HP nc8430 fingerprint/drive encryption -how?

I have an nc8430 notebook running XPPro and use the fingerprint reader to log in (a very convenient device which reduces the chances of a keylogger capturing a login password).

I've now set up an encrypted drive to store my confidential files but each time I want to mount the drive I have to type in the Basic User Password. This is a laborious process as the Basic User Password is a very long string of gobbledeygook. I want to simplify this process by using the fingerprint reader to authenticate myself to mount the encrypted drive. Nowhere in the instructions can I find out how to do this.

Is there someone here who knows how this is done ?

 

I think you can get the HP Credential Manager to do this. You'll probably need to poke around and find the option that enables it to store passwords, but there is no guarantee you'll be able to get it to work.

 

Thanks, Greg. I've been thrashing around in the HP Credential Manager Help facility and have Googled left , right and center for solutions and have spoken to the HP "hotline" to no success. I'm a little staggered by all this. This machine is sold as a business notebook with expensive security features but the manufacturer doesn't seem to know how to activate them. I'm beginning to understand why cybercrime is so easy.

Paddy

 

i take mine to work and we have a server drive which i connect to when i get there. to access the drive i just entered the password once and the fingerprint reader software popped up and now all i have to do is swipe my finger to access the server.

 

Let me dig around for a little bit, I think I have a manual on the ProtectTools Suite around here somewhere...

If I find it, I'll upload it for ya.

 

Thanks for this feedback. Just let me make sure I've understood this correctly: you have succeeded in using the fingerprint scanner to access an encrypted drive and the password you originally used was what HP's enhanced security system calls the "Basic User Password". Is that correct ? If so then that possibly takes me a step further.

Sorry to ask that question but the HP system uses so many different passwords that I want to make sure we are talking about the Basic User Password.

Thanks.

 

Thanks very much, Greg. Appreciate that.

I've searched through the built-in help facility to no avail. Googling on the Web elicits several detailed descriptions of the HP Enhanced Security System but they are all sales manuals which describe the technology and advantages of the system in the finest detail but not how to implement it.

Believe me, I'm a guy who tries to help himself but I'm stumped here.

Paddy

 

Alright, these are all the support documents that I have. I'm going offline for the rest of the night, but hopefully you'll find something that will help you in here.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for this, Greg. I've gone through these manuals carefully and also searched them for keywords 'fingerprint' and 'basic' (Basic User Password) and it seems that the fingerprint reader can only be used to log on to Windows. If this is correct then each time one wants to mount the encrypted drive one has to enter the Basic User Password manually. This is ridiculously impracticable if the Basic User Password is long enough to be of any use as a password, so I'm wondering how other users get round this problem.

Paddy

 

What you're looking for is the "Single Sign On service". I've seen it on my mom's 6715b.

I think the credential manager was version 3.00.something.

 

my hp came with bioscrypt: verisoft access manager installed(vista). any place i go to where i need a password a box pops up i enter the info for the site / hard drive once then its saves, all i have to do after that is scan my finger and it works for any web site with a log it, and passworded drives, as well as windows log on.

i searched your laptop model on hp's site under drivers they don't offer that program maby you can download it and try it not sure if its exclusive for vista or not but it works great

 

Problem solved ! Thanks to Nathaniel and Greg. I looked for Nathaniel's "Single Sign On service" in the documents Greg sent to me and that led me to HP Protect Tools Security Manager -> Credential Manager -> Advance Settings -> Tab Single SignOn -> Enable Automatic Detection of Logon Dialogs and Web pages. Enable that automatic detection and then when one tries to Load the Personal Secure Drive the fingerprint dialog pops up. Bingo !

Again, thanks for the help, guys. In case you happen to be looking for a job, I'm sending a glowing reference to HP: you managed to solve a problem which none of their "help" desk agents could. They ought to hire you, ha ha.

 

Thanks very much. Problem now solved (see other posting). One has to activate the "Single Sign On service" with HP Protect Tools Security Manager -> Credential Manager -> Advance Settings -> Tab Single SignOn -> Enable Automatic Detection of Logon Dialogs and Web pages. I'm still staggered that there is not a simple cookbook recipe in the HP help facility to lead ordinary mortals to this, but there we are.