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[How to] Use Dropbox To Get Back Your Stolen Laptop [windows+mac+Linux]


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Let me alert you that this article is not for those who have already lost their laptops

This method or any other method does not work if thief does not connect to Internet or wipe out the hard disk

First sign up , download and INSTALL "DropBox" you will get 2gb free

https://www.dropbox.com/register

If you want 500 MB extra space on top of 2Gb space and ok with my referral link than sign up using following link

http://goo.gl/g4WM3

The idea is really simple. Download and run a shell script (which works on Mac, Linux & Windows) which will allow Dropbox users to receive information (like the IP address) back from a stolen laptop (or Macbook) right into their Dropbox account that could help reveal who the thief is.

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Download this shell script for Mac/Linux or this bat script for Windows. This script writes output from useful commands like ipconfig, netstat etc to your Dropbox, and also queries whatismyip.com (using the low bandwidth page they set up for automation projects like this) writing the public IP address the computer is connected as (assuming a NAT configuration then this will be the IP of the router connected to the internet).

Shell script for Mac/Linux

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/132715/drop_off_my_details.sh

bat script for Windows

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/54081/drop_off_my_details.bat

You can run the batch script as a scheduled job on Windows (instructions). On mac you can schedule it using CronTab or CronniX. Make sure you go through the instructions given inside the scripts. It is better to schedule the script to run daily, If someone steals the notebook or Macbook, (and assuming they don’t wipe the HDD right away and get online) you must get some real useful information back into your Dropbox account.

You can use MS PowerToy which lets you take the picture using a webcam at a set interval and save it to the DropBox folder

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