Fingerprint Reader

[xcountryrower]

I just looked at the flash video of the T42 and T43's fingerprint reader. Is that thing really reliable? Hows the software? It would be so nice to be able to not worry about that stuff.

Oh, how much better is the UXGA screen the the SXGA+?

[Tan Mann]

I just looked at the flash video of the T42 and T43's fingerprint reader. Is that thing really reliable? Hows the software? It would be so nice to be able to not worry about that stuff.

Oh, how much better is the UXGA screen the the SXGA+?

Personally, I would not even bother using the reader, I mean, how long, really, would it take for detritus to accumulate on the sensor and render the thing annoyingly intermittent? And would you remember passwords and userids from 6 months earlier?

I would prefer not to be too dependent on it and stick with the usual passwords. perhaps if it has an export utility for the userids and passwords that is secured by as Master Password, that would work.

As to UXGA vs SXGA+...

I tried 15" UXGA (1600 * 1200) - 2373HVU
I tried 14" SXGA+ (1400 * 1050) - 23733UU
I tried 15" SXGA+ (1400 * 1050) - 2379DXU

For my 42-yr old peepers, The UXGA was impossible without maxing out the sizes up to 150%.. It looked [censored] nice, lot's of windows on screen is really desirable, but the text size was tiring to look at.

The 14" SXGA+ is great for on the road and meetings where I work on it for 30mins to 1 hr. It became tiring to look at after 1 hour. Vertical viewing angle was a bit of a hassle too for editing scanned pix(old b/w stuff from Paraguay).

The 15" SVGA+ on the other hand, is what I use mostly. Reason? No eye-strain with fonts at 110% and I can work on it for 5-6 hours at a time. The weight is a wee bit of a drawback, but I only unsheath it 1-2 times a day.

Mine has a 60G7200 primary and a UltraBay 100G Fujitsu 2.5"4200RPM (# MHU2100AT) unit that I store the images on. I never really use the DVD-CDRW.

FWIW.

[IBMorBust]

I have one on my T42, and it's been uber-reliable.

I was sceptical before receiving it (somewhat), but am a believer now. I have zero reservations recommending it.

[Tan Mann]

I have one on my T42, and it's been uber-reliable.

I was sceptical before receiving it (somewhat), but am a believer now. I have zero reservations recommending it.

Good to know.!
How long have you had it?
I am concerned about 6 months from now when I have totally forgotten userids and passwords.
Will 6 months of dust, dirt and grime have an effect on the reliability of the sensor?

That is my concern, I guess.

[ChristopherTD]

The T42p that I got had the fingerprint reader, and although I didn't think I would use it, I find it extremely quick, reliable and useful. Works very well, but has only had a month to accumulate dust. FWIW the fingerprint reader on my iPaq pocket PC has worked for 18 months without any problems.

Anyway you can always enter the normal password, so I wouldn't worry about losing a finger or two...

As for UXGA I love it and manage to read it easily with my 42 year old eyes! It is a very personal thing, so you possibly need to look at one if you can.

[jmagbita]

i just installed password manager and am using it with fingerprint reader..

question? i only use the password manager.. i am not using the logon to windows password or startup password at all.. when i start my computer, it goes directly into windows.. only problem is, whenever i go to a website that i have included in password manager, and i hit ctrl f2, before i can scan my fingerprint, i have to verify my IBM password to "authenticate user" by actually typing in my pass key.. after that, i can then scan my fingerprint..

almost seems like it's not worth the hassle! now, after i have verified myself as the user, i can then use the fingerprint input as much as i like with no more hassles..

is there any way for my to use my fingerprint to authenticate user instead of inputing password manually?

[weebo523]

jmagbita, that's a good question. I just purchased a T42 with the reader as well and have been playing around with it. It is great for logging on to web sites. Very easy, and recognition has been excellent. But I too have found that you have to type in that one password when you log on to the first web site of the day. I guess it's a good way to remember that one!
Anyway, I am very pleased with the thinkpad so far. I got the 15" model that was on sale for $1499 if using a visa card. Wasn't planning on using the reader but now find it very useful.
Barry

[IBMorBust]

Guys - I am sorry it took me so long to respond.

My fingerprint reader on my T42 is problem free, does not get dirty, and I never, ever have to type in a password. I've been using my T42 for 3-5 hours per day for about a month or just a tad more now, and like I said, it's bulletproof so far.

[weebo523]

IBMorBust, do you use it for web site log-ins and passwords with password manager or do you just use it to log in to windows?
Barry

[BranE]

The only time i have trouble is right after I take a shower. Sometimes it won't work.

[craigg]

This may be what you are looking for as it was posted in another thread. I will try these instructions once I receive my T43:



For anyone who is interested, as it indeed was a little tricky:

1. Activate the security chip in bios, as well as "fingerprint pre desktop use", set the security option for the fingerprint authentication to "normal".

2. Still in bios: Set the following to identical passwords: supervisor, power-up & hdd-access. If you want it extra save (like me), also enable "passwd after hibernation".

3. Run the IBM Fingerprint Control Center in WinXP, read in the three fingerprint samples for each person (use middle-finger of right hand for more accuracy), who is intended to use that machine. These are stored in the security chip as keys (each person = one key). Activate the use of fingerprint on boot by ticking the shown option.

4. Power down the machine.

5. On next start, you will be asked for the fingerprint. After positiv identification it will ask you for the power-on passwd, which you enter now once (this has to be done once for each person using that machine). As it's identical to the hdd-access passwd, it will automatically use it again.

6. That's it! On next machine start, it will ask you for your fingerprint, and on positive identification, it will automatically fill in the passwords for power-up & hdd-access. If authentication fails, it will ask you to enter the power-up passwd. Fingerprint authentication will also work for accessing the bios, if you enabled the bios-passwd-protection (as this is done by the supervisor passwd, you can prevent users to enter the bios by fingerprint ident, just by setting a different passwd for the supervisor).

The cool thing is, this works now completely independent of the used OS, so now I can wipe WinXP, install my favorit Gentoo Linux, and still use fingerprint authentication.

i just installed password manager and am using it with fingerprint reader..

question? i only use the password manager.. i am not using the logon to windows password or startup password at all.. when i start my computer, it goes directly into windows.. only problem is, whenever i go to a website that i have included in password manager, and i hit ctrl f2, before i can scan my fingerprint, i have to verify my IBM password to "authenticate user" by actually typing in my pass key.. after that, i can then scan my fingerprint..

almost seems like it's not worth the hassle! now, after i have verified myself as the user, i can then use the fingerprint input as much as i like with no more hassles..

is there any way for my to use my fingerprint to authenticate user instead of inputing password manually?

[IBMorBust]

IBMorBust, do you use it for web site log-ins and passwords with password manager or do you just use it to log in to windows?
Barry

I only use it to log onto windows. I want it set up this way because it makes life easier for me.

I basically have to use the biometric scanner on start-up, and anytime my system goes into hibernation because of inactivity - This is the was I want it as these are the only times my system is vulnerable to unauthorized access.

Other users may opt for tighter security.

[xcountryrower]

Thanks for the replies. Looks like that reader might be worth its weight...um...yeah

[dfumento]

Can't see a fingerprint reader as very useful for a student. If it comes with the unit anyway, fine. But don't go out of your way to get it. Spend the money on extra RAM or perhaps a spare battery depending on where you are going to be using it.

[baraider]

anyone got any guides on how to use the fingerprint reader to log in websites like gmail, banks account and suchs?

i only use it to log in windows and it works perfectly (knock on wood)...

it only failed me twice because i wasn't putting my fingers in properly.

[davidlg16]

mine won't work right after I wash my hand, have to wait at least half an hour or so.

Once, I tried about 10 times on each of my finger (set it up with 4 fingers) and got me so frustrated