Accidentally Uninstalled Biometric using Device Manager and its not coming back

Anonymous
2019-01-10T04:37:08+00:00

Hello,

I seem to have permanently deleted the "biometric devices" category in the Device Manger. Windows Hello using a biometric device no longer works. 

I have a home built desktop with a Mouse Cm-01a Window Hello camera. It was working very well for about a year. Some combination of the 1809 update and new AMD Graphics Card Drivers stopped it from working consistently.

I began trying to roll back graphics card drivers and do other troubleshooting. I even performed a recovery and it did not solve the issue. I read that I could uninstall the camera and have Windows reinstall the drivers. When this didn't work, I attempted to uninstall biometric devices and have it reinstall the divers. Unfortunately this category has never returned.

Now my Window Hello setting in Sign-in options says "Face and fingerprint recognition are not available on this device".

I have tried a lot of the steps you would see from other troubleshooting sites (edit group policy settings, restart the Windows Biometric Service), but no luck. 

I'm at my wits end here. I would rather not have to do another restore (that state wasn't working perfectly well as it was). Perhaps I have to do a Repair Install. Let me know if I have any other options (or if I just need to bite the bullet). Thanks!

Here are some system stats:

Processor: Intel i5-4690

RAM 16 GB

OS: Windows 10 Pro

Version: 1809

Build: 17763.253 (I am in the release preview track)

GPU: Radeon RX 580 Series (XFX brand)

Radeon Software Version: 18.40.21.06

Edit: Some of the responses have asked that I contact the manufacturer. Unfortunately, that would be me since this is a home-built desktop. I will see if I can find anything through Intel or ASRock (motherboard manufacturer).

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Windows Hello, lock screen and sign-in

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-03-21T14:58:46+00:00

    I did what you recommended, but I do not have the HelloFace.inf file, only the HelloFace.dll.

    What should I do?

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-03-23T06:56:52+00:00

    I found this file also another location. You can search in the windows directory for helloface.inf

    C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_microsoft-windows-hello-face_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.17763.168_none_7602b0b5b863fb92 its for example for me. All you need to do is, right click and install.

    Please try!

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-04-05T12:14:08+00:00

    I also deleted the Windows Hello device in device manager by following a "fix" I found on the web after my Windows Hello login failed to start the camera on the login screen.  According to the fix the device would reinstall when I clicked Scan for Device Changes in the control panel menu - it didn't.  I tried a cold boot and it still didn't return.

    As suggested I found the HelloFace.inf file (it was in both places mentioned above) and right-clicked on it and clicked Install.  I got a window asking for permission, then a message saying "The operation completed sucessfully."  However ,the biometric device still doesn't show up in Device Manager, and no, it isn't hidden.  I tried this with the HelloFace.inf file in both places I found it.

    Any other suggestions?  I'm not going to contact the manufacturer (Dell) because their usual answer is to reinstall windows, no matter what the problem, and it's not worth the trouble just to get Windows Hello back.

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  4. Anonymous
    2019-04-05T17:16:51+00:00

    Did you Scan for hardware changes in Device Manager?

    Did you restart the computer?

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  5. Anonymous
    2019-04-05T17:55:24+00:00

    As I stated: "According to the fix the device would reinstall when I clicked Scan for Device Changes in the control panel menu - it didn't.  I tried a cold boot and it still didn't return."

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