How can we ID the client computer w/out cookie or IP?

[ultranet]

Hello members,

We working on a project and at this point we are struggling with one single issue.

The project is web/browser based and requires our server to remember each computer, but we don't want to use anything that can be changed (eg. cookie, IP). We need a method that will stay on the computer as long as possible. And also it has to be cross browser/OS. We don't want to do browser plug-ins because that would just be too much for to provide & update for each browser.

It doesn't matter what programing language, we just need a solution. Thank you.

[ECA]

Why In The World Would I Tell You A Thing Like That???

[dang]

I'm confused by your response ECA.

@ultranet

There are only a few ways that I know of for tracking a user:
- IP
- Cookie
- Sessions

Without a login system, the only way to track someone is by IP.

With or without a login system, you can track someone with a cookie. Encrypt the data stored in your cookie and it's not easy for someone to mess with it.

Sessions are just like cookies.

You can do a combination of the two as well.

Why would you want to track them in another means? 95% of the people out there dont know what an IP is or what it's used for, dont know how to change their IP and they think cookies are good with milk.

[ECA]

Dang, because there are 2 other things, THAT I think can be paged off a system.
And I think MS does it..
I wont mention them here, as I think MS does it already.

[dang]

Well, there are GUIDs, etc but those aren't passed by a web applications, they are passed by applications that are installed on the client PC. Thus, you'll never have a GUID from a web app since web applications can not access or write to a computers OS.

Web applications have a inherent limited amount of access to a users system.

[ECA]

Did you know you can Page DX for info on the system??
why dont you pop that up and look at the front page..??

[dang]

You can't (or at least shouldnt) be able to run any remote applications like directx through a web page.

[ECA]

But with Active X you can make direct calls to DX, and get most of that info.