(Potential) Laptop Recovery

by Twisted Uterus  (twisteduterus@gmail.com)

My goal was laptop security/recovery by combining a few simple (and free) programs for a low-tech recovery.

If one of my laptops was ever lost or stolen, I'd hate to lose the laptop as well as give the thief the additional bonus of a copy of my personal music collection, etc.

I figured if the thief was anyone who knows anything about PCs (2600 readers), they would just reformat the laptop and I would never see it again.  But if the thief weren't too savvy, I might be able to recover it.  What I wanted was a way to connect to it, wherever in the world it ended up.

This way, I could see the actual desktop to see what files the thief was looking through.  Then I could delete any personal info, render Windows useless, or maybe even force a pop-up window saying "I see you.  I know who you are.  Return the laptop and I won't contact the police!"  Imagine his face then!  Then I thought, since there is a cam on the laptop, could I actually see his face?

I always hated using passwords, but it's the first step in security.

My logon name is now tel_###-###-#### (my cell number), just in case an honest person finds it and turns it on...

I was already using a combination of pcAnywher and IP Mailer to take remote care of the PCs of five people who know nothing about computers.

(It's just easier to talk on the phone with them as you move and click their mouse around on their own screen and teach them how to compose e-mail.)

IP Mailer would send me an email with the new WAN IP address anytime the laptop connected to a different IP address.  Of course, all five people have dynamic addresses and IP Mailer just made it easier for me to reconfigure pcAnywher so I could connect to the host at a new address.  My only problem was SSL.

If I used a Cablevision account, and then plugged the laptop into a Comcast modem, it wouldn't let the mail go out.  I know there are similar programs out there that will handle SSL, but since my other dilemma was; what if someone connects my stolen laptop behind a router/firewall?  It wouldn't forward any ports to the stolen laptop of course, so I couldn't connect even if I had the correct IP address.  This setup just wasn't going to work for my recovery attempt.

I eliminated the problem by eliminating the need to know the laptop's current IP address.  I now use Hamachi (freebie VPN) and let it run as a service so that it will start with Windows.  I have uninstalled IP Mailer, as it is no longer needed.  Now I can connect through Hamachi no matter where the laptop is, or how many firewalls it is behind!   pcAnywher can connect to my stolen laptop through Hamachi and it works like a charm.

Now, behind the password screen, the laptop boots up Windows XP as well as Hamachi and pcAnywher (as host), so I could have full control of the laptop.  I also used a registry hack to hide the pcAnywher system tray icon.

I assume, these days, that everyone must have wired or wireless access point at their home, and would connect my stolen laptop to the Internet.  What fun is a laptop if you can't surf?

Then I also thought...  Why not get the built-in webcam into play as well?

That's where Yawcam (another freebie) comes in.  Yawcam boots up with Windows (I have it running as a service, where it also runs "stealth") and begins streaming live video to the Internet.  And, I can monitor it from any browser.

Imagine accidentally leaving your laptop poolside at a hotel, only to come back later and find it missing!  If you travel with two laptops, and I always do, connecting to the missing laptop and seeing who actually took it is an awesome possibility!  You could be staring him in the face as he tries to guess your password.

You could even capture a screenshot of his face and bring it to the front desk to I.D. him and catch him before he checks out.  You could see him and he wouldn't even know he's being watched! How funny is that?

At this point, I'd think the odds of getting your laptop back are very good.  If you didn't have a second PC with you, I guess you'd have to wait until you got back to your home PC to begin your "investigation."  I doubt the hotel would allow you to install Hamachi, etc. on their machines.  Anyway, it works perfectly for my family's needs.

You have to pay for (wink wink) pcAnywher, but there are a few free remote access programs out there.

I've tested this every which way I could, and haven't had any real problems.  The only issue I have come across so far is that on my Dell Inspiron, the blue webcam light comes on and stays on.  I don't want to permanently disable it (a.k.a. break it), or stick tape over it (too ghetto), so I am still looking for a registry hack to turn it off.

Otherwise, it all runs just fine on my HP 2133 Mini-Note and my Inspiron.