Service Host: Windows Biometric Service CPU usage stuck at 18% and sensor won't work

[Chimney_83]

Keep checking HP Support Assistant for updates regularly and hopefully, it should resolve the issue you are facing. 

Please do post your technical queries on our Forums for assistance. 

[Mack202]

Despite making regular checks there has been no update from HP or from Microsoft.  There is a big Windows 10 update coming later this year but I doubt it will solve anything - more likely just introduce new issues.

Anyway for those of you who are still being frustrated by this ongoing problem I have found an effective work around.

Windows Biometric Service still runs at full tilt after every wake from sleep.  Stopping the process using Task Manager solves that but then SimplePass won't work at all during that session.  And you still can't use it to log on again later.

SOLUTION - if you Sign Out before putting your laptop to sleep then SimplePass remains active and then when you wake it from sleep you can use it to log on.  Also SimplePass still works properly during that session.

Having to Log out can turn out to be a bit of a pain but I made a Desktop shortcut setting "C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe -L" as the target so then I just need to double click my icon to Sign Out.  Being particualrly lazy I have added this to the Task Bar so now I only need one click to Sign Out.  Once signed out I can close my laptop lid knowing SimplePass will be fully functional when I return.

Hope this helps a few others.

[FrankDunham13]

Yes unfortunately you're right, neither HP nor Microsoft pushed an update to solve this issue. I took steps that another user provided and decided to just get rid of HP's Simplepass as well as any other bloatware, uninstall and re-install the validity driver and hope for the best.

[PopHi]

I had exactly the same problem after Win10 Creator install. Removing SimplePass cleared it for me.

[Mack202]

Does the fingerprint scanner still work OK without SimplePass?  What difference does it make?

Mark.

[PopHi]

Yes, it works fine using the Win10 software. You lose the SimplyPass functionality. I didn't use it, so no loss.

You'll need to go to Win10 Settings -> Home -> Accounts to save a new fingerprint image.

[DLBurkhart]

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@Mack202 wrote:

Despite making regular checks there has been no update from HP or from Microsoft.  There is a big Windows 10 update coming later this year but I doubt it will solve anything - more likely just introduce new issues.

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You hit the nail on the head. The new update not only did nothing to fix the compatibility issue with SimplePass, but now 3D DriveGuard is incompatible.

[JeffAsfbay]

It is now December of 2017 and I too have the same problem with the fingerprint scanner that started about the same time as it did for everyone else who has chimed in. 

Has anyone asked HP to escalate this to the next higher level? 

If not, I hereby ask that someone from HP explain how to escalate this problem - maybe this is the wrong place to do it, but there is plenty of information explaining the problem, and plenty of people who say it's *still* a problem, so it would be nice if someone from HP would make my request happen. 

Thank you in advance,

Jeff A

[JoeSomeone]

I do not see answers that really work, maybe I missed it. This worked for me on W10 with an HP Envy 17.

1. Go to DEViCE MANAGER  - Biometrics and update to the latest Driver. This is just to be sure. It will not fix the problem.

2. reboot

3.Go to SERVICES (Local) and find Windows Biometric Service

4. Select PROPERTIES

5. Select LOGON

6.Under Local System Account select Allow Service to Interact with Desktop.

7. reboot

This fixed it for me, the exact same PROBLEM as this forum, hope it helps others

FYI After 2 weeks my Email will be disabled. I do not believe in making personal information available on the internet and I do not wish to be innudated with questions. I am not a computer power user. i do not know the ins and outs of this problem . I just persevered until I found something that worked on my system. I can not help you any further.I only responded to this because of the difficultiy I had in fixing it and what I percieved as a failure to find the issue, at least one of the issues anyhow. So how did this box ever get unchecked? Beats me

[Seafrog]

Just go to task master and shut it off when it shows up.  Mine is disabled and still starts up every so often.  Maybe it's HPs idea of how to fry processors.