darn it i feel like such a n00b but it makes sense as i never attempted to mod a bios before well i have a dell e6420 that is bootable but computrace is enabled which i would like to remove i attempted to extract the bios info from the 2 bios chips this machine has but no success my spi programmer kicks an error all the time spent about 4 hrs now ive been up since 10pm 5/4/2014 until the time of this posting lol 9am 5/5 so much info to read what ive done so far is extract the .HDR i cant post link but its named dell6420_A19 from the dell website every time i try to use phoenix bio mods tool i keep getting an error when its time select R/W what exactly do i need to do to flash a clean bios to this machine? basically just wanna disable computrace any help would be welcomed or a kick in the right direction thank you in advance im gonna keep looking as this bios modding is interesting never thought of modding the bios
Just out of curiosity, why are you so intent on removing a security feature that will aid in your laptop recovery if lost or stolen? Moreover, since this feature must be manually activated, you (or someone else) must have thought it was a good idea at some point in time. So, why all of a sudden this change of heart and urgent need to totally remove it?
without the classic cliche of things i go around to different pawn shops as a hobby and ask the managers etc for electronics that broke or stuff that had any mishaps dont believe me go to your local pawn shop just ask nicely i ended up with this dell e6420 for 50$ and a ps3 with a broken blu ray drive for 25$ and a ipod newest gen stuck in recovery mode for also 25$ they sell everything as is the dell ended up having bad ram so i replaced and when i booted into the bios i saw that computrace was activated now i dont wanna risk any issues with law enforcement so technically its not stolen as it became property of the pawn shop before i purchased
OK, thanks for your honest response. Now, I think I understand your perceived dilemma. However, if you don't get the assistance you require, just make sure you have that pawn shop receipt handy, just in case the need to prove ownership arises. Good luck to you.
wowzer i have lo jack on my ibm thinkpad from work i installed spyhunter and it indeed works scary to say the least ill keep digging as it does state spy hunter will have to be reinstalled everythime the os is reloaded dont frankly dont understand how a clean untouched factory bios cant be reflashed just to be able to inactivate computrace actually i did contact law enforcement they said "they can't do anything without proper protocol" whatever that means i spent 30 mins on hold plus 3 different transfers i contacted the pawn shop they said" we cant disclose personal info" called dell and they offered to help for a cost of 150$ to replace the motherboard
As I understand it, the Computrace feature is in a section of the bios (perhaps adjacent to?) that isn't affected by flashing. Further proof of this is the fact that the best Dell can do is offer a new motherboard. Certainly if there was an easier way, why go to that extreme? Law enforcement won't get involved unless someone reports the laptop as stolen. The pawn shop has no obligation to reveal how they obtained the laptop. That would only occur if the police got involved. Again, I wouldn't worry about it. You've covered all your bases. Personally, I'd enjoy getting a functioning laptop at such a great price, even with Computrace enabled. What a steal!
i see your point but its more a piece of mind type of thing so no way to edit a .rom or .hdr to remove the computrace section? i was able to extract the bios within windows on the dell via universal bios extractor tool off this site
I have done much searching and have yet to find anyone who has removed Computrace from the bios. I understand your desire for peace of mind. That is real and not to be laughed it. My suggestions: 1 - Toss it in the trash. Leave it at a transit station or a Starbucks. You are out $50. 2 - Spend $150 for a new motherboard. $200 is still a great price for a e6420. 3 - I see the cheapest of e6420s going for near $400 on eBay. Those with higher end CPU, graphic cards and high res. screens go for $600+. Sell it there, making quite a nice profit. Whether you mention Computrace or not is up to you.
At least where I live, a valid proof of purchase from an established business would get you off the hook for prosecution; however, you would lose the laptop back to the original owner.
thanks guys i will just use as is guess ill keep it for myself i was gonna give it to my younger sister but don't want any issues and yes i did get a deal for what it is i7-2720QM 2.20ghz,8gb ram 500gb hdd nvidia 4200m extended battery i know it seems to good to be true but anyone who likes to tinker with stuff hit up your local pawn shops sad part is im not sure if they actually have people that are semi tech savy working at times i have bought so many things where the issues were so minor i would literally laugh i just go in introduce myself and ask if they have any broken electronic items that is the key part "broken electronics" and almost every pawnshop has a section in the back and they let me know what they have thank guys for all your help will def be around checking out the forum
How about contacting Absolute Why not contact Absolute - give them the serial number and model and they can tell you the status. I think they can even remove it for you.