Time log of computer use

[Meriah]

A private investigator friend is looking into whether a
manager's computer was accessed during the weekend. They
have Windows XP Pro and (believe it or not) no password
protection at all. They're hoping there will be some kind
of log file showing whether the computer was turned on,
and the time. And the computer has been turned on and off
several times since then. Does such a beast exist?

Thanks!
Meriah...

 

[Colin Nash [MVP]]

Yes... from Start---> Run type eventvwr.msc

Look in the System log. You will see events that occur while the system is
on. (Good messages to look for are "eventlog" messages saying "the event
log service was started" or "stopped" (this happnens when the computer
started up and shut down.)
If he had security auditing turned on he might get more info from the
Security log... but it will probably be empty.