Is it possible to find the serial number of stolen devices using a Mac that they’ve been connected to

logsSecurityserial number

For a number of devices that were stolen, can I find their serial number on a Mac that I still have and which the devices have been connected to at some point? In other words, are there any applications (or the OS) which might have kept a record of any of these devices' serial number(s)? I'm specifically thinking about:

  • iPod
  • Cinema Display
  • Time Capsule
  • another Mac
  • a camera

Would the connections have shown up in a log file somewhere with their serial number included? At least for an iPod, I wouldn't be surprised if its serial number gets recorded by iTunes somewhere. And iPhoto just might record a camera's as well.

Best Answer

How to get serial numbers for displays:

Go to /Library/Preferences/com.apple.windowserver.plist. Open this with TextWrangler or a similar utility. Look for a DisplaySerialNumber key with an integer value that isn't 0. With any luck, this should be the s/n of your display.
If you haven't used this display for a while, the records of it may be gone.
Also, it appears that this isn't guaranteed. Double-check if possible.

How to get the serial numbers for iPods:

Open /Library/Preferences/com.apple.ipod.plist.
Look under the Devices dictionary. Any iPod you've connected will have all its info there, including the s/n (under Serial Number).

Good luck.

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