Installation & User Guide
Introduction 2 Installation Instructions 4 Tracking Activation 13 Modifying Configuration 15 Uninstalling Software 19
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INTRODUCTION
1. Overview
PC-Trak is an advanced theft-recovery application designed to assist in the recovery of your Windows-based computerin the event of theft or loss. The software will send location information as well as web-cam images to your email address and your Flickr account (a free photo sharing and storage service).
During installation, the user specifies an email address and email server configuration settings to specify where and how tracking emails will be sent. If the computer is later stolen or lost, the user or administrator can access the GadgetTrak web site, submit the machine tracking credentials and activate tracking via the PC-Trak software. Once activated, emails will be received at the specified email address when the
unauthorized user attempts to boot the computer, when the network environment changes or upon the occurance of a variety of other triggers. The emails will be sent at 30 minute intervals and will have details of the computer’s current IP address, WiFi-determined physical location, etc.
2. Software Requirements
Windows XP SP2 or higherNote: For Windows XP SP2 only, before installing you will need to download and install
WindowsXP-KB918997-v6-x86-ENU.exe
from:http://www.microsoft.com/DOWNLOADS/details.aspx?familyid=52A43BAB-DC4E-413F-AC71-158EFD1ADA50&displaylang=en
Windows Vista
3. Additional Requirements
Admin Account Access
PC-Trak must be installed while logged into a Windows administrator account. If the software is installed as a standard or guest user the software will not function correctly.
the software will require an outgoing SMTP mail server. Most ISPs and free email providers provide SMTP access., and this process is similar to setting up an email software client. We suggest using a Gmail account if you do not already have an email account configured that you wish to use for this purpose, as they are free and have provided reliable connections in testing.
Flickr Account
PC-Trak also integrates directly with Flickr, which is a free photo sharing website. The PC-Trak software takes pictures of the person sitting at the computer using the built-in web cam (when installed). When uploading images to Flickr, all uploaded photos are by default restricted from public view, so only you can see them when logged in. You can setup a free Flickr account at www.flickr.com. During the installation process you will be asked for your Flickr account user name and password. Note that you will also be asked pn the Flickr web site to grant the GadgetTrak software access to upload images to your account, and that you must complete this step for the connection to work.
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INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
1. To begin installation, unzip the file you downloaded from the GadgetTrak website, or insert the CD-ROM if purchased from a retail store. Double click PC-Trak_Setup.exe file, and this will initiate the installation wizard:
To begin the installation click “Next >” to be taken to the licensing screen.
2. Licensing & Remote Account Creation
After the installation wizard is initialized you will be presented with the following licensing screen, where you are asked to enter some important information (described in more detail below):
On this screen you must enter the license key that was provided to you at the time of purchase on the GadgetTrak web site and/or in your activation email. If you purchased the software in a store, the license key is provided on the CD-ROM in the shrink wrapped package.
Next, enter an email address and password that you will use for your remote login to activate the software. When you want to activate the software remotely you will be asked to enter the same license key, email address and password you enter on this screen. During the installation process this data will be emailed to you for your records.
Click “Next >” once you have entered the required information. If you receive an error message regarding the license key, make sure the key is entered correctly and that there are not extra spaces or characters in the text field.
3. Email Configuration
The next pane allows you to specify your email configuration.These settings will determine where any tracking data and captured photos are sent from your system. For this step you will need to have access to your outgoing (SMTP) mail server information.
The “From” email is the email address that emails containing the tracking data will appear to come from. The “To” email address is the email address the data actually is sent to. For most cases these two email addresses can be the same. We recommend that you use a Gmail account for sending emails if you do not already have an email account configured and available for this purpose. You can use any email account, however – It is not necessary to create an account specifically for tracking emails.
The outgoing mail server is the mail server that is used to send the email. This is the same server information that you would typically use when setting up an email program like Outlook, Windows Mail, Thunderbird, etc. on your
computer. Below is a list of some common mail server configurations. You should be able to get your SMTP configuration settings from your email service provider:
Outgoing Mail Server: smtp.comcast.net Check the “Use SSL” box and change the port text field to 587 Gmail Outgoing Mail Server: smtp.gmail.com Check the “Use SSL” box, and the default port of 465 is correct Yahoo Outgoing Mail Server: plus.smtp.mail.yahoo.com (requires a paid premium account) Verizon Outgoing Mail Server: outgoing.verizon.net The username and password fields should be populated with the username and password for your email account. This is the same username and password you use to log into your email, and may be your complete email address or in some cases will be the first part of your email address or another name. You should check with your email service provider if you are unsure. Once you have entered your email information, click “Next >”
4. Flickr Integration
PC-Trak integrates with Flickr, a free online photo sharing and storage website. When the PC-Trak software is activated it will use any integrated web camera to capture photos of anyone using your system and the area around the
computer. The Flickr integration requires you have a Flickr account. These accounts are free, you can set one up at www.flickr.com.
Click on the “Login” button, this will open your web browser and take you to a login page for Flickr. Enter your Flickr/Yahoo! username and password when prompted.
In the next step, Flickr will as you to grant permission to PC-Trak. You must click on the button that says “OK, I’LL ALLOW IT” before the permissions are actually granted.
computer to upload images to your account, no images or data are sent to GadgetTrak.
Next, return to the Trak installer and click on the “Authenticate” button. PC-Trakwill communicate with Flickr and verify that the software has permissions to upload images to your account. If successful you will see a message that says:
5. Final Installation Process
Now that all the required configuration data has been collected, the software will install itself.
6. Restart System
To complete the installation you will be prompted to restart your system.
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TRACKING ACTIVATION
1. To activate tracking for testing, or if your device is lost or stolen, go to:
http://www.pctrak.me
To log into your account you will need to enter the email address, password and license key data that you entered when you first installed PC-Trak on your system. This data was also emailed to you after your installation was completed.
2. When you log in you will be presented with a screen containing some text and a button.By default tracking is disabled. To activate tracking simply click on the button, which will toggle the tracking status to active.
3. When you activate tracking, the button should change to red and read“Tracking Active.”
The next time you (in the case of testing) or a thief (in the case of a stolen computer) log into your system, change wi-fi networks, connect to a different network the PC-Track software will check in with the GadgetTrak servers, discover you have enabled tracking, and will then activate. Once
activated, PC-Trak will send emails containing technical tracking data and web cam images to the email account you specified during installation, and the same data will be posted to the Flickr account you specified.
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MODIFYING CONFIGURATION
1.
To make changes and test the configuration of PC-Trak, got
to Settings -> Control Panel and click on the GadgetTrak
icon
2.
This will open the PC-Trak configuration pane:
Before you can make any changes to the configuration you
will need to click on the key icon at the bottom of the pane
to unlock the configuration. You will need to enter the
Windows administrator account username and password
for your system in order to make any modifications. This
step is required even if you are already logged in as the
administrator. This helps to ensure that if a user is logged
into Windows as an administrator when the system was
stolen, the software could not be removed or modified.
If the systems is on a corporate LAN that utilizes a Domain
Controller for administrator authentication, the system will
need to be connected to the LAN to make changes or
3.
Once the Windows administrative credentials have been
authenticated you can then view your PC-Trak email and
Flickr account configuration.
In this pane you can also test your email configuration by
clicking on the “Test Mail” button, which will send an email
using the configuration you have set up.
4.
You can modify your Flickr settings from the control panel
as well. click on the “Flickr” tab to access to your Flickr
preferences:
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UNINSTALLING PC-TRAK
1. PC-Trak can be uninstalled by selecting “Add or Remove Programs” in the Windows Control Panel. However, note that it will require the user to provide a system administrator username and password to remove.
2. From the list select GadgetTrak and select “Change/Remove”
3. Wait a few seconds for the following prompt to appear:
4. When you click on “OK” you will be presented with a login form where you will need to enter a system administrator username and password before you can complete the uninstallation. If the system connects to a corporate LAN for authentication via a domain controller the system will need to be connected to the LAN to authenticate the uninstall.
Once you have entered the administrator credentials you will need to click on “Next”
