Can you tell when the last time a computer was used?

Answer 1

My experience is with Microsoft Windows only, and I'm figuring that you're talking about a standalone workstation. I am also figuring that the machine was logged off or powered down prior to your search. If you are logging in with a different user account (Bob vs. Sally) than when the computer was last used, you can get useful timestamps from the 'Documents and Settings \ <username> \ Local Settings \ Temp folder. The History folder, at the same level, will show browser activity unless it was cleared. Note: <username> in this example will be Bob or Sally. Also, Documents and Settings is the XP name for what Vista now calls Users (or Profiles under Windows 2000 and NT). Either way, you can quickly access the related data by right clicking the Start button, and selecting Explore from the pop-up menu. Otherwise, events recorded in the Event Viewer (under Control Panel | Administrative Tools) may provide timestamped events in the Application Log, or under Security if logins are audited. Automated services generate events too, both when someone is logged in and not (ie, Windows update). I'm not an expert - but this may help you get started.