Recovering stolen laptop

I sold my MacBook Pro to a friend when I bought a new one. Someone recently broke into her house and stole the laptop along with all her photography equipment, hard drives and 2 years worth of photographs, about $10,000. worth of stuff. It is no longer under AppleCare Warranty.Is there a way to recover the serial number for her? I gave her the laptop in the box my new one came in so she thought she had the serial number, but it is the serial number of my new MacBook Pro. Any ideas?

Go to this page and log in with the same AppleID you use to post in these forums:
https://daw.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/DSAuthWeb.woa/wa/login?appIdKey=D531F1C 41BE58EA5BA864EA31A79DD0343C041D333CFA2246651628F0291F620
On the next page that loads, click the My Products tab. A list of Apple products that are registered to you will appear. If the computer you sold is registered to you, it will appear in that list — and so will its serial number.
If the registration was actually transferred to your friend, she can do the same thing to learn its serial number.

Similar Messages

Strategies for recovering a Laptop after it is stolen

Hi all.
I'm not sure what softwares/ services already exist concerning the recovery of a stolen laptop. But I know the consequences of losing one. If one day it does happen I would like to know what I could do to recover it back.
I'm aware of some online services which exist to give tracking info but they charge a hefty annual amount which I feel I do not need to pay. Laptops are all about the internet. So is there any freeware that I can permanently install to pass on tracking information once this stolen laptop is hooked up to the internet? For example can the tracking information be sent directly to another computer, say my desktop computer at home? This information could then be passed on to the law enforcement.
Maybe there exists other cleverer much better methods, which I'm hoping generous people could share. This will only serve to prevent computer/ laptop theft. Does Toshiba itself have any software? For example Samsung mobile phones are now built in with text alerts for stolen phones. Can this idea be or is this incorporated into Laptops computers?
Please reply.

Hi
I think it would be nearly impossible to get back a stolen notebook.
I read a lot about some solution to track an stolen notebook (tracking of Mac address as mentioned above, installation of some 3rd party software) but all these proposals are not really an solution
As far as I know Toshiba provide an database for stolen units.
http://eu.computers.toshiba-europe.com -> Support & Download -> Stolen Units
In worst case (unit has been stolen) you can register you notebook there.
This can help to track a serial number and help an ASP to identify an notebook as stolen unit.
Greets

How to use sharing to find a stolen laptop

I saw a news story about a guy whose laptop was stolen. He accessed the laptop remotely and watched the activity on it. He finally saw the thief enter his name and address to register on a web site, then he sent the police to that address and they recovered the laptop. (That was a windows machine.) I saw another article - a few months ago - about a stolen Mac laptop that was recovered when the woman who owned it accessed it remotely and used the built-in camera to take a picture of the thief. Cool stuff - which I could not do!
I use a Mac laptop as my only computer, and I travel a lot. If it got stolen, I'd like to be able to access it remotely and try to recover it. I looked at the sharing preferences, and there are ten different options that can be turned on or off. And the descriptions of each of those options are very minimal.
After reading the news stories about people who recovered their stolen laptops, I'd really like to know how to set up sharing services on my Mac to be able to do the same thing.
Are there any articles or web sites or support notes on the topic of "How to set up and use sharing to recover a stolen Macintosh"? If there are, can you direct me to them? If not, this would a great article or support note for somebody to write.
What sharing services would you turn on? If there are configuration options for those services, how should the options be set? If the computer is stolen, what actions would take to track the computer and try to recover it?

that's correct but there are ways around that too (if one knows them). physical access to the computer trumps any safeguards you can put. of course, not every thief would know how to circumvent a firmware password. Still, it's not such a great secret. the method has been discussed many times on this forum for example. I'm not trying to discourage you from buying the software. I just wanted to explain that none of this is foolproof.

How to track stolen laptops?

I lost my Lenovo G580 Laptop last week.
It doesn't have any tracking programs installed.
But i have the serial number and MAC id of my Laptop.
Is there a way that i can be able to track my laptop...

hi Arul_Prakash_V,
Welcome to the Lenovo Community and sorry to hear about your trouble.
AFAIK, the only method to track a laptop is via the Anti Theft Technology. It's a lojack for laptops that's embedded on the motherboard's BIOS (chip) and is usually bundled with tracking software (subscription) like the Absolute's Computrace. When this chip is activated with the help of Absolute CompuTrace then they should be able to track or remotely lock the unit. Otherwise, there's no technology yet to track the laptop via the serial number without the abovementioned methods.
I recommend you report the stolen laptop to the local authorities so that you can claim the unit back once it's recovered. You can also contact lenovo and flag the laptop (via serial number) as "stolen" so anyone who calls for support on the unit will also be flagged.
Regards
Did someone help you today? Press the star on the left to thank them with a Kudo!
If you find a post helpful and it answers your question, please mark it as an "Accepted Solution"! This will help the rest of the Community with similar issues identify the verified solution and benefit from it.
Follow @LenovoForums on Twitter!

Stolen laptop shows up in Finder Sidebar?

I had my Macbook Pro stolen some months ago.
Recently (this week), a new device has appeared under the 'SHARED' section of the Finder window sidebars. The device is called "Azul azul's macbook pro", and has a Macbook Pro icon. (not a PC icon or desktop mac icon).
The 'computer name' of my stolen laptop under the Sharing preferences pane was 'Azul'.
I cannot connect to file sharing or screen sharing services on this device. I tried phoney username and passwords, and get told that isn't a valid account for this computer. This suggests the device is responding to connection attempts - as if I try to connect to (say) a non-mac device on the Network, I get a different kind of error.
I have turned off everything on our local network except for my one desktop Mac - but this rogue devcie still shows. I have turned off my desktop Mac, and left just my (new) Macbook on, and the device is still there. This suggests that the device is not some sort of ghost or VM system running on my desktop or new laptop.
So - what can it be? Seems a major coincidence that it has the same Computer name as my old laptop.
My router shows no network devices on the LAN side that I cannot account for.
Is my old laptop somehow using Back to My Mac or something to show up in my Finder sidebars? Is it possible for me to get the IP address of this device somehow?

Sounds like someone's using your stolen machine with your MobileMe account still active, which is a concern, obviously. However, it could work to your advantage. See:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/11/stolen-laptop-recovered-with-back-to-my-mac/
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/15/using-back-to-my-mac-to-catch-a-thief/
http://mac.appstorm.net/reviews/security/hidden-track-and-recover-your-stolen-ma c/

Stolen Laptop a problem - Anti-Theft Software???

So, I may or may not live in a ghetto-adjacent neighborhood ... some call it "transitional." Yesterday, a friend's house was broken into and they stole a two week old MBP and a broken iPod Mini. Bummer!
Now I am super paranoid. I have a good backup regimen, but want to take another step to foil or possibly recover my laptop.
Is there any software that can be installed to disable or report my laptop after it has been stolen or wipe the account information, stored keychains?

RE: Carl Wolf
If I was racist, I wouldn't actually live in a racially diverse neighborhood or support a black man running for president.
You may be externalizing you own latent racism buy assuming that words like "transitional" and "ghetto" have racial implications.
All the crime associated with such a neighbor is a legitimate concern of mine. For starters: my neighbor was held up at gun point, two friends were kidnapped at gunpoint and stuffed in the trunk of a car - robbed - and left tied up in an abandoned crack house, another had 16 yo kids with guns enter their home and fired 14 rounds - everyone escaped (albeit with broken legs, ankles and wrists from jumping off the back deck), all my other friends have simply been burgled. Personally, I have had a ladder stolen off my work van and fought a guy off my porch trying to steal my porch furniture - in my blue briefs.
It's all a day in the life. I wouldn't trade diversity (racial and economic) for bland, safe, suburban life any day. Either way, this is not the appropriate forum for a discussion like this so keep you comments, judgements and assumptions about my character to yourself. Either answer the question or pass.
And please, lighten up.

ITunes Content on Stolen Laptop

I recently had two laptops stolen. Is there a way (1) to "deauthorize" the stolen laptops so the music on the laptops can be "authorized" for use on other laptops and (2) obtain copies of the lost music purchased from iTunes?

You cannot yourself deauthorize a computer that's not working or to which you no longer have access. If you really feel you need to deauthorize that system now - it won't do much other than getting you back that authorization to use on another computer if you're already approaching the limit - you can try contacting the iTunes Music Store customer support department through the form at the bottom of their web page and explaining the problem to them. They might be willing to clear your authorizations for you.
As to recovering the apps and music, applications can be downloaded again. If you didn't make a backup of your apps (something you absolutely should be doing on a regular basis), go through the purchase process as normal and it should allow you to download the apps again without being charged. Music, videos and movies are not the same, though; they cannot be downloaded more than once per purchase. You need to restore them from your backup or from an iPod, if you have one. If you have neither, you can try contacting iTunes Store Customer Service and explaining what happened. Reportedly in some cases Apple has allowed redownloading on a one-time basis, but don't count on it.

PLEASE HELP ME ... I WANT TO RECOVER MY LAPTOP

HI ALL ... I HAVE TOSHIBA LAPTOP SATELLITE A300-1MO ... I WANT TO RECOVERY IT ... PLEASE HELP ME AND GIVE ME THE WAY HOW TO RECOVERY IT .. THANKS ALL

what is the problem that you are having? why do you need to recover your laptop? to recovery your system back to factory here are the options
OPTION 1
turn your laptop off. then hold down zero key and push power button. do NOT let go of zero until it beeps. then it should ask you if you want to restore to factory out of box or format hdd. choose out of box. then it will give you a warning and just click yes. if this doesnt work you will need to order a set of recovery dvds unless you already have them.
OPTION 2
if you already have the recovery media you can press F12 at the toshiba screen during start up. this will send you to bios set up. go over to the boot tab and then move cd/dvd drive to the top of the list, save and exit. insert the recovery media into the dvd drive and then restart the laptop.
both of these options will erase anything and EVERYTHING from you hdd. there will be no way of getting it back once it is gone.
-civicman4-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Post all info about your laptop and version of windows. We are working on it but still do not have the powers to read your mind.

HT1420 I had to recover my laptop and now I can't see my purchased tv programmes in iTunes anymore. How do I get them back?

I recovered my laptop recently and reinstalled iTunes. Now the TV programs I had purchased are no longer visible and it is saying I need to buy them again.
How can I get my programs back without having to pay for them again?

See this..
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2519
This may be of use too..
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141

How to get MAC Address of a stolen laptop by using Serial number?

Hi my Lenovo G560 laptop was stolen on 17/04/13. I have the serial number. In order to trace the laptop, I need the MAC address. Unfortunately I don't know the MAC address of my stolen laptop. My question is, is it possible to get the MAC address by using serial number?
Serial Number: xxxxxxxxxx
Moderator Note; s/n edited for member's own protection

hi Subrahmanya,
Sorry to hear about your trouble. Unfortunately, the only way to get the MAC address is to run a query on the unit (physically or or remotely). Using the serial number to query information on the system will list the devices that are included on the unit (this doesn't include the MAC address).
Regards,
neokenchi
Did someone help you today? Press the star on the left to thank them with a Kudo!
If you find a post helpful and it answers your question, please mark it as an "Accepted Solution"! This will help the rest of the Community with similar issues identify the verified solution and benefit from it.
Follow @LenovoForums on Twitter!

Stolen laptop recovery?

My wife is really happy with her new Air, but as others have noted, it's so easy for an unscruplous person to walk away with it, especially since there's no security slot for a cable lock. I know of three software tools intended to assist in recovery of a stolen laptop (of any sort) each of which claims to be the best ever. I wonder if anyone has direct experience - normal daily use, or an actual theft event - with any of them that they could share?
The candidates are:
1. LOJACK FOR LAPTOPS (http://lojackforlaptops.com/products/theft_recovery.asp) - the original in the field. Best sounding recovery service.
2. Orbicule (http://www.orbicule.com/) website vague on details, attractive rate for family license' offshore (Belgium) company which could be a disadvantage for US buyer.
3. GadgetTrack (http://www.gadgettrak.com/products/verey/) best price (one time fee); also has "coming soon" product for soon-to-be-my G3 iPhone which I like and stickers & service for other less exotic devices. Otherwise web site is vague on details.
Thanks!
Message was edited by: Michael King

I am always sorry to hear of misfortunes like yours.
The chances of you having the notebook back are very slim if you don't have LoJack for laptops installed and with an active subscription. I know it is not what you want to hear, but that is, unfortunately, reality.
With your next laptop, backup your data on an external disk at home in a safe place.
Best regards,
erico
****Please click on Accept As Solution if a suggestion solves your problem. It helps others facing the same problem to find a solution easily****
2015 Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience Consumer

Any way to trace a stolen laptop?

I know the answer to this is probably no, but I was wondering if there is any way that anyone knows of to trace a stolen laptop?
I'm in the UK. I have the system disks, box (and therefore serial number). I also have the MAC address.
Its quite distinctive, as it has a few defects. Does anyone know of any noticeboards or anything?
Thanks

Sorry, but it's almost impossible to trace a stolen laptop, particularly if you didn't pre-install one of the utility/service combinations such as LoJack (if even they help at all). Except in one singular incident reported a couple of months ago (it involved the Back To My Mac service and the iSight camera), it's not been possible to trace a computer, even with the MAC address, over the Internet, and I can't imagine that posting a notice on some public web site would be fruitful (and it might even open you up to other problems). About all you can do is report the theft to your local police and hope for a lucky break. And of course your homeowner's insurance if you have same.
Good luck.
Message was edited by: Dave Sawyer

Possible to track a stolen laptop ?

Is it possible to track a stolen laptop ?
My Macbook Pro has been stolen and I am wondering if there is any way Apple can track if it is being used and by whom. I am guessing that when the thief (or whoever buys the laptop) signs on to the Apple server and quotes the number on the bottom then this information is recorded. I would like to get my computer back so I can carry on using it for my photography.

Sorry to hear about that -- I haven't used that service, but have never had problems with UPS or FedEx...although I know those are a lot more expensive in Europe than here....
Sorry about your loss. Apple does not track serial numbers either, except as they relate to repairs, they don't track who owns what when - macbooks change hands frequently within groups of friends, passed on through family members, or eBayed....they do not track anything for legal purposes.

Help with stolen laptop

Does anyone know if there is a place where I can contact Apple with the registration number for a stolen laptop so that if it is serviced by Apple or another service dealer I might get it back. I thought I had heard about something similar being done some time ago and wanted to know if this was possible.
Cheers,
Jesse

Hi, Jesse. Welcome to Apple Discussions.
No, Apple does not provide such a service. Such a task would be a monumental undertaking.
You need to contact your local law enforcement agency (which, I assume, you have already done).
If you have homeowner's or renter's insurance, it may cover a stolen iBook.
I would also advise checking eBay for iBooks whose descriptions match yours. Then use eBay's "Contact a Seller" feature to ask about the serial number. It would also be a good idea to watch your local pawn shops to see if it turns up there.
Good luck.

Help! Stolen Laptop.

Does Toshiba have a form I can fill out for a stolen laptop? If so, can someone post the link? Thanks in advace.

was it taken during shipment or was it taken from you. if it was taken during shipment to you and you never received it then call 1(800)457-7777 and see what they say. if it was taken after directly from you then it is not toshibas responsibility and they cant do anything to get it back for you. i doubt they will do anything about it.
-civicman4-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Post all info about your laptop and version of windows. We are working on it but still do not have the powers to read your mind.

Recovering stolen laptop

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for