Laptop Stolen - report XP key?

[Bob I]

Ah ha, so the keycode is generated via an algorithm from the number on
the COA; right?
A reformat/reinstall would change that thus making the machine appear
completely different to MS?

I'm just trying to understand how the whole COA works for curiosity's sake.

No, you never stated WHAT keycode was on the installation. It could have
been the factory installation, (not the same as on the bottom), a
reinstall by your company with the OEM key off the bottom, a VLK from
your company, or you have a very small company and buy Retail copies.
The ONLY time MS would bother with killing a keycode is in the VLK
because they are permitted uncounted installations. Anything else will
get caught going over the activating system if installed on multiple
machines. In other word they won't waste man hours fooling with
individual license keys, they let WGA take care of that.

 

[Justin]

Hi!


Oh yes there is. It's not for stolen systems, but this can be done when
product keys are misused or leaked. Microsoft can a stop to XP product
activation with those keys.
Interesting.


Yes, at least in some sense of the term. Your product key is reported during
product activation--if you have to go through it. (On hardware that was
bundled with Microsoft software, such as Windows XP, you might not have to
do that.) Microsoft is the only entity that can definitively answer that
question and they don't tell us everything.

Sounds logical.

I doubt very much that Microsoft can or would help you get the laptop back.
Personal experience--even if you do, you may find that it's not even a
"laptop" anymore but rather a collection of parts. These days I keep my
laptop backed up once per month, and I also carry some form of insurance on
it.

William

No, I wouldn't expect them to as they aren't law enforcement. I doubt
that want the general public to know they can track a PC.
I'm guessing the reason MS will never start tracking stolen laptops is
so they don't start being asked by the courts to track somebody.
Think about it; Some idiot like Scalia demands MS start tracking
somebody's PC; that will open a floodgate. Then the executive branch
gets in on it and soon they'll be tracking every PC running Windows.
That might be good for Ubuntu and Apple though.

 

[Justin]

When a keycode is applied and activated, MS records it.
What MS doesn't record is the name and address of the owner.

Maybe they could block the keycode to prevent it getting updates, but
whoever has the laptop could easily re-install using a different keycode
and, as I have already stated, replace the old sticker with a new one.

I doubt some meth head in a warehouse in downtown Philadelphia will have
extra copie of Windows sitting around.

When Apple sells a Macbook, the serial number of the machine is recorded
against the owners name and address. If the Macbook is reported as
stolen. It can be traced, but has to have been taken to a official Mac
repairer who runs the serial number through a security check..

Doesn't everyone do the same thing? The SN is on the invoice - with the
name and address.

 

[Mike Hall - MVP]

I doubt some meth head in a warehouse in downtown Philadelphia will have
extra copie of Windows sitting around.



Doesn't everyone do the same thing? The SN is on the invoice - with the
name and address.

Yes, the s/n may well be on the invoice.. Office Depot's invoice or whoever
sold the laptop from new. If anything happened to the laptop, it could be
taken to any back street repairer. Macs require specialized service.

Bear in mind that unless a Mac is taken for repair, there is no way of
tracing its whereabouts, just as there isn't for Windows machines.

 

[Mike Hall - MVP]

Sounds logical.


No, I wouldn't expect them to as they aren't law enforcement. I doubt
that want the general public to know they can track a PC.
I'm guessing the reason MS will never start tracking stolen laptops is so
they don't start being asked by the courts to track somebody.
Think about it; Some idiot like Scalia demands MS start tracking
somebody's PC; that will open a floodgate. Then the executive branch gets
in on it and soon they'll be tracking every PC running Windows.
That might be good for Ubuntu and Apple though.

It is the responsibility of the OWNER to ensure that adequate security is in
place..

 

[Justin]

It is the responsibility of the OWNER to ensure that adequate security
is in place..

Thanks.

 

[Justin]

Yes, the s/n may well be on the invoice.. Office Depot's invoice or
whoever sold the laptop from new. If anything happened to the laptop, it
could be taken to any back street repairer. Macs require specialized
service.

Bear in mind that unless a Mac is taken for repair, there is no way of
tracing its whereabouts, just as there isn't for Windows machines.

I understand.
But that's not entirely true about the Macs though.

 

[Mike Hall - MVP]

I understand.
But that's not entirely true about the Macs though.

It is true as I was told it.

 

[Danny Krychek]

It is true as I was told it.

Yeah, blame it on someone else. You posted it, so it's yours.

 

[HeyBub]

I tried Google but I got a few conflicting answers from people who
don't have a clue. SO I figure I should ask this question on Usenet
where everybody knows everything.

Some sales reps went out to a tradeshow, had a laptop in a CASE,
closed and it was stolen overnight.
It was running XP. Is there a way to flag that install preventing
further updates or making it look like it was pirated?
I'm guessing the answer is no.

Too late for now, but you can get software that every time the computer
connects to the internet, the software calls home and says "Here I am" with
the IP address, etc. Makes it easier to track down the thief.

 

[Mike Hall - MVP]

Yeah, blame it on someone else. You posted it, so it's yours.

I posted what I have been told is right, and until somebody proves me wrong,
I stand by it.. OK?