Fingerprint Logon in Windows 8

As I installed Windows 8 I was very happy to see that my Authentec AES2810 fingerprint reader got installed by default.

My happiness didn’t last too long. As I went to record my fingerprints I was greeted with “The selected fingerprint reader has no management application installed”. In Windows 7 that application got installed via Windows Update alongside reader’s driver. In Windows 8 they decided driver alone is enough. Which idiot arrived to that conclusion is left for discussion. In any case, my fingerprint reader was useless.

If everything else fails, go to manufacturer - AuthenTec was kind enough to offer their Protector Suite 2012 for download. Installing it allowed me to use fingerprints once more. It is not ideal situation since that program is limited version (unless you upgrade) and it includes way more than one needs for simple logon. But it does work.