Lazybit

The smart card service is a standard Windows component and it should be present on every system. However, in certain circumstances that is not the case - as a result, programs that depend on this service will fail.

I've previously discussed how to install the smart card service on Windows XP, and I've covered this procedure on Windows 2000. However, I had no solution for Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Fortunately, that is not the case anymore, a solution that works on 32-bit and 64-bit platforms was found, here is how it works.

Sometimes the smart card service is not in the list of services at all, but if you look for the files related to this service (ex: SCardSSP.dll) - they are present in the file system. So the problem is not in the fact that the modules are not there; they are - but they are not loaded.

Having had the opportunity to tinker with a problematic system, I was able to determine that the service is absent because some entries in the registry are different from their "normal system" counterparts.

In other words, the difference is only in the contents of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\SCardSvr.

If the service is not listed, open regedit and view that key, it will most likely be absent. If it is present - it means that some of its sub-entries are incorrect.

1. Backup the key (right-click\Export) to a REG file
2. Delete the key
3. Download and import this REG file: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3258602/scard-vistax86x64.reg
4. Reboot the system

If the planets are aligned properly - the service will be back, and it will be running after the restart. Give your software a try, everything should work. The registry file above works with Vista x86 and Vista x64.

For Windows 7, use this one: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3258602/scardsvr-win7x64.reg (it should work on both types of platforms).

I hope you'll find this helpful and that you will save all the time I've lost. Feel free to share your experience or ask any questions.

If the sky falls down and Dropbox doesn't work, here is the contents of the files.

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A fresh beta of Logon for Vista is now available for download: http://files.dekart.com/beta/Logon-2.23.1-TVMonday.msi

 

Changelog:

• It works in Windows Seven
• It works with biometric scanners integrated into most modern laptops, as well as other fingerprint scanners (no additional configuration is needed, as long as the fingerprint scanner driver is installed)
• Key backup feature has been added
• Various bug-fixes

A new beta of Logon for Vista is now available for download: http://files.dekart.com/beta/Logon-Vista-2230.msi It is not yet a final, and it does not provide all the features that are available in the non-Vista version. Here are some highlights that will be useful to you if you're planning to play with it:

• You must logon using a key once, in order to make the Dekart credential provider the default one;
• Press Other credential providers to choose key authentication;
• This version does not provide support for biometric authentication as a third factor, but the feature will be available in the next release;
• A restart after the installation is not needed;
• The current version cannot use keys created by the older version, therefore you should make a backup of your sensitive data.

The GUI of the key administration tool is not yet final, there will be changes here and there.

It is not known to the wide public, but the truth is that for quite some time a version of Private Disk Light for Windows Vista, as well as for 64-bit versions of Windows XP has been available.

It can be downloaded: http://files.dekart.com/beta/PrvDiskLight-Vista.exe

It is unofficially called Private Disk Light 1.23, and here are the changes:

• Support for Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit)
• Support for Windows XP 64-bit
• Prettier icon
• Surprise - a new feature that hasn't been present in the earlier versions of Private Disk; it is not likely to get noticed. But if you do notice it, you can get a free license for the full version of Private Disk, and I am absolutely serious about this one ;-) Good luck!

A new beta of Password Carrier is now available, it brings Vista compatibility into the game; 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista are both supported.

Other changes:

• An error was fixed - at times the program would fail if the number of collected credentials would exceed a certain threshold;
• Inactivity is now shown via a tray-icon (the program locks itself if the computer is left unattended)

How to update

Simply extract the contents of the archive to the removable disk, overwriting the current files of the program. Make sure you do not delete any of your .dka files (the profiles that contain your identities, and the credentials associated with each identity).

The beta is in a stable state, there are no known issues with it. The program is now an official release, and can be retrieved from dekart.com.

***

Why Password Carrier

Password Carrier is not just another form filler, it is much more than that, because:

• it was designed with security in mind - the collected data are encrypted with AES-256;
• biometric authentication can be used as a third authentication (along with "something you have" - the USB key, and "something you know" - the PIN);
• it is absolutely portable - works on any Windows system, does not require administrative privileges;
• all the private data are always with you, and updates happen on-the-fly - newly memorized passwords can be used on other computers, not only on the one on which they were captured;
• Password Carrier understands the meanings of the fields - so that if the design of the web-page is updated, it will still be able to figure out where to type in the data.