Ben,
Sorry, I either lost track of your OS.
Windows 7 does not have Refresh. Essentially, though a Refresh is an Operating System overload - a "repair" option, if you will, that installs the Windows OS over the top of itself. Files, links, and originally installed programs are set back to factory original - user files are left in place. It sounds great and it is - but it does have some restrictions and it does remove user installed programs and such.
That your SimplePass is working is somewhat of a surprise considering all you have been through to get it back. No doubt the file system is at the root of the final hurdle; frankly, although the possible fix is in there somewhere, it is as likely that you will break what you have now if you tinker with it.
You should consider making a fresh Image of your system. As I recall, this is available in Windows 7 Backuip and Restore. If you mess up from here and lose what you have, you can use your Image to "come back".
How-to:
Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup
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BIOMETRICS - Logon
The fingerprint logon is controlled with the Biometrics feature --
Control Panel > icon view > Biometrics > Change Biometric settings
Sometimes you can regain control of the Logon function by
- switch off the Biometrics that allows one to log in using the fingerprinter,
- restart the computer and log in,
- switch the function back to "on",
- Restart the computer and log in
Note that switching the Biometrics off /on does wipe out your saved password and the password of any other user of the notebook. You have to reset everything after the logon function is switched back on.
ALWAYS create a Restore Point before switching the Biometrics off / on.
The risks:
- The system will not completely wipe out (or restore) the logon password correctly - you could end up with "incorrect password". This breaks SimplePass in the sense that you do not have access to the control programs.
- Although it should not do so, it might break SimplePass in other odd ways. This is not a common result.
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Device Power Management
The Biometric Validity Sensor and some other drivers (example, wireless) inlcude a Power Management setting.
To some extent you can control how the computer manages the device by telling the computer if it is allowed to turn off the power to the device itself. The amount of savings realized by allowing the computer to switch off the hardware can be meaningful only if your system is running on battery AND if you allow the battery run down to critical levels. In other words, the amount of power used to control the Biometric device is TINY.
There are a couple of ways to get to the Power Management setting:
Control Panel> icon view > Device Manager> Biometrics>
Right clickon Validity Sensor device (or other brand) >
Properties> Power Management
OR
Control Panel> icon view > Biometrics>
Under your Biometric Devices> Click Properties> Change Settings> Power Management
Then:
UNCHECK "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power"
OK
NOTE to anyone using Windows 8+:
Especially if you are using your Windows Live login account, you might want to set your wireless card to this same Power Management setting. Windows 8 really, really wants to be connected to the Internet.
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SimplePass Windows Logon Setting
Within SimplePass(Splash) > Settings(small spikey wheel) >
Under "Enable Features" > CHECKthe boxes to control which functions overwhich SimplePass has control
The Windows Logon box is miost likely checked by default. You might be able to "kick" the program by toggling this feature with a computer restart in between.
If you like, you can try
- UNCHECK the Windows Logon Box
- Click OK to set the selection
- Restart the computer and log in
- Open (start) SimplePass (Splash)
- CHECK the Windows Logon Box
- Click OK to set the selection
- Restart the computer and log in
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