Solved Unable to add fingerprint after fresh re-install


One more idea:

Check to see if there is a newer driver for your fingerprint sensor available on Microsoft update. I did this, and while there was indeed a newer driver for my laptop, it did not solve the problem, but might be worth trying.

I would wait for today's updates first, but then this might be worth a shot. Here is how:

Open Device Manager, locate the fingerprint sensor, right-click on it, select properties, and go to the details tab. Select "Hardware Ids".

Image1.webp

Go to the Microsoft Update Catalog and search on the Vendor ID and the Product ID as shown in the screenshot below. NOTE: Omit the revision.

Link to the Update Catalog:
Image2.webp

If an update is available it will likely be in a CAB file. You can extract the contents using File Explorer. Once you have the extracted files, right-click the .INF file and choose to install it, or choose to update the device from Device Manager, pointing to the extracted driver.

IMPORTANT: CVheck the version number and compare to what you have. Install only if what was available on the Update Catalog was newere than what you have installed.
 

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@deepakpc007,

How'd you do with the updates today? I'm glad to be able to report that on my laptop, the fingerprint sensor issue has been resolved.

 

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Do this:



And then log back into the microsoft account on your pc after a reboot after a few minutes of removing it. Then try the fingerprint enrollment again.
Thanks. But this also didn't work.
 

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@hsehestedt

Glad that your issue is sorted. Mine is still there even after the update. I checked in the Microsoft Catalog for driver updates as you said. Look like I'm on the latest one. I was on a local offline account. I tried logging in with my outlook account. It prompted the fingerprint setup. But that also showed the same error.

I'll try reinstalling Windows with the latest updates to see if it fixes on a fresh install.
 

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There is a known bug where certain fingerprint sensors are currently not working. I recall reading about it in known issues somewhere. Microsoft has generated a bunch of new bugs in recent Windows updates and this is one of them. Technically, it's possible that it may be the fingerprint sensor driver at fault, but the problem was introduced by MS, so more likely a Windows bug since these sensors worked in previous builds.

This problem has been ongoing for several months I believe. I have a Lenovo laptop affected by this issue. Since today (Jan 14) is patch Tuesday, it is my hope that this, along with some other annoying bugs that have been around for several months, will finally get fixed today. Since there were no Jan 2025 preview updates, i have no idea whether this issue finally gets fixed or not until I try the updates later today.

If you apply the updates today, or in the near future, post back here whether or not they resolve the issue. I'll post back how I do with my fingerprint sensor.
Fingerprint sensors might experience problems after a device is locked

The posted solution is to install October 2024 or a later update. I presume if you're re-installing from a clean ISO, the order should be:
1. Install from clean ISO.
2. Open System Settings, check Windows Updates and wait until Windows updates itself.
3. Now enable Windows Hello. And not before the current updates are installed.
 

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Update on the issue: I installed 23H2 with the ISO I got from UUPDump. In that version, I'm not seeing the same error. But still I was not able to enroll. It said something went wrong.

Since @hsehestedt got his fingerprint sensor to work after the update, I guess that this is related to my specific sensor.

I have now switched back to 24H2 and I'll wait for a driver update or a windows update which will fix this.

Thank you all for the help.
 

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HyperX Alloy Elite 2
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I have the same problem with windows saying i already have 10 fingerprints even though its a fresh installation. This happened after i got a new motherboard, cpu, ram, and ssd so i knew that they weren't stored locally on my pc. I thought that they might be stored on my Microsoft account but when creating a new local account without Microsoft it had the same error. I then did some digging on my fingerprint reader and i believe that how it works is that the fingerprints are stored on the fingerprint reader when you add a fingerprint and it then gives windows a key or something. Then when you go to use your fingerprint reader (fx. logging in or using windows hello) windows sends that key to the fingerprint reader and tells the reader that windows is looking for a fingerprint. The reader then checks if the key is correct and if it is it will scan for a finger. If the fingerprint is correct it then tells windows that it has gotten the correct fingerprint. Now if you want to delete a fingerprint from your reader (you should normally be able to do this in setting > accounts > sign in options > security key) windows will give the fingerprint reader the key and tell the fingerprint reader to delete the fingerprint. But if you have reinstalled windows (like i did) the new windows installation wont have the key that you need to tell the reader to delete the fingerprint.

Now im not entirely sure that this is exactly how it works as i couldn't find much information about it. Also i believe that not all fingerprint readers work the same way so your fingerprint reader might work differently from mine.

Fortunatly for me if im correct i will be able to use my old drive which still has the old windows installation to delete the fingerprints stored on the fingerprint reader.

if im correct and it works i will update but as you probably cant access your old windows installation it wont help you much. Im currently looking into if its possible to reset the fingerprint reader but i haven't found any way to do it yet (at least not the one im using).

I hope this helps in one way or another.
 

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I have the same problem with windows saying i already have 10 fingerprints even though its a fresh installation. This happened after i got a new motherboard, cpu, ram, and ssd so i knew that they weren't stored locally on my pc. I thought that they might be stored on my Microsoft account but when creating a new local account without Microsoft it had the same error. I then did some digging on my fingerprint reader and i believe that how it works is that the fingerprints are stored on the fingerprint reader when you add a fingerprint and it then gives windows a key or something. Then when you go to use your fingerprint reader (fx. logging in or using windows hello) windows sends that key to the fingerprint reader and tells the reader that windows is looking for a fingerprint. The reader then checks if the key is correct and if it is it will scan for a finger. If the fingerprint is correct it then tells windows that it has gotten the correct fingerprint. Now if you want to delete a fingerprint from your reader (you should normally be able to do this in setting > accounts > sign in options > security key) windows will give the fingerprint reader the key and tell the fingerprint reader to delete the fingerprint. But if you have reinstalled windows (like i did) the new windows installation wont have the key that you need to tell the reader to delete the fingerprint.

Now im not entirely sure that this is exactly how it works as i couldn't find much information about it. Also i believe that not all fingerprint readers work the same way so your fingerprint reader might work differently from mine.

Fortunatly for me if im correct i will be able to use my old drive which still has the old windows installation to delete the fingerprints stored on the fingerprint reader.

if im correct and it works i will update but as you probably cant access your old windows installation it wont help you much. Im currently looking into if its possible to reset the fingerprint reader but i haven't found any way to do it yet (at least not the one im using).

I hope this helps in one way or another.
Thanks for the info. I didn't know that this was the case. Earlier I was using a different fingerprint sensor, and when I changed my CPU, it was giving me errors when enrolling and I had to change it to my current one to make it work.
 

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AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Motherboard
MSI B450 Pro Carbon AC
Memory
G.Skill TridentZ 2x16GB 3200MHz CL16
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MSI GeForce RTX 4090 Suprim
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ASUS ROG PG32UCDM 4K 32 inch 240Hz
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3840x2160
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Samsung 990 Pro 4TB
Samsung 970 Evo 1TB
WD Blue 7200RPM 1TB HDD
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Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Black
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HyperX Alloy Elite 2
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I have the same problem with windows saying i already have 10 fingerprints even though its a fresh installation. This happened after i got a new motherboard, cpu, ram, and ssd so i knew that they weren't stored locally on my pc. I thought that they might be stored on my Microsoft account but when creating a new local account without Microsoft it had the same error. I then did some digging on my fingerprint reader and i believe that how it works is that the fingerprints are stored on the fingerprint reader when you add a fingerprint and it then gives windows a key or something. Then when you go to use your fingerprint reader (fx. logging in or using windows hello) windows sends that key to the fingerprint reader and tells the reader that windows is looking for a fingerprint. The reader then checks if the key is correct and if it is it will scan for a finger. If the fingerprint is correct it then tells windows that it has gotten the correct fingerprint. Now if you want to delete a fingerprint from your reader (you should normally be able to do this in setting > accounts > sign in options > security key) windows will give the fingerprint reader the key and tell the fingerprint reader to delete the fingerprint. But if you have reinstalled windows (like i did) the new windows installation wont have the key that you need to tell the reader to delete the fingerprint.

Now im not entirely sure that this is exactly how it works as i couldn't find much information about it. Also i believe that not all fingerprint readers work the same way so your fingerprint reader might work differently from mine.

Fortunatly for me if im correct i will be able to use my old drive which still has the old windows installation to delete the fingerprints stored on the fingerprint reader.

if im correct and it works i will update but as you probably cant access your old windows installation it wont help you much. Im currently looking into if its possible to reset the fingerprint reader but i haven't found any way to do it yet (at least not the one im using).

I hope this helps in one way or another.
Update.

I finally had some time to try and boot up with my old drive and parts and a random psu i found lying around and i fortunatly or unfortunaly for you confirmed my theory. I could succesfully remove my old fingerprints and now my fingerprint reader works just as before i upgraded my pc. I still haven't found a way to reset a fingerprint reader. Im guessing that all of this is due to security so you cant immitate the fingerprint reader and bruteforce your way into the pc. If you have an external reader you will probably need to buy a new one or if you have an integrated one you can either try to get it replaced or get an external one that connects via usb. If i find any way to reset a fingerprint reader i will update and if you find a way please let me know.
 

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Custom Build
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AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
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Gigabyte Radeon RX 7800 XT
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1: 1440p 165Hz IPS, 2: 4k 60Hz IPS, 3: 1080p 60Hz IPS (vertical),
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Crucial P3 Plus 4TB
PSU
Cougar Gex 750w
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Corsair ICue 7000x
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Corsair ICue h150i elite lcd xt, 11x Corsair ICue ql120, 1x Corsair ICue ql140
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Corsair ICue k70 MAX
Mouse
Razer Cobra Pro with 8kHz dongle
Internet Speed
"1000 mbps download/upload" actual speeds in my room around 300 mbps download 550 mbps upload
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Opera GX
Antivirus
Windows Defender
I still haven't found a way to reset a fingerprint reader.
Just go into settings and completely REMOVE the option to logon using fingerprints, then set it up again from scratch.
 

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    Acemagic
    CPU
    Intel i7-14650HX
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    120W Power Brick
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    Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
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    Logitech MX Master 3
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    Edge
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  • At a glance

    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)Intel i7-1255U16 GBIntel Iris Xe Graphics
    Operating System
    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
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    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
Update on the issue:

I checked my fingerprint scanner on another PC having an older version of Windows 11. It showed "Something wrong" error.

I bought Verimark Desktop fingerprint sensor to test on my PC and I can enroll my fingerprints now without any issue.

I think what @Mathias pointed out was the issue. I did reset my PC quite a few times without knowing I had to unenroll the fingerprints beforehand. So, that might have hit the limit of 10. I couldn't find a way to clear the fingerprint information stored on the fingerprint sensor.
 

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Windows 11AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3DG.Skill TridentZ 2x16GB 3200MHz CL16MSI GeForce RTX 4090 Suprim
OS
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Computer type
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CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Motherboard
MSI B450 Pro Carbon AC
Memory
G.Skill TridentZ 2x16GB 3200MHz CL16
Graphics Card(s)
MSI GeForce RTX 4090 Suprim
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS ROG PG32UCDM 4K 32 inch 240Hz
Screen Resolution
3840x2160
Hard Drives
Samsung 990 Pro 4TB
Samsung 970 Evo 1TB
WD Blue 7200RPM 1TB HDD
PSU
Corsair RM1000e Shift
Case
NZXT H7 Flow
Cooling
Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Black
Keyboard
HyperX Alloy Elite 2
Mouse
Razer Basilisk
I had to go to the BIOS, on Security, check "Reset fingerprint on reboot". After that I was able to setup fingerprint sign-in once again.
 

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