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Smart Card Readers not recognizing Card

I have an HP EliteBook with an internal Smart Card Reader. The computer no longer recognizes when a card is inserted. I have plugged external readers into the laptop's USB port with the same result. The green light does not come on when the card is inserted. Various readers and cards that prove to be functional on other machines will not work on this one.

In Device Manager, I have removed the smart card reader and reinstalled it. It is working fine. I have also updated the driver, even though the driver was up-to-date.

In Services,msc I see the smart card service running. I have stopped it and restarted it several times. The startup type is set to automatic.

In Registry Editor I have modified the permissions of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography\Calais to Full control and Read.

I have also checked the registry setting of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\SCardSvr.

I have even logged on as a different user and I still get the same results.

I have cleared SSL states and removed old certificates under internet options.

I feel like there is an obscure setting that is not Smart Card specific is buried somewhere in the OS stopping the readers from working even though all troubleshooting reveals the device to be working properly. A similar situation happened to me about four years ago. A co-worker was able to find some help thread that identified something being turned off or not allowed in a script that I had never seen before. Unfortunately, after many hours and days of searching and working on this issue, I cannot find useful information for my situation. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Hi tmiller101

Welcome to the Microsoft Community

Understanding your problem your hp computer is not recognizing the card, you try to use it on another device and find that the card is working fine!

You can try the following

1. check group policy settings

There may be a group policy setting that prevents the smart card reader from working properly.

Open the Group Policy Editor and type gpedit.msc in the Run dialog box (Win + R).

Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Login.

Ensure that the policy Enable Smart Card Plug and Play Services is set to Unconfigured or Enabled. 2.

2. Check the dependencies of the smart card service

Ensure that all services that the smart card service depends on are running.

Open the Services console (services.msc).

Locate the Smart Card Service, right-click and select Properties.

Go to the Dependencies tab and make a note of all the services listed.

Make sure that all these dependent services are running.

3. Update BIOS/UEFI firmware

Ensure that your system's BIOS/UEFI firmware is up-to-date. Sometimes a firmware update can resolve hardware compatibility issues.

Visit the HP Support website to check for BIOS/UEFI updates for your EliteBook model.

4. Reinstall the smart card driver in Safe Mode

Try reinstalling the smart card driver in Safe Mode.

Reboot your computer and enter Safe Mode (usually by pressing F8 at startup or through the Recovery option in Settings).

Once in Safe Mode, uninstall the smart card reader driver from Device Manager.

Restart your computer normally and let Windows reinstall the driver.

5. Check for Windows Updates Sometimes an update will resolve compatibility issues and also fix some system bugs

Open the Settings application (Win + I).

Go to Update and Security > Windows Update.

Check for updates and install any available updates.

6 Check for system file corruption:

SFC and DISM: Run System File Checker (SFC) and Deployment Image Service and Management Tools (DISM) to repair potentially corrupted system files. Open a command prompt as administrator and run the following command:

sfc /scannow
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

Contact me if you need anything else.

 

 

Best wishes

Merek - MSFT Community Support Specialist | Microsoft

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Under Loca Group Policy the sub-folder Login doe not exist. However there is a logon and all the setting under logon at set to "Not Configured"

Image

When I run CertUtil -SCInfo I get the response

Image

However, the services.msc says it is running.

Image

Regarding the dependencies, I do not know if this is correct.

Image

Thanks for the support.

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Hi tmiller101

Thank you for your reply I see the information in the image you uploaded and it seems to be fine.

I noticed the error in your cmd.

From the error message in the image, it seems that the problem is related to the "Microsoft Smart Card Resource Manager" service.

Open services.msc, find the "Smart Card" service, right click and select "Start" or "Restart".

If all the previous methods did not work you can try to fix it by overriding the system installation.

Disclaimer: Let's try to override the installation, this will refresh your Windows files and operating system and will not delete files or applications. However, we still recommend backing up your computer in advance if it contains important data.

Once you have completed the backup, follow the steps in the guide below:

Windows 11 Download

Download Windows 11 (microsoft.com)

Open the above link and select "Download Now" under "Create a Windows 11 Installation" and open this tool. 

After running the program, follow the instructions and select Windows 11 (Windows 11 for Professional or Home systems, Windows 11 Home Edition for Chinese Home Edition) and then select the iso file and the image file will start to download. 

After you have downloaded the image, go to the folder where you downloaded it, right click on the downloaded image file and select open windows explorer.

After you open it, find and run the setup program, and then it will start to override the system installation.

Best wishes

Merek - MSFT Community Support Specialist | Microsoft

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Merek,

Refreshing the operating system was the ticket. All CAC websites now recognize my card. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an easier solution or figure out exactly what happened in order to prevent future occurrences. However, a solution is now available for those who may encounter the same issue.

Thanks,

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Question Info

Last updated April 17, 2025 Views 4,447 Applies to: