[SOLVED] Computrace

[noahmitcjell]

Ok, so long story short, I bought a pc used. It is a system with a 9900K and an AsRock Phantom Gaming 4-CB. However, the person I bought it from is now threatening to activate computrace and brick the entire system because he wants more money. I'm not sure how to check if Computrace is running or not. It's not showing up in bios when I check security, but it does say in services that rcpSs is running which is the tag for Computrace. I didn't even think you could get Computrace for an after market motherboard, but only on laptops instead. Ok so dumb question, if I change the motherboard and drives would the system work fine?

 

[Obakasama]

From what I came across: https://www.dell.com/community/Laptops-General-Read-Only/CompuTrace/td-p/2501218

An interesting read. So technically it sounds like what you have in mind would work.

However, the circumstances you mention sounds to me like blackmail.

 

[noahmitcjell]

Yes I do indeed agree that it is blackmail, but I don't know how to avoid it, so I'm just gonna replace the motherboard and say to hell with it, this is actually ridiculous.

 

[USAFRet]

If you change the motherboard and drives, that is most of a whole new system.

And one of the many many reasons you personally need to do a full wipe and reinstall of the OS for any used system, as the first thing you do.

 

[bignastyid]

Computrace can be used with a TPM module(check the board to see if one is installed) on desktops. Also keep records of the discussion with the buyer because what they are doing is illegal and will get them thrown in jail for fraud.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

Wipe and reinstall everything except the Computrace driver, and reinitialize the TPM module. Without the driver Computrace is useless. In addition, unless he has an active subscription to the Computrace service he can't do a thing.

 

[USAFRet]

Ok, so long story short, I bought a pc used. It is a system with a 9900K and an AsRock Phantom Gaming 4-CB.

Where did you get this system? How did you come into contact with the seller?

 

[popatim]

Call the police and let them handle the blackmail. I wonder how many other victims he has had...
A home user wouldn't often Computrace his own stuff so to me this was intentional and just to get more money out of you.
If he does brick it, you end going thru the same process but at last this way he gets to pay for it.

 

[noahmitcjell]

Yeah so I couldn't find a tpm module on the motherboard. I fresh installed the drive and everything, but I know that Computrace is within the BIOS. In all honesty this is what happened, I traded him a system and he traded me a system in person. We met at his house and both showed our systems running in BIOS. I told him all the parts that were in the system and he could see it was an X370 Crosshair Vi. He then proceeds to text me the next day saying that I scammed him because he thought it was a X470 Crosshair Vii, he then demanded that I return and trade back or that I send him $50-100 on Cashapp to make it "even". This is ridiculous to me as he saw everything in bios and said it worked great later that night. He then told me he would turn on the lojack and brick the system which is what has brought me to the reliable forums of Tom's Hardware. I am an enthusiast, and would like to think I know much more than most people about software and hardware, but this Computrace blackmail thing is above my head and I don't know what to do. Luckily, a friend got me a new motherboard because he saw my troubles and was pissed about how the blackmail was happening. I plan to install it and let it go with a fresh drive. I am debating reporting it to the police and seeing what they will do about it. I know his address and everything. It's really disturbing that something like this can happen to even some enthusiasts, I still cannot believe it is embedded within the BIOS.