Has a driver been released for the Validity Sensor VFS451 yet?

[Britton1981]

Hello,

I have the HP Elitebook 8440w and it's still a very nice laptop for it's age. Before the staff even ask, NO it is not under warrenty. I'm not here to make a claim or RMA anything. I just have one simple question. Does anyone at HP know where I can find a software driver for the validity fingerprint reader/scanner (model VFS451) for Windows 10 x64?

The sensor was working just fine, it was a pain to get the sensor to work the first time around with out that horrible HP SimplePass software, but I managed to get it to work under Windows 10 after doing a clean install. This was about a half a year ago and Windows 10's "Hello" could see it and allowed me to scan my finger prints into the system. I only want it to work for one thing and that is to login to Windows. It was so handy to be able to just swipe my finger over the sensor and have Windows log right in. Apparently MS's Anniversary Update or one of the cumlutaive updates after it just caused it to no longer be recongnized. The device manager shows the device listed and says it works. None of the old or current drivers seem to do anything and Windows update just installed a space filler for device manager device list, as it cleary does not actually do anything, anymore. I've already fired off an angry response to MS using their feedback hub. I'm sure I'll get no response out of that, but maybe just maybe they'll see it and fix whatever they changed.

So now I'm here to find out if there is anything I can do on my end to get this piece of hardware to actually do what it was intended to do. Everything else works, it's a little worn for wear but it's not ready for the trash can just yet. If anyone even non HP staff know how to get it to work then please post a reply and let me know. The lenovo drivers don't even want to run so that's out the window.

Now this is just my opinion but I have feeling HP and their execs in the board room know exactly what's going on but remain silent on the subject. You don't want it to work any longer. PC sales been a bit slow? It's not your business model, it's the economy, no one has any money to blow on over priced laptops and the ones who do aren't buying HP. Wonder why....anyway I'm just a bit upset about this. I've been up all night long trying to figure this mess out.

The method I used before no longer works and is clearly being blocked, probably on purpsoe, by MS.  It's irritating to see hardware and software vendors just give up on products when they go out of the warrenty range. Just because your not making money on the already sold products anymore doesn't give you the excuse to just drop support for hardware that is still in use and still works. I could see it if the hardware was 15 years old, but it's only 7 based on the manufacture date of 2010. So again you got any answer for this or just more lame excuses and pointless links to nothing?

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

Here is their policy regarding W10 support for PC's. 

HP is not going to be releasing any W10 driver updates for your mobile workstation.  Maybe for some of the reasons you listed, but that is neither here nor there.

http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c05195282

Since HP has no intention of supporting PCs that do not meet the criteria set forth in the above link, we are forced to experiment with whatever we have at our disposal to get W10 to work on our trusty older PC's.

In reference to the issue you are experiencing, this is the only suggestion I can offer to see if you can get the fingerprint sensor to work...

1. Uninstall the simplepass software and restart the PC.

2. Install the HP Client Security Manager software, and restart the PC. 

This is the software that is the successor to the HP Protect Tools Security Manager software that you used to use on your PC to log in with the fingerprint sensor, and this is what is used for W10.

HP Client Security Manager provides enhanced Windows login and website single-sign-on capabilities. Security Manager is also the host for HP Client Security plugins, and therefore should be installed before other Client Security modules. This package is provided for supported models running a supported operating system. 

ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp74001-74500/sp74101.exe

[Britton1981]

Thanks for letting me know something Paul.

I figured there was no real alternative, if the laptop's OS ever gets super messed up I'll reinstall Windows 7 instead. At least under that OS the hardware worked as it it should. Have a good one.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Did the CSM software allow you to log on with the fingerprint sensor?

[Britton1981]

No I haven't bothered with that, the last time I tried the HP protect and other HP security software I didn't like what it did to the computer. So I'm just going to leave it alone.  I got up this morning and can tell something is wrong with the laptops Windows 10 install in general.

I can't put my finger on the exact nature of the problem. I can just see the effects, specifically in the sign in options menu in the settings app. Just days ago the laptop had a pin that was used to sign in that just went away all by itself and now the system won't even allow for a pin to be set. When I try the menu just shows a spinning icon beside the add button that never goes away. Then if you restart or shut down the computer on the next reboot there is no sign in options at all. Just the windows spotlight image and the 3 options in the corner. It feels like there is something wrong at the foundation level of the Windows 10 framwork or kernel. 

I'm actually live in the process of trying some different ideas I had and have this post pulled up on the desktop. Right now as I type this out I'm glancing over at the laptop and i just tried to sign into a windows app after setting the system to use a local account with no password. What's it doing you wonder? It's not signing in, it shows, "Please Wait" with the spinner above that but never signs in. Not even a vauge error code this time. Before it was "object not found" and the error codes are meaningless. Googling them gives no revelent results other than the half baked responses over at Microsoft Answers forum by their script reading staff.

I have mixed feelings about Windows 10 at this point, in some ways it a great opeating system but when stuff like this happens it's so frustrating and it shows the hurried mentality at Mircosoft. Their pushing out untested beta software on the public but calling it stable releases. If there was an emoji for me pulling my hair out and setting the PC on fire I would use it right now...lol.

This is no longer an HP problem, it's my problem and I know what I have to do now.

Thank you for your time, and have a good day.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime.

You have a good day too!