When was the last CD Burned? 1

[djbjr]

I am the resident computer geek amoung my friends but I was stumped today and was wondering if any of you guys might know.

My friend wants to know when the last CD was burned on his computer.

He had to fire someone recently and he is afraid that person may have took his data and made a copy.

Any suggestion would be appreciated.

dj

 

[Touler]

As far as I know the only way to know is the "log file" that the burning utility uses.


Touler,

 

[bcastner]

In Explorer if you right-click the "title" bar on an empty area, say to the right of "Name", you will see a list of additional column headers you can select.

One of them is Last Accessed.
Enable this field, and then sort on it.

You should be able to see which files were accessed on the dates in question. They would have to be accessed to be burn to CD.

 

[djbjr]

Thanks bcaster but I dont think that will help in our situation.

What happened was he sat at his desk and a window popped up that certain files were ready to be burned, they were all confidential data files.

I was trying to help him out to figure out if the person that was let go actually burned a copy or not.

I understand what infomation the last accessed field would tell us, but Im not sure if he has used those files since....if he has, that info would be useless right?

 

[DTracy]

If those files had been burned wouldn't they have been cleared?

 

[bcastner]

If the burn had been done the files would have been cleared from the CD burn staging area automaticly. XP makes a copy of the files in a special staging area until it is time to burn the CD, and displays a list of the contents waiting to be recorded. This list is then cleared; it only becomes visible if you insert the original CD used for the burn session.

So, if you see the files in the staging area you know at least XP did not burn them.

 

[linney]

XP has an option to burn to more than one CD, so files burnt to the first CD could still remain in the CD Burning folder waiting to be burnt to a second CD, or third, depending on what option is checked in the burning wizard.

If there has been a breach of security in your company, then there is not much you can do about it other than take steps to make certain it doesn't happen again.

You may have to assume that this person may have walked off with some confidential material and counter that fact as best you can.

 

[bcastner]

XP has an option to burn to more than one CD, so files burnt to the first CD could still remain in the CD Burning folder waiting to be burnt to a second CD, or third, depending on what option is checked in the burning wizard.

This is true, but you only are given that option after a burn is done. So the case were the burn area is populated is an ambiguos one.

I still think that from my original line of thought above:

. If the Burn Area is empty, nothing can be said
. If the Burn Area is populated, then:

IF File Creation Date datestamp = Date of Last Access datestamp THEN no burn occured.

IF File Creation Date stamp is older than Date of Last Access datestamp, the files were burned.

The Staging area is a Folder that contains actual copies of the files to be burned. As such they should expose a Creation Date, and Date of Last Access, and other metadata elements that would distinguish them from the original files at copy; and distinguish Staging Area copies if accessed by a Burn operation.

 

[linney]

This is true, but you only are given that option after a burn is done".

If you UNselect "Close the wizard after the files have been written" on the first page, and don't click Finish on the last page, but close the window via the X, then the files remain in the CD Burning folder until manually deleted or written to CD.

Clicking Finish is what causes the files to be deleted.

 

[bcastner]

Or, if you pull the plug out of the mains outlet.