was an add-on card or something.

EDIT: I just googled some stuff on it. Personally I think you are bs'ing you formatted it. From what I can tell it is just a software side thing.

Why would I bs about formatting it?
It's as simple as putting in a windows cd and formatting the hard.
Also, I did look at the bios and did take the computer apart to reset the bios password.
Next time think before you post some stupid assuming post.
And why would I go through the trouble of spoofing when I didn't know it would turn out like this.
Why don't you think from my point of view instead of yours since you know the whole story.

From: Brain
I've heard of the lojack systems. They mainly use them in universities and high schools, maybe even libraries(?) where laptop theft is at a very high risk.

Yea, it might be that.

From: Buckleyindahouse
Why would I bs about formatting it?
It's as simple as putting in a windows cd and formatting the hard.
Also, I did look at the bios and did take the computer apart to reset the bios password.
Next time think before you post some stupid assuming post.
And why would I go through the trouble of spoofing when I didn't know it would turn out like this.
Why don't you think from my point of view instead of yours since you know the whole story.



Yea, it might be that.

I was just saying that from everything I have read that it is a software side program, not hardware. So w/e

From: Mr.Klean
I was just saying that from everything I have read that it is a software side program, not hardware. So w/e

How can it be software when I wiped the hard drive and threw a custom windows vista on there?

From: Information PDF for the LoJack system for Laptops
I understand that the Persistence Module improves persistence. What is persistence and why is it of value to me?
Persistence relates to the ability of our Agent to survive operating system re-installations, hard-drive reformats, hard drive replacements and hard drive re-imaging. This persistence is critical in order to survive unauthorized removal attempts in case of theft. The extra level of persistence provided by the Computrace BIOS Persistence Module enables the Absolute Theft Recovery Team to track and recover computers that have been stolen even if the hard drive has been tampered with or removed. It provides customers with the highest level of software-based computer theft recovery available on the market.
The persistence capability is strongest in laptops with the persistence module embedded in the BIOS firmware of the computer.

Are there different types of persistence?
There are two levels of persistence for the Computrace Agent. The highest level occurs when the persistence module is embedded into the BIOS firmware of the computer. In this scenario, there is no additional hardware or software configuration needed for the Agent to be persistent. Computers that do not have the Computrace BIOS Persistence Module will have the software version of the persistence module installed in the partition gap on the hard drive.

How does the Persistence Module become embedded into the BIOS firmware of a computer?
Through our partnership with leading computer manufacturers, our Persistence Module is embedded in most computers during assembly at the factory.
On which computers is the Persistence Module embedded?
Here is a current list of all computers that are manufactured with our Computrace Agent embedded in the BIOS firmware.



What if someone steals my laptop and reformats the hard drive or reloads the operating system? How does LoJack for Laptops work in this scenario? If our Computrace Agent was embedded in the BIOS (or firmware) of your computer, and you purchased our software to activate it – then LoJack for Laptops will reinstall itself even if a system restore, hard drive reformat, or a hard drive replacement occurs.
Computers that do not have the Agent embedded in the BIOS have a less effective method of persistence. In this instance – and in order to make it more difficult for a typical thief to defeat the software – you should change the boot order in the BIOS to hard drive first and set a password to prevent access to the BIOS. This will make it difficult for thieves to reformat the hard drive, which in most scenarios can remove the software.
Due to our partnership with most computer manufacturers – the majority of computers have the Computrace Agent embedded into the BIOS. A list of BIOS-enabled computers is available on our website.

Seems like it is a pretty tough system to work around…

From: Brain
Seems like it is a pretty tough system to work around…

:O That epic.

Hmm. If you still had the computer, you could Take it apart, and sell the parts :p

From: Brain
Seems like it is a pretty tough system to work around…

Since it is apparently only in the motherboard's firmware, would it be possible to flash it with the manufacturer's firmware? I have never tried this on a laptop; do most laptop manufacturers even provide this firmware?

From: Brain
Seems like it is a pretty tough system to work around…

Wow, now we know, thanks.

From: bullzeye95
Since it is apparently only in the motherboard's firmware, would it be possible to flash it with the manufacturer's firmware? I have never tried this on a laptop; do most laptop manufacturers even provide this firmware?

Well seeing how it's embedded in the bios, im sure it won't allow just any old bios to be flashed to it.

******** I do not support removing anti theft systems that you did not put there in the first place********

If you had bought a laptop from a legal retailer, and then bought and installed an anti-theft system like that on your own laptop, and then wanted to remove that system from your own laptop, you would not flash the BIOS. You would edit out a certain part of the BIOS, and also edit a hidden part of the hard drive. Basically the part in the BIOS reinstalls the part on the hard drive, if the drive was replaced or formatted with something like Dariks Boot And Nuke. Then the part on the hard drive reinstalls the software in windows, if windows was reinstalled.

Or install linux.

******** I do not support removing anti theft systems that you did not put there in the first place********

From: Boreas
******** I do not support removing anti theft systems that you did not put there in the first place********

If you had bought a laptop from a legal retailer, and then bought and installed an anti-theft system like that on your own laptop, and then wanted to remove that system from your own laptop, you would not flash the BIOS. You would edit out a certain part of the BIOS, and also edit a hidden part of the hard drive. Basically the part in the BIOS reinstalls the part on the hard drive, if the drive was replaced or formatted with something like Dariks Boot And Nuke. Then the part on the hard drive reinstalls the software in windows, if windows was reinstalled.

Or install linux.

******** I do not support removing anti theft systems that you did not put there in the first place********

Cool, I'm glad you support removing anti theft systems that you did not put there in the first place.
:).

hey guys, I heard that Boreas is an avid supporter of removing anti theft systems that you did not put there in the first place! If you need any help removing anti theft systems that you did not put there in the first place, he knows all about it, and loves to do it.

From: Brain
hey guys, I heard that Boreas is an avid supporter of removing anti theft systems that you did not put there in the first place! If you need any help removing anti theft systems that you did not put there in the first place, he knows all about it, and loves to do it.

s/Boreas is an avid supporter of removing anti theft systems that you did not put there in the first place!/Boreas is an avid supporter of removing anti theft systems that you put there in the first place!/

fixx'd