Recommended Posts

Morning,

I work at a Highschool, and some of the little children have stolen one of our DVD Drives from the computer. I am curious as to if their is a log or something on the computer that will list the date and time that the computer no longer had a DVD Rom working.

It is XP Pro. If I can determine the day I can determine who was in the room at that time.

Thanks for your help.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/831192-stolen-dvd-drive/
Share on other sites

look in event viewer to see if there was any errors recorded.

in case you don't know how to get to event viewer. Go to Start -> Run then type in eventvwr and click ok.

Check the application and system logs for any obvious errors regarding the dvd drive.

Well open up the case and dust for fingerprints -- there can't be too many people that has touched the inside (lots that touched the outside though. Plus if it is a school it should be on camera.

wtf kinda schools did you go to that have everything on camera? I've never once seen CCTV in any of my schools, all the way up through college.

lol, at my old highschool, students would remove the optical drive to get to the modules of 256mb RAM. It's always surprising what kids will do when they're bored...

lol the famous 90's era computers that had half inch of clearance between ram and optics drive.. i remember working on those and i could service the ram with the optical drive still in there

edit: HOLY S*** 256MB of ram is a helluva lot.. omg kids are so leet with 256 ram llol /sarcasam

wtf kinda schools did you go to that have everything on camera? I've never once seen CCTV in any of my schools, all the way up through college.

You obviously don't watch much news. Perhaps this is an inner-city school.

Most schools I have done work in have CCTV outside the building, in the cafeterias and usually pointing at the doors accessing the computer labs. I haven't seen one inside the classroom though.

There's going to be no record of when or who removed the drive. The best thing you could do is set an example. Remove all the drives and explain to each class as to why the privilege was removed. Perhaps an witness to the theft will come forward.

wtf kinda schools did you go to that have everything on camera? I've never once seen CCTV in any of my schools, all the way up through college.

Colleges aside. All schools in my area have CCTV. meh :/ I blame Gary.

yea...the event viewer is your best bet. If they shut the computer down to take it out you will see that in the log...and when the computer booted up. Also mentioned above...you may see some error messages if they left the computer on while snatching the drive. I'm not going to test that on my system to see if errors pop into the error log though. :)

Yea...it is only a $15 dollar drive...but if the OP can find out who did it...then it can be a great lesson to the individual(s) about stealing.

wtf kinda schools did you go to that have everything on camera? I've never once seen CCTV in any of my schools, all the way up through college.

Really? Both my high school, and both universities I have gone to had cameras outdoors, and the unis had some in certain areas. But as for in classrooms, that I've never come across, so it wouldn't really be much use.

That's kinda creepy....I'm glad they didn't do that when I was in high school....

Well, when you have reports about gangs in elementary schools, and 9 year olds bringing guns to school, Its good that we have them around here.

All of the gangs are moving over to the Porter County because they don't like what they did to Gary. Schools are getting really bad in my area.

yea...the event viewer is your best bet. If they shut the computer down to take it out you will see that in the log...and when the computer booted up. Also mentioned above...you may see some error messages if they left the computer on while snatching the drive. I'm not going to test that on my system to see if errors pop into the error log though. :)

Yea...it is only a $15 dollar drive...but if the OP can find out who did it...then it can be a great lesson to the individual(s) about stealing.

+1 Exactly

For $15 it is not worth it.

Say you find out who it was, what can you do to them ?

You cannot expel them.

And these days you are not allowed to beat them.

And even worse they can beat you, and the worst that will happen to them is they may be spoken to harshly.

And if they don't beat you, it will be parts of your car getting damaged.

perhaps some cameras around sensitive areas like pc's should be put in, kids who do that have no life and don't deserve to use a pc except staying in there room and pouting, when i went to school this never happend as far as i knew but when i first used a pc or was it a mac i don't recall exactly i had to learn about the trash can and i was like huh what do i do with it and how do i use it.

When you purchase new computers, you should buy some of the ones which are now designed for schools.

In my last year of school we moved to a new build site, and the computers......you could punch the screen if you got ****ed off :laugh: , also they had no pannels/opticals drives(by choice), locked onto desks etc.

In the older school, most of the optical drives were broken anyway.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Internet Download Manager (IDM) 6.43 Build 1 by Razvan Serea Internet Download Manager (IDM) is a tool to increase download speeds by up to 8 times due to its smart dynamic file segmentation technology. Unlike other download managers and accelerators, Internet Download Manager segments downloaded files dynamically during download process, and it reuses available connections without additional connect and login stages to achieve the best possible acceleration performance. Comprehensive error recovery and resume capability will restart broken or interrupted downloads due to lost connections, network problems, computer shutdowns, or unexpected power outages. All popular browsers are supported IDM integrates seamlessly into Google Chrome, FireFox, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Safari, Internet Explorer, Maxthon and all other popular browsers to automatically handle your downloads. You can also drag and drop files, or use Internet Download Manager from command line. The program supports proxy servers, ftp and http protocols, firewalls, redirects, cookies, authorization, MP3 audio and video content processing. IDM includes web site spider and grabber IDM downloads all required files that are specified with filters from web sites, for example all pictures from a web site, or subsets of web sites, or complete web sites for offline browsing. It's possible to schedule multiple grabber projects to run them once at a specified time, stop them at a specified time, or run periodically to synchronize changes. Easy downloading with one click When you click on a download link in a browser, IDM will take over the download and accelerate it. You don't need to do anything special, just browse the Internet as you usually do. IDM will catch your downloads and accelerate them. IDM supports HTTP, FTP, HTTPS and MMS protocols. Changes in Internet Download Manager 6.43 Build 1: Added the ability to download MP4 files from web sites where previously only TS videos were available. IDM displays both TS and MP4 file formats in its video download button. If you only need MP4 files, disable TS in IDM Options -> General tab -> Customize IDM Download panels in browsers -> Edit button. Remove TS extension on "Customize IDM Download panel in browsres" dialog Fixed video downloading problems on several popular web sites Fixed bugs Download: Internet Download Manager 6.43 Build 1 | 11.9 MB (Shareware) Links: Internet Download Manager Website | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • This is of course "clickbait" WTF? It is literally your example but tech based. A "clickbait" title is a sensationalized headline designed to manipulate readers into clicking a link using things like "fear" rather than delivering objective facts. A "clickbait" headline also usually provides little value compared to the hype generated. How does this headline not qualify? It's a generic often reused headline that is overly sensationalized. Oh no! "millions" can't use this app anymore. It has no basic facts like what f*cking app. You read the article and it's the Samsung VPN which no one cares about and there is a million free VPNs. How are you defending this ######? Headlines like this (and among other things) make me read Neowin much less than I used to in the past. It's trash...
    • UniGetUI 2026.2.1 by Razvan Serea UniGetUI is an application whose main goal is to create an intuitive GUI for the most common CLI package managers for Windows 10 and Windows 11, such as Winget, Scoop and Chocolatey. With UniGetUI, you'll be able to download, install, update and uninstall any software that's published on the supported package managers — and so much more. UniGetUI features Install, update and remove software from your system easily at one click: UniGetUI combines the packages from the most used package managers for windows: WinGet, Chocolatey, Scoop, Pip, Npm and .NET Tool. Discover new packages and filter them to easily find the package you want. View detailed metadata about any package before installing it. Get the direct download URL or the name of the publisher, as well as the size of the download. Easily bulk-install, update or uninstall multiple packages at once selecting multiple packages before performing an operation Automatically update packages, or be notified when updates become available. Skip versions or completely ignore updates in a per-package basis. Manage your available updates at the touch of a button from the Widgets pane or from Dev Home pane with UniGetUI Widgets. The system tray icon will also show the available updates and installed package, to efficiently update a program or remove a package from your system. Easily customize how and where packages are installed. Select different installation options and switches for each package. Install an older version or force to install a 32bit architecture. [But don't worry, those options will be saved for future updates for this package] Share packages with your friends to show them off that program you found. Here is an example: Hey @friend, Check out this program! Export custom lists of packages to then import them to another machine and install those packages with previously-specified, custom installation parameters. Setting up machines or configuring a specific software setup has never been easier. Backup your packages to a local file to easily recover your setup in a matter of seconds when migrating to a new machine Devolutions UniGetUI 2026.2.1 changelog: This release brings several quality-of-life improvements, new troubleshooting features, privacy enhancements, and a collection of fixes and stability improvements across UniGetUI. New Features Added an operation counter to provide better visibility into ongoing package operations. Added a setting to automatically redact usernames from exported logs, making it easier to share diagnostic information while protecting personal data. UniGetUI now opens the release notes page after updating by default, helping users discover new features, improvements, and fixes. This behavior can be disabled from Settings. Expanded diagnostics and troubleshooting capabilities to simplify issue reporting and support. Improvements Improved update reliability and handling of update-related edge cases. Enhanced installer behavior when updating running UniGetUI instances. Improved package manager integrations and package metadata processing. Refined various user interface elements for a more consistent experience. Updated package screenshots, icons, and bundled resources. Improved logging and error reporting throughout the application. Bug Fixes Fixed multiple issues affecting application updates and self-update workflows. Resolved several package installation and upgrade edge cases. Fixed UI inconsistencies and unexpected behaviors across different pages. Improved handling of package manager responses and failure scenarios. Addressed issues affecting package discovery and metadata retrieval. Fixed a number of stability issues reported by the community. Performance & Stability Improved overall application stability during package operations. Reduced the likelihood of update interruptions and inconsistent update states. Various reliability and performance optimizations across the codebase. Download: UniGetUI 64-bit | Portable | ~200.0 MB (Open Source) Download: UniGetUI ARM64 | Portable Links: UniGetUI Home Page | GitHub | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • PDF4QT 1.6.0.0 by Razvan Serea PDF4QT is a free and open-source application created to provide a complete solution for working with PDF documents in a simple, flexible, and effective way. It offers all the essential tools you need to handle your files: you can view PDFs with smooth navigation, edit content, annotate pages, and highlight key sections for better collaboration. It also allows you to compare two versions of a document, making it easy to spot changes. Built-in security features give you control over protecting sensitive information and managing access. Applications PDF4QT Viewer Profi: Advanced PDF browsing with encryption, digital signature verification, annotation editing, regex text search, page-to-image conversion, and plugin support. PDF4QT Viewer Lite: Lightweight viewer with essential, user-friendly PDF viewing functions. PDF4QT DocPage Organizer: Merge, split, move, clone, or add pages easily with an intuitive interface. PDF4QT DocDiff: Compare two PDFs, highlight differences page-to-page, and export results to XML. Key Features Multithreading Support for faster PDF processing Hardware Accelerated Rendering for smooth, high-quality display Encryption to secure documents Color Management to preserve accurate color profiles Optional Content Handling to control visibility of content Text Layout Analysis for better text extraction and editing Signature Validation for verifying digital signatures Annotations and Form Filling for interactivity Text-to-Speech Conversion to listen to PDFs Advanced Annotation Tools (images, text, etc.) File Attachments Management to view and save attachments Optimization to reduce file size without losing quality Command Line Tool for automation Audio Book Conversion from PDFs Internal Structure Inspector to explore PDF structure Compare Documents to detect differences Redaction to remove sensitive information Document Signing for digital authentication PDF4QT 1.6.0.0 release notes: PDF4QT 1.6.0.0 brings a major image compression and optimization update, especially for PageMaster and assembled output documents. Image compression is now integrated into the assembly/export workflow, backed by new optimizer infrastructure, UI controls, feedback fixes, and tests. This should make PageMaster much more useful for producing smaller output PDFs directly from assembled or reorganized documents. The release also contains a large PageMaster refresh with improved drag and drop, recent files, crop pages, save/restore functionality, rotation and size indicators, a reworked icon set, and faster output preview rendering. Viewer and Editor workflows were improved with wildcard Advanced Find, Enter-to-search behavior, better outline keyboard selection, startup settings, fullscreen support, side-to-side scrolling, smoother scrolling, text selection, snapping, and expanded annotation controls. Compatibility and platform behavior were improved as well, including fixes for embedded files, fonts, checkboxes, invisible text, menu colors, highlights, XMP metadata, Windows color management, AppImage packaging, MSIX generation, installer behavior, translations, and newer compiler/Qt warnings. The commit history also includes a new scan-and-edit plugin foundation and color management performance work. Changelog: Highlights Image compression for PageMaster / DocPage Organizer and assembled output documents (#92) Major PageMaster UX refresh, including drag and drop, recent files, crop pages, save/restore, icons, and output preview performance (#383, #18) Improved image optimization feedback, including final resolution and DPI updates (#384) Better Viewer and Editor navigation: fullscreen, side-to-side scrolling, smoother scrolling, text selection, snapping, and outline keyboard selection (#242, #368, #136, #321, #250, #373) Advanced Find wildcard mode and Enter-to-search behavior (#379, #378) PDF compatibility fixes for embedded files, fonts, checkboxes, invisible text, form content suppression, and Windows color management (#225, #356, #256, #230, #326, #224, #385, #388) Startup settings, custom settings directory support, Linux double-click viewer separation, and packaging/build fixes (#382, #380, #381) Scan-and-edit plugin foundation and broader translation updates from the 1.6.0.0 development cycle Resolved Issues Issue #389: Adding hyperlink to internal object in PDF Issue #388: Update Windows color management system Issue #385: PDFTextLayoutGenerator::isContentKindSuppressed(ContentKind kind) is missing ContentKind::Form Issue #384: In the "Optimize Images" dialog, the info on the final image resolution and final DPI does not update Issue #383: UX improvements for PDF4QT PageMaster tool (v1.5.3.1) (ex. DocPage Organizer) Issue #382: Startup Settings Issue #381: Separated apps for double-click viewer in Linux Issue #380: Ability to run app with custom settings directory - executable parameter with path Issue #379: Advanced Find - Wildcard Mode Issue #378: Advanced Find - Should start searching if Enter key is pressed Issue #376: Deleting a note jumps to Outline Issue #375: Not enough maximum compiled page cache Issue #373: Ctrl/Shift keyboard selection for Outline Issue #372: Option to not color images Issue #370: Extracting pages within a range Issue #369: Keeping redact box on Issue #368: Side-to-side scrolling Issue #357: Bulk delete/add/edit of page labels Issue #356: Compatibility issues - font problems Issue #354: Color blend mode for highlights Issue #352: Icon size of the sidebar Issue #349: Add inherit zoom to bookmark zoom options Issue #338: Editor toolbox higher than editor window Issue #334: Impossible to set French language Issue #326: Checkboxes don't render in PDF4QT Issue #324: Menu text not rendered with correct color Issue #321: Select text in Viewer Issue #291: Support for editing XMP metadata or exporting to PDF/UA format Issue #282: Editor outline view: always zooms to around 50% Issue #256: PDF4QT cannot show some specific fonts correctly Issue #253: Undo/redo doesn't work in "edit page content" mode Issue #250: Snapping Issue #242: Full screen Issue #234: Setting font, font size and area of text annotations Issue #230: Garbled characters when opening PDF files with PDF4QT Issue #225: PDF4QT cannot open PDF files with embedded files Issue #224: Option to remove invisible text Issue #194: Change page size Issue #160: Color | Custom (green/black) does not work Issue #136: Smooth scrolling of document with mouse middle wheel - flywheel Issue #92: Add image compression to PDF DocPage Organizer Issue #18: Performance optimization - OutputPreview Renderer Download: PDF4QT 1.6.0.0 | Portable | ~30.0 MB (Open Source) Download: PDF4QT MSIX | 29.4 MB Links: PDF4QT Home Page | PDF4QT @GitHub | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
  • Recent Achievements

    • Veteran
      branfont went up a rank
      Veteran
    • Reacting Well
      Almohandis earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • First Post
      Cosminus earned a badge
      First Post
    • One Year In
      ThatGuyOnline earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Week One Done
      Jeroen Wilms earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      472
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      181
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      120
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      85
    5. 5
      neufuse
      73
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!