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Two weeks ago, my 13" Macbook Pro was stolen. Is there any way to locate my laptop if and when the thief accesses the internet?

Is there any application or a website similar to this that can give me an alert message if I register my Macbook pro ID number?

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Next time, install anti-theft software such as Prey – user6124 Jul 22 '11 at 13:35
I have edited the title as this applies to all macs. Your MacBook Pro has a camera so that's a bonus if the software installed allows you to snap a picture which may help you locate it easier. – bmike♦ Jul 22 '11 at 14:02

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It depends. If your machine was password protected, you might be out of luck. If not, there are a few possibilities.

If you have SSH enabled that might be an option. Also, if you had any remote access programs installed, like TeamViewer or LogMeIn, you have a chance to find it, assuming it's connected to the internet.

Regardless, I suggest contacting Apple and telling them the serial number of the machine and that it was stolen. If it's brought in for service, you might be able to get it back. (Although Apple has no official policy on this, it doesn't hurt to tell them. I contacted them when my iMac was stolen. Like I said, not much help, but it's better than nothing.)

PS: Check this out. You might find it inspiring at least.

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Great information. I did install Team Viewer and my system is not password protected. Any information from here? – linguini Jul 22 '11 at 14:00
You will need to be able log in to your machine remotely through TeamViewer. Do you remember your machine ID? Do you have access to machines that connected to your machine so you can grab that number? Did you set a predefined password? Those are some questions that need to be answered to know how "recoverable" your machine is. – Moshe Jul 22 '11 at 14:12
I do not know about these information. I'll send an email to apple to send me those information if possible. – linguini Jul 22 '11 at 14:58
Apple can't help you with your TeamViewer information. You need to have that. – Moshe Jul 22 '11 at 16:36
I have all the information about my system. Is there any possibility now? I just found my Apple Mac-book pro box, it has all the information. – linguini Jul 27 '11 at 7:42
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up vote 0 down vote

Good luck getting this taken care of. In the future (as in your next machine) there are a couple of things you can do.

I use prey from http://preyproject.com/ and it allows remote locking, reporting, and gps coordinates. Prey is great and works on my mobile phone as well.

I also use backblaze for offsite backup and they offer a "Locate My Computer" option here http://blog.backblaze.com/2011/05/23/lost-your-computer-get-it-back-backblaze-launches-locate-my-computer/

There are other pay options out there (lojack) but I have no experience with them.

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Thank you very much. I certainly use these application for my next Macbook Pro. – linguini Jul 22 '11 at 17:27
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Assuming you have Gmail or Dropbox (and you don't already have anti theft software already installed) then you might be able to track your Macbook's IP Address.

If your macbook was stolen, you can use a service like Gmail or Dropbox to find the IP address of your thief. When you log into those services from any computer, it logs the IP address used, and displays your last used IP in your account. In Gmail, it's in the bottom right-hand corner under "Details," and in Dropbox, it's in Settings > Security under the details of each individual computer. If the thief used your computer, the last logged IP address may be theirs instead of yours. Again, though, if they're smart, they didn't use your computer and this trick won't work.

Of course, knowing their IP only gets you so far. You'd still have to file a police report, send a subpoena to that IP addresse's internet provider, and find out where they're located, which could take a long time. Using this method is no guarantee unfortunately Whatever you do, don't try to track the thief down yourself and get your gear back. That could lead to all sorts of trouble.

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