DigitalPersona Personal and Internet Explorer 8 [ Edited ]

[Eugene]

My notebook is an HP HDX 18 Notebook PC with DigitalPersona finger reader. I received an offer from HP and DigitalPersona on January 14, 2009 to upgrade to DigitalPersona File Protection + FREE Upgrade to Personal 4.0 (ver. 4.00.3691) for $14.95. The file protection software and 4.0 Personal software has worked okay up until now (except the finger reader requires a few more swipes of my finger lately).

I was troubled by the following email from DigitalPersona that landed in my inbox today:

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Date:  Thu, 19 Mar 2009 01:11:50 PM PDT 
From: <text deleted>
Subject:  DigitalPersona Personal and Internet Explorer 8

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DigitalPersona Personal
Incompatibility with Internet Explorer 8

 

As you may know, Microsoft® may soon be distributing Internet Explorer 8 via automatic updates. Microsoft has not communicated an official release date yet.

 

Although DigitalPersona has been testing and upgrading its products and applications for compatibility with IE 8, this work is not yet complete.  

 

It is our recommendation that you do NOT upgrade to IE 8 at this time. 

 

To automatically postpone installation of IE 8 until an IE 8-compatible version of DigitalPersona Personal is made available, follow this link

 

https://www.digitalpersona.com/index.php?id=bus_support_downloads_disableIE8

 

We apologize for this inconvenience. We will inform you as soon as an IE 8-compatible version of DigitalPersona Personal is made available.

 

Thank you

DigitalPersona Technical Support

Periodically DigitalPersona will update our valued industry contacts and clients through email in an effort to inform them of the latest developments in fingerprint authentication. DigitalPersona is concered about your privacy. We do not rent, sell or exchange email addresses and respect the wishes of individuals who do not wish to receive email updates. To be deleted from DigitalPersonas distribution list kindly reply to this email with the word, “delete” in the subject line.

DigitalPersona, Inc.
720 Bay Road
Redwood City, CA 94063
(650) 474-4000

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Take a look at the scripts to disable IE8 from installing with Windows Update on the web page at the above link.

My gut instinct is not to trust this fix.

Isn't temporarily disabling Internet Explorer 8 to accommodate the delay in releasing an IE8-compatible version of DigitalPersona Personal 4, sort of like moving the mountain to Mohammed? Suppose IE8 has all kinds of security enhancements that close vulnerabilities in the current IE7? Then by running a script to cause Windows Update not to download IE8 just to accommodate DigitalPersona, software that is supposed to protect the PC, isn't this kind of contradictory... take one step forward (allowing DigitalPersona to function without compatibility problems with IE8) but two steps backwards (preventing the security benefits of IE8 by delaying its installation)?

I called DigitalPersona at the phone number in the email. A recording for Technical Support indicated that DigitalPersona is phasing out support for its Personal edition in order for the company to focus on its enterprise products. The recording recommending contacting the manufacturer of the PC with the DigitalPersona product installed for support. Considering the above email, I don't understand why DigitalPersona expects HP (in the case of my notebook PC) to support their scripts that disable Microsoft Update's downloading of IE8. I'm not sure if I even trust those scripts!!

DigitalPersona won't tell me because they claim I must get support from my PC's manufacturer (HP) and when I called HP, they know nothing about supporting Digital Persona. The HP service representative indicated that HP support is not trained to support DigitalPersona, and quite frankly, I don't think it's fair for DigitalPersona to make this IE8 compatibility issue HP's problem. DigitalPersona has the compatibility problem, and they should answer my support questions. However, even their web site directs me to HP's toll-free number for support, claiming that HP delivered the software on my notebook PC and therefore must support it.

I could use some advice on whether it's safe to simply ignore the above email, allowing Windows Update to install IE8 when it's released? I don't see DigitalPersona in the list of IE7 Add Ons. My first thought was that instead of compromising my entire notebook PC by delaying the installation of IE8, why not simply disable DigitalPersona running with IE8? How do I do this?

Thanks in advance for any enlightenment on this frustrating issue!

Message Edited by WendyM on 03-20-2009 10:37 AM

[GeorgeXP]

Hi!,

In my case, I have an HP Pavilion dv6721la laptop and I installed IE8 yesterday. I have version 3.1.0.3276 of DigitalPersona software and Windows Vista Ultimate Service Pack 1 x86. I have had some problems with DigitalPersona when I try to use my fingerprint to log on to some websites. I guess that DigitalPersona has some issues to work with IE8.

I hope HP or DigitalPersona release any hotfix that manage this problem. By the way, I have disabled DigitalPersona in some websites - I will keep using IE8 anyway.

Best regards!

Jorge

[goodguy_69]

I have a Hp pavilion dv6827 and i am having the same issue with the fingerprint reader. It opens the web browser but does not give me the page that i am requesting.

i hope that someone comes up with a FIX... 

[deeskannur]

Hi All,

Just an update on this ... Please download a patch file(Digital Persona Fingerprint Reader Software) for this and install it on the computer.

You will be able to use Digital Persona with Internet Explorer 8.

Update can be available : http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?softwareitem=ob-72110-1&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&...

Any questions, suggestions are welcome.

Regards,

Dees Kannur.

Message Edited by WendyM on 06-26-2009 09:10 AM

[joey_iowa]

What about 64 bit computers?

[huestones]

for 64bit try sp43883.exe

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?softwareitem=ob-72127-1&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&product=3812229&os=2100&lang=en

[Eugene]

I have installed on my HP-HDX Premium Series Notebook X-18 1020us the latest service pack and updates for Windows Vista 64-bit.

A month or two ago (in June or July) Digital Persona alerted me to an update. It's curious that my version is higher in number than the one you provided at the HP download link:

My version: 4.01.3751

HP download page version: 4.0.1.3749_64 A (2009-05-29)

(HP Digital Persona Fingerprint Reader Software)

Now I'm pretty sure that Digital Persona automatically alerted me to that update in June or July 2009, which I accepted and downloaded (whereas the HP version shown at the above download page is dated 5/29/2009).

I just tested my Internet Explorer 8 software by going to Wells Fargo and running my finger to log in. Whereas Digital Persona did not work when I initially created this topic back in March 2009, it works flawlessly now.

Therefore, it would seem that to have the latest and greatest update, one needs to go directly to the source and download version 4.01.3751.

I accepted the automatic update when Digital Persona alerted me to this update. For those who did not get the automatic alert, however, it may be a little more frustrating to get version 4.01.3751.

After a search at Yahoo.com, I arrived at the following Digital Persona download page:

http://www.digitalpersona.com/index.php?id=bus_support_downloads_software

I'm wondering why HP has version 4.0.1.3749_64 A posted when version 4.01.3751 is running flawlessly on my 64 bit notebook?

[Vandie]

what is the actual update from that page that we need to install?  I cant find the 3751 on there

[Eugene]

I need to elaborate on my previous post because a critical fact slipped my mind. In March 2009, I received an email offer from Digital Persona (because I registered the product) to upgrade from Digital Persona Personal (that came with my HDX Premium X-18 1020us Notebook) to Digital Persona Personal Premium for $14.95. (The offer at Digital Persona's web site is at this link at the bottom of the page.) This upgraded product includes file protection and a few other bells and whistles not included in the free version that comes with HP notebooks with finger swipe readers.

Afterwards, I recall the software automatically retrieved an update for this Premium edition.

That explains the specific version 4.01.3751 on my PC.

Since I don't use all the features of Digital Persona, I don't know if it is completely compatible with Explorer 8. What I do know is that after upgrading to the  Premium edition earlier this year, then upgrading to Explorer 8, the fingerprint icon disappeared when Explorer 8 was running, and swiping my fingers on sites such as Wells Fargo no longer worked. I gave up the quest to find a compatible upgrade, when a few months later I recall Digital Persona popping a dialog box asking me if I wanted to upgrade. I clicked in the affirmative and the upgrade was downloaded. Afterwards, I happened to notice the fingerprint icon appear on login web pages (i.e. Wells Fargo) and discovered that swiping my finger logged into the account as with Explorer 7.

I would suggest one of two things: (a) go to the HP upgrade link in the previous post (and disregard the discrepancy between its version number and mine) to upgrade to the free Digital Persona that is reported to work with IE8; or (2) go to the above link and upgrade to Digital Persona Personal Premium for $14.95 (if you want the additional features in the Premium edition). I like the Premium edition because you can right-click a file and protect it with your fingerprint using military-grade encryption. However, without the fingerprint reader, encrypted files must be decrypted using a utility I downloaded from Digital Persona's site. Don't ask me where that utility is location because I don't remember (but a search on Digital Persona's support site will tell you how to decrypt files manually if you don't have a fingerprint reader).

[Vandie]

ok...

ya the update above from the HP site still doesnt allow for digitalpersona to work with Internet Explorer 8 for me anymore...think it has to do with the actuall explorer setting and not the DP settings though