HP Pavilion dv7 4020sa - finger print reader not detected

[midsyork]

Hi had this laptop from new Nov 2010 .... HP Pavilion dv7 4020sa  Product Number WR867EA#ABU

warranty expired Dec 2011.

Up until this afternoon all was well, but upon turning on my laptop an hour ago, the inbuilt finger print reader is no longer detected.

Am also getting an unknown usb device with problems showing up in device manager ....

Have uninstalled usb device and connected to web via ethernet .... but when I reconnect via wifi the usb device reinstalls itself ..???

Attempted to restore backups,repaired, and even uninstall and reinstallation of HP Simplepass ...  all with no affect regarding this ... I am still having no joy activating the sensor ......it tells me the fingerprint reader is not connected.

The laptop has not been dropped, banged, or mishandled in any way.

I am running the latest version of Windows 7 Premium, with all updates installed via HP Assistant. My security suite is Kaspersky 2012....and I have even disabled that whilst attempting a system restore ..... restore keeps coming back with one file which cannot be accessed but doesn't tell me which file???

I have no viruses or malware on my laptop

Please help....It's driving me nuts..

Thank You

[Dragon-Fur · Accepted solution]

Hey Midsyork,

Looks like you are running Digital Persona flavor of SimplePass.

Two things to try, in order:

• Hard Reset
• Remove and Reinstall the Validity Sensor Driver

Hard Reset:

Sometimes all you need to do is kick the computer.  This method works for a variety of connection and ‘stuck’ program issues.

• Disconnect all external devices first.
• Remove AC power and the battery
• Press and hold power button for at least 30 seconds
• Reinstall only AC power for first startup ** See Note
• Power on - Log in
• Next time you shut down the system, reinstall battery.

** Note: You can ignore the bit about leaving the battery out.  If you like, reinstall battery the first time and be done with it.

Check the Software...

If it still doesn't work, proceed.

• Control panel > Device Manager > Biometric Devices > Validity Sensor > Uninstall > Delete
• Reboot …

Validity Sensor  V2.1.0.2

• Install the ValiditySensorDriverinstallationpackage:  It will be named sp*.exe – the package will most likely be located in the Downloads folder.  If you have ‘Admin’ control, you may highlight the package and “double-click” to install it, else Right-Click, Select ‘run as Administrator’ and install.

This may kick things hard enough to reinstate the Digital Persona Software.  We can hit it harder, but first...

======================================================================================

As to the rest of it...

You could consider running a full system scan.  I am a fiend for this.  I love a healthy file system.  This may not fix the problem, but it will assure the issue is not a messed up file system, which CAN cause all sorts of nasty issues and troubles.  You don't really have to "watch" over the scan like a mother hen, or watch the logs, or "DO" anything.  It will take care of itself and try to fix whatever it can.  The only time you have to get involved is it things do not go well...  There is a help doc at the end to tell you what this thing is doing.  It is not harmful and, unless, your system is broken and going to die anyway, it will only make things better than they are now.

sfc-scannow

Scan and repair the system.  The sfc /scannow command will do that - it will scan the operating system, looking for corrupted files and inconsistencies; it will replace and repair whatever it can.  If it finds corrupted programs or libraries, it will try to fix them.

• Start Menu > All Programs > Accessories > Right-Click Command Prompt > Select 'Run as Administrator'
• In the Command Prompt Window, type (or copy / paste) sfc /scannow and press Enter. 

(Note the space between sfc and the "/".)

The sfc scan will report its findings and you can examine the results:

• Open a Command Prompt (does not have to be as Administrator):
• Use the copy command to create a readable file copy of the output:

 copy %windir%\logs\cbs\cbs.log %userprofile%\desktop\cbs.txt

If “scannow” does not complete properly, try running:

 sfc /verifyonly

Copy the results into a text file, pull the output file into Notepad and look for the errors that the full Scan could not fix.

Help File for the System File Checker Command:

System File Checker tool Windows Vista or on Windows 7

====================================================================================

Good Luck!

I hope this helps!

Say “Thanks!” for the Help by clicking the Kudos Star to show your appreciation.

Fixed?  Mark this Post “Accept as Solution” to help others find the answers.

Note: You can find “Accept as Solution” only on threads started by you.

Good Fortune!  Year of the Dragon!

[midsyork]

---

Dragon-Fur wrote:

Hey Midsyork,

Looks like you are running Digital Persona flavor of SimplePass.

====================================================================================

Good Luck!

I hope this helps!

Good Fortune!  Year of the Dragon!

---

Hey Dragon-Fur

You were correct in the assumption of the version of HP Simplepass .

I followed the hard reset..but got no joy, so then followed the alternatives that you gave...... again with no joy.

So I did a factory reset, thinking it would re-detect the sensor ..... again it never registered, so I gave up and uninstalled both the program and the driver and carried on without it.

I then decided to have one last try today ........ I reinstalled the validity sensor driver and rebooted. Was then able to see biometric devices in device manager (it couldn't be seen before I did the factory reset), so I then reinstalled the HP Simple Pass software....rebooted and hey presto!!!! ...it's back working again .

Thank You so much .... kudos and solution given ...

In your debt...

Neil

[Dragon-Fur]

Midsyork,

Hurrah!  You stumbled on the rest of the correct fix for the solution!  Factory reset only sometimes works - it's a sad fact that it's the Driver that must be hit.  One would think that because the factory reset includes driver and software installs, it would always work.  It has to do with Order of Events and how the hardware responds to detection.  I don't pretend to have super powers of understanding, it is an observation.  Smiling.

Indeed, kicking the Driver (and sometimes just kicking the Hard Reset) will let the software start working.  In the cases where driver reinstall does not work, the next step is to reinstall the software (after the driver).  Voila.  In rare instances, even this is not quite enough and then it gets complicated.  Smiling.

I'm glad it's fixed!

[midsyork]

Hey Dragon-Fur,

Thanks for your reply after noticing my issue was fixed.

To go a bit deeper, it wasn't the factory reset that worked on it's own per se... as even after this, the problem of unknown device and fingerprint reader not detected was still present after this.

I just had a "brainwave" and figured I would run through some system checks via F2 on system boot.

I ran the memory test and hard disk checks, both came back as "passed" so I decided that if they were ok then it was worth another go... I rebooted and reinstalled the driver - it was then that the sensor was detected.

Rebooted and reinstalled the software and rebooted again - it must have been the system checks that kicked it into shape again.

Only painstaking thing was realising that the backups I had made of my fingerprints and passwords were now corrupt - so the drawn out task of resetting passwords by email began, My memory's good....just not that good

Anyway, all done now and I've used the old-fashioned method of backing up ...... pen & paper !!!

Thanks again Mate ..... whether your reply was the exact solution could be argued - but it certainly set me on the right track. so my decision to mark it as such still stands.

Kind Regards

Neil

[Dragon-Fur]

MidsYork,

I dare not say it MY solution, only that it is a solution that works and one that has been used in the past:  Hard earned trial and error on the part of lots of folks, me included.  I own naught but the words that I speak and they are wind once past my lips.  Smiling.

You might Export that password database!  It will save time and effort, plus it means that when you next load your computer's Operating System (because you must or due to maintenance) you will be able to easily recover your logins after you enroll your fingerprints.

The following may apply to your setup...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Export the DP Database / Make a Backup:

Start/Open Digital Persona > scan your fingerprint to open > Online Accounts > Manage >

See Import and Export > Select Export

   > Export online account data from this computer >

          Scan your fingerprint > type your password >

             Browse to your selected folder > type in a name > Finish

Keep the Export file safe.  Re-export on a regular basis.  If you have to reinstall your software, you will be able to use this file to restore your passwords.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope this helps!

Say “Thanks!” for the Help by clicking the Kudos Star to show your appreciation.

Fixed?  Mark this Post “Accept as Solution” to help others find the answers.

Note: You can find “Accept as Solution” only on threads started by you.

 2012 Year of the Dragon!

[midsyork]

Dragon_Fur

he he he ..... know exactly where you're coming from

Thanks for the heads up on the export..... have done that, but still keeping paper backup .. learned my lesson with this and trust in the program and driver stability needs to increase before I throw it away ..

Take care Mate and thankyou for all your help.

Neil

[consists]

Plz Help me...........

[npw05001]

Hello consists,

I see that you are looking for help. For assistance can you provide the following information:

1. The model and product number of the computer. Here is a link that shows how to find that information.
2. A detailed description of the issue that you are having.

[Jimskil]

Excellent. I battled with this for 3 days, starting with the reader not functionaning and "unknown device" in USB devices, trying "repair" on the driver, all those things, to the point where I had uninstalled everything except simplepass, so there was no longer a biometric device category in Device Manager, and no amount of "detect hardware changes" or software installs would have any effect.

But after this Hard Reset, I resinstalled the SP with the drivers in and everything magically came back to life. Fantastic.