fixpc said:
because after I repair the computer, I want to see if he /she is online.
the so-called spy is a resident program with an assigned ID so I know his
/her computer is OK ( up and running) and nothing else.
no attack or hack whatsoever.
any suggestion
TIA
Dunno where you are, but there are laws on the books in the USA (and
elsewhere) regarding unauthorized access via network.
One case which received national attention comes to mind. A technician
repaired a client's (in this case corporate) network, then proceeded to
remotely run a server check. He got in hot water for using his client's
network in a manner not specifically detailed to and agreed to by the
client, even though he was contracted to perform repairs on that specific
piece of their equipment, and that server test was a necessary part of the
repair!
Moral of the story: If you are intent on doing this, spell out to your
customers EXACTLY what you intend to do, including the software you will
use, the time at which you will have their system send you info, the exact
info their system will send you, the length of time your software will be
used (and installed) on their machine, the effects, if any, your software
will have on their security programs, etc. etc.
Maybe they will agree and maybe they won't appreciate it AT ALL. I think
you'll find the latter to be the case. Do it covertly and you open yourself
up to prosecution if these laws apply to your area, or potential litigation
even where no such criminal laws exist.
Unless you absolutely must interrogate their system in realtime, just have
them send you a courtesy email. Or make it mandatory if you think they
won't hate that (and they will) -- state on the receipt that if they elect
not to do this, you won't accept the return if there's a problem. It's
their choice.
An email will tell you a lot about their system, such as:
They are connecting with their ISP, which speaks to their modem function, IP
stack health, DNS resolution, etc. etc.
Their email client is working, which is a good indicator the OS is largely
if not fully functional, particularly in the case of an integrated client
like OE.
I would definitely choose a less invasive course of action than what you
propose. Users are scared enough about spyware. They would certainly
ensure you get a bad reputation were you to give them additional cause for
concern.