How to disable/ remove computrace

[jiopsi]

Hi,

how can I disable/ remove computrace from X60?

[rkawakami]

I'm assuming from your question that it already has been activated. Therefore, my understanding is that you have to contact the makers of Computrace (Absolute Software at http://www.absolute.com) and get them to disable it. If you believe that you are in possession of a stolen item, then I'd contact the seller and have them talk to Absolute.

[jiopsi]

I don't know if it is activated, and I don't believe this is stolen. This is first time I have seen this on about 10 Thinkpads. And I only notice it when I access BIOS, it prompts something about Computrace.

[rkawakami]

The Computrace system is a fairly recent addition (about two years ago). Part of it is built into the BIOS so that's what you are seeing. My understanding is that there's three options: enabled, disabled, permanently disabled. You should be able to check the setting somewhere in the X60 BIOS. The X60 I have with me today does not appear to have it installed.

[jiopsi]

I can't find any settings relating Computrace in BIOS.

[richk]

The option in the bios is only in later models. (newer than X61) You need to contact absolute software. They will want the machine serial number and the motherboard serial number. You will also need to supply "proof of purchase", like a receipt. They will contact the owner they have on file and get the OK to remove it. Assuming it is not stolen, they will then "flag it for delete". After that, the next time you connect to the internet or have an open internet connection, a miracle will occur and it will be gone. Send the stuff I mentioned to TechSupport@absolute.com.

[jiopsi]

Thanks, I will try and do that.

[jiopsi]

Yeah, it worked. Funny thing, this is the answer I got:

Please be advised that Computrace has been removed from your computer.

The information you see regarding Computrace when you enter the BIOS cannot be removed. It is simply an indication that the device is capable of utilizing our Computrace BIOS agent and not an indication that Computrace is actually installed.

But the notification was also removed.

[richk]

The code is always in the BIOS. It is activated or deactivated the same way that the password stuff is activated or deactivated, except, in the case of Computrace, you are not the one doing it.

[MisterB]

I just did this for two X61 Tablets after reading this thread from several years ago. The old email link didn't work and I just had to submit the serial numbers through the contact form on the Absolute software website. I got a reply a day later. I just said that I had bought them on eBay. They didn't ask for any further proof of purchase. They did tell me the Computrace notice would be gone and that is how I would know the software was no longer active.

I had to use an ethernet connection for the deactivation to happen. For some reason it wasn't going through on wifi. Very much recommended to anyone getting a Thinkpad with Computrace. It doesn't just send information about where the laptop is, the software works with the security chip and the OS wouldn't boot if I disabled the security chip in the BIOS or if I messed with other BIOS security settings like erasing fingerprint data. With Computrace disabled, I can do what I want with the BIOS and still boot.

[FryPpy]

The old email link didn't work and I just had to submit the serial numbers through the contact form on the Absolute software website.

I have one T61 with computrance but i haven't bothered with this becouse it can dye tomorrow or in next N years (it have buggy Nvidia onboard . But after your message i want to make all things done but no luck.
At Absolute software web site i use Absolute Computrance link then use Contact link. Then... Consumer and Home Office Users -> Support. And then Contact us -> Web Support Worldwide. In this web form it asks me about LoJack and product code but i have no options for computrance. And i am stuck

May be you can write some hints or link here and i'll try to walk to the end.

[MisterB]

That is not the form I used. Here is the one I used:

https://www.absolute.com/en/support/contact/security

It is for non customers. It took a while to find it. I tried calling them but that just got me a runaround in a call center in India that was trying to sell me their products, not remove them.

[msrice]

Yeah, it worked. Funny thing, this is the answer I got:

Please be advised that Computrace has been removed from your computer.

The information you see regarding Computrace when you enter the BIOS cannot be removed. It is simply an indication that the device is capable of utilizing our Computrace BIOS agent and not an indication that Computrace is actually installed.

But the notification was also removed.

first, I was notified that Computrace was never installed since they do not have a record of my serial number. Then, I got a similar notification above from Absolute. I hope the notification is eventually removed, too.

[MisterB]

first, I was notified that Computrace was never installed since they do not have a record of my serial number. Then, I got a similar notification above from Absolute. I hope the notification is eventually removed, too.

Make sure you give them the right serial number. If a motherboard was put in a new chassis, the serial number on the chassis won't be the one in the BIOS. The one in the BIOS is what they need to deactivate it.

[geka3250]

I contacted this "Big Brother" company 2 days ago, but no reaction...
So here is software disable way:
-CMD, type:
sc stop rpcnet
sc delete rpcnet
-delete 4 files in C:\Windows\System32\
rpcnet.exe
rpcnet.dll
rpcnetp.exe
rpcnetp.dll
-detele system, but infected by computrace file C:\Windows\System32\autochk.exe
-find clean autochk.exe for your OS and place it in C:\Windows\ directory, not System32! File can be found in C:\Windows\winsxs\ for Vista/7 or Windows CD for XP.
-reboot, computrace spyware is no more until the next OS reinstall

[Edward Mendelson]

I just noticed the preceding post that says you can remove CompuTrace by modifying software. This is absolutely not correct. See:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=114641

[Hazman84]

Hello, Can someone please help me With Deactivating Computrace on a Lenovo T480s I called the number they were no help. If anyone knows someone that can do this manually or through another method i would greatly appreciate it. Thank you !

[Edward Mendelson]

Have you tried the number a second time, as suggested in this thread:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=114641

The ONLY other way is to send the machine to someone who can physically modify the BIOS, and charges a fair price for his time and expertise. The person on this forum who can do that is no longer in the United States, so shipping may be prohibitive. And NO, there is NO other way to do this. So you might try again with the phone number.

[Hazman84]

Thank you so much for replying so quickly! I really appreciate it. I am willing to send it out or pay him to teach me. If you know how I get in contact with him, that would be great. I will try again, I have 2 Lenovo t470s and 2 Lenovo t-480s that are like this. I heard that running this in the CMD will kill the process

So here is software disable way:
-CMD, type:
sc stop rpcnet
sc delete rpcnet
-delete 4 files in C:\Windows\System32\
rpcnet.exe
rpcnet.dll
rpcnetp.exe
rpcnetp.dll
-detele system, but infected by computrace file C:\Windows\System32\autochk.exe
-find clean autochk.exe for your OS and place it in C:\Windows\ directory, not System32! File can be found in C:\Windows\winsxs\ for Vista/7 or Windows CD for XP.
-reboot, computrace spyware is no more until the next OS reinstall


Has anyone tried this method on a windows 10 machine? does it work? I will give it a try and see what happens but i don't want to reinstall the OS any input would be great. Thanks again for the quick response!! you guys are awesome.

[Edward Mendelson]

Perhaps you should read the thread that I linked to before doing anything more.

The job requires specialized equipment. The person who has the equipment and does this work is someone who visits this forum, and he'll know how to get in touch with you if he wants to. It's up to him.

[dr_st]

I have 2 Lenovo t470s and 2 Lenovo t-480s that are like this.

How did you get four modern laptops with Computrace activated on your hands?

[RealBlackStuff]

From xx40 models onward, the removal of BIOS passwords and Computrace has become too expensive (for my liking), so I have stopped doing it for those models.
For disabling an activated Computrace, the only (free) way is to keep phoning Absolute.
If they won't cooperate for whatever reason, either replace the motherboard OR learn to live with it!
If your machines have not been (reported) stolen, their daily phone-home calls are of little to no concern really.

[atagunov]

Hi purely theoretically, for those machines where Coreboot does work, would it be fair to say that flashing Coreboot kills off Computrace entirely?

My thinking is - okay Computrace data and/or code sits in a separate EEPROM or another kind of chip, but the code has to be running on some sort of CPU. It probably isn't running on EC, it's likely the main CPU. For that code to be activated it has to be started during machine boot up process. But it's BIOS that gets control first - I hope. So it has to be stock BIOS that kicks off Computrace execution. I'm pretty certain Coreboot wouldn't be kicking off Computrace intentionally and it's rather careful with which opaque blobs it takes on board. Okay it does take some but hopefully those it does take - like say VGA - don't contain Computrace.

Is this a correct way of thinking? I have never used Coreboot and don't know what sort of issues it entails apart from loss of BIOS menu but I'd like to know at least for my eduction

[Edward Mendelson]

Computrace is in a part of the BIOS that can't be changed by flashing programs. Flash programs don't even see that it's there. Read the articles linked in that other thread.

[atagunov]

Computrace is in a part of the BIOS that can't be changed by flashing programs. Flash programs don't even see that it's there. Read the articles linked in that other thread.

Right but we're not talking flashing programs. We're talking a hardware flasher, think that is the more common way to put Coreboot on a Thinkpad. I admit that I haven't read the articles but I still have the arrogance to ask Is my thinking correct? Does computrace execute on the main CPU? Is computrace code started from BIOS? Is replacing the BIOS entirely - as is done when flashing Coreboot with a hardeware flasher a sure way to get rid of Computrace? On those machine which Coreboot supports.

P.S. actually this link seems to no longer work

[Edward Mendelson]

Ah, then the correct answer is: I don't know!

[RealBlackStuff]

Without going into any gory details, suffice it to say that Computrace is not in the BIOS and not in the EC.
So swapping a BIOS chip does nothing for/against Computrace

[atagunov]

Without going into any gory details...

Exactly what I'd be interested to know: gory details.

My understanding is that we have some of digital fortress chip inside. That's where things like management passwords and computrace status on/off are kept. I also understand you probably have a good idea about how it works at least up until T440 and you're not willing to assist various rogue types on planet Earth or make yourself vulnerable to legal action by disclosing too many details about it. That's fine. I've got no ambition to learn how this chip works or to do anything with it myself.

However there is a 2nd question here: how does Computrace code otherwise operate? I'm partly driven by curiosity here. And I wouldn't be surprised if none of the forum members perhaps including yourself can give a definitive answer. That is fine as well. Doesn't stop me being curious

- the code got to be stored somewhere; can be not the same chip as BIOS, ok.
- the code got to be executed somewhere; that's interesting, is there a 3rd processor in addition to CPU and EC? there's TPM which can do some calculations of course.. but does it have enough access to regular RAM?
- if the code does run on the main CPU which seems likely it's got to be kicked off somehow; there was a mention of option ROM; so it can either be kicked off directly by hardware or by some machine instructions inside BIOS (and it just so happens that all BIOS versions in circulation do invoke that code; it's here where Coreboot might be useful - there's a chance it wouldn't be invoking this code regardless of where it is stored)

I found a reference somewhere about ACPI tables being used. That makes sense. ACPI tables inject arbitrary (?) executable code into the OS. But ACPI tables got to come from somewhere. ACPI tables come into play at later stage. It also seems that for generations of Thinkpads that use UEFI BIOS the location of Computrace code may be different than for those that don't. It could even be part of BIOS proper from what I read online.

[RealBlackStuff]

The what and where are NOT to be discussed here any further.
This thread has already supplied more info than what the Forum normally allows.
Time to close this discussion.