Windows 7 Fingerprint Reader Woes

Hi guys,

I'm having trouble with the fingerprint reader on my M4400. I have done a clean install of Windows 7 RC x64, and installed the relevant drivers, but the only software that recognizes the fingerprint reader is Embassy Wave bundled by Dell (which seems a bit, well, clunky ).

I have tried UPEK's Windows 7 software, which installs fine, but it cannot find the fingerprint reader. The same happens with DigitalPersona too; it installs perfectly but can't find the device. The fingerprint reader is listed in the control panel (it shows as '5880', which is the combined Broadcom fingerprint reader, smart card reader etc.), so I'm not sure why nothing but Dell's software can 'see' it.

I have searched a lot, and tried a few work arounds, but so far no success. I've also tried uninstalling and reinstalling in various ways, but all to no avail. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

 

Turning on the win7 native biometric stuff isn't obvious... it doesn't jump up and say "hey, i've noticed you have a fingerprint reader, would you like to configure it for use?" ... which is kind of unfortunate.

so you have to dig around a little bit.
if you bring up the start menu and just type "biometric" you'll see some of the control panels you'll need to access. one of them has a checkbox to "allow fingerprint to log into windows"
you also might want to search for "fingerprint" and you'll find the "manage my fingerprints" control panel, or something like that...

I had the upek reader on my M6300 (which I don't have any more) so I'm saying this stuff from memory...

 

Yah I am trying to find some other alternative for Dell Wave crap.. its too bloated and slow as hell. Hoping Window7 have built-in support for biometric. But, nothing so far.. may be RTM

Let me know if you have any success.

 

the latest dell security manager drivers kit includes wave v3.3, which i feel it runs faster and is more stable than the previous v2.5 (although it is not as smooth as what i expect).

 

Hi guys,

Thanks for the input, but still no joy. The problem seems to be there's no Windows 7 compatible driver for the fingerprint reader. UPEK and Authentec have Windows 7 drivers, but there's nothing similar from Broadcom. As such, even if the fingerprint reader itself is manufactured by UPEK or Authentic, it still won't be recognized by Windows 7 as a biometric device.

geewhipped, thanks for the tip, but the biometric control panel doesn't list the fingerprint reader. The only software that 'sees' it is Wave, which isn't as elegant or as well-integrated as Windows' own system (or DigitalPersona, which I use on my HP).

hyce, thanks for the tip, but please can you let me know which download you mean? I grabbed the latest driver and application packages from (May 2009), but it says 'Dell Embassy Trust Suite by Wave Systems 2.3.1.11' in the 'About' page.

I'm not sure what else to try. I've grabbed all the Windows 7 drivers I can find, but none work. I've tried snooping inside Dell's driver packages for any clues, but nothing works. As far as I can tell, we'll just have to wait for Broadcom and/or Dell to get their act together and release a newer driver

Kind regards,

 

ah, I misread your original post...you said you tried the UPEK driver, I thought you were saying you had the UPEK hardware. You have the broadcom hardware, just like I do in my M6400.
As such, we are SOL.
I posted this link in another thread dealing with this issue... pretty much sums up the details of the issue, especially the next-to-the-last post on the page:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com...e/thread/8edb3bb6-1d5f-419e-b731-3aab62c88632

as I said, I used to have an M6300 which had the UPEK hardware. On there I was able to use the windows 7 native stuff and it is excellent. I also am able to use the native biometrics on my thinkpad. So much more streamlined than either the Dell or Lenovo add-ons.

 

+1... I am looking for alternative for Wave too.. hopefully we can find some driver soon which will enable Win7 buitin biometric options

 

R210494 - Dell ControlPoint Security Manager Drivers A11 (for 64bit)
http://search.dell.com/results.aspx?s=gen&c=us&l=en&cs=&k=R210494&cat=sup&x=0&y=0

R219152 - Dell ControlPoint Security Manager Application A12 (for 64bit)
http://search.dell.com/results.aspx?s=gen&c=us&l=en&cs=&k=R219152&cat=sup&x=0&y=0

Install the drivers first, then install the application. Sorry, I forget whether the driver or the application include the new Wave. The version of mine after updating is 3.3.0.15

 

Hi guys,

Thanks hyce, I'll check that out.

geewhipped, no problem, you're right about the situation. I just got a reply from Dell's tech support. They said that there's no way to directly access the fingerprint reader, as all access is controlled via the Broadcom device. They also said all M4400's ship with the Broadcom device, regardless of what fingerprint reader is purchased.

I also contacted UPEK, who were very friendly, and their tech support confirmed that the Broadcom device obfuscates the fingerprint reader, meaning there's no way for UPEK's software or Windows 7 to access the device. We just have to wait and hope that Broadcom get their act together

 

Just a bump on this if anyone has any further information. I can't get my M4400 fingerprint reader to work for anything, with Windows 7 32-bit installed. I've downloaded ControlPoint Security Application and Drivers and did the "custom" install on the drivers to check the "fingerprint reader" drivers, so they would be installed.
After install, I have gone through the wizard which first had me setup the "TPM" - enabled it and established ownership. Nothing tells me what to select while doing the setup (such as using password and biometric or biometric only, do you check the box for "Ctrl+Alt+Del" at logon). I tried several configurations, but it always gets stuck trying to "enroll" fingerprints.
All this to only be allowed to use it to login to Windows only and no other applications or websites.
I've always been a Dell supporter, but they have just gone in the wrong direction. It seems that they try hard enough to keep up hardware wise, but they turn around and use the worst software solutions possible. They are shooting theirself in the foot. Unless they change their ways this will be the last Dell that I buy. There are others out there that seem to have much more common sense. Something Dell used to have a lot of.