Upgrading Protector Suite QL for Firefox 3.0

Back in June, I got my new Sony Vaio VGN-TZ250N from Karen for my birthday.  One of its cool features is an integrated fingerprint reader to save me from having to type passwords.  It's pretty neat, and I enjoyed its ability to remember passwords for the secure websites I commonly visit.

That was fine, but along came Firefox 3.0, and I upgraded.  Sadly, I found that there was no Protector QL extension for Firefox 3.0, and my fingerprint reader was reduced to simply logging me on to my laptop.  True, I could have shifted to Internet Explorer, but that wasn't going to happen.

So, today, I decided to see if anything was available now to let me go back to accessing websites with by rubbing my computer and awaking the password genie.  UPEK's website has its #1 FAQ covering Firefox 3.0, so I was optimistic, but it took me a while to understand what it was trying to tell me.

Firefox 3 final release is supported by Protector Suite QL 5.6.2, 5.8.2 and 5.8.0.4024 (custom build for Toshiba). If you do not have right version please ask your notebook vendor for updated software for your notebook. Each notebook vendor has a custom version of Protector Suite QL and as per business agreements we cannot distribute it.

It sounded to me like I needed to go to Sony Vaio support to get an upgraded version of Protector Suite QL. After a useless chat with a tech support rep, I realized they had no new version for me.  That was frustrating until I realized what UPEK was telling me was that as long as I had one of those three versions (I was running 5.62), I was all set with the current version of my software.

But, I did need some new Password Bank updates for 5.62...

INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS for PS QL 5.6.2 (works on 32bit operation systems only):

Download updated PasswordBank libraries from the link below:
http://files.upek.com/GetPackage.asp?Key=1I7BG1MXZ1I17FKAOU1EVFGF233B4121

Please note that these libraries are intended for PS QL 5.6.2 only - it will not work with any other version! It also does not work on 64bit operating systems!!!

To install updated libraries for PasswordBank, close the psqltray.exe process using Microsoft ProcessExplorer (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and copy contents of the ZIP file to the Protector Suite QL installation directory (usually C:\Program Files\Protector Suite QL\ or C:\Program Files\Fingerint Reader Suite\). You need to overwrite two files:

1. pwdbank.dll in PS QL's root directory (C:\Program Files\Protector Suite QL\pwdbank.dll)
   
2. pbgk1_9.dll in "browser" sub directory (C:\Program Files\Protector Suite QL\browser\pbgk1_9.dll)

Once files are replaced, please reboot your computer! After reboot, please check, that Firefox support is enabled in PS QL (right-click on PS QL tray icon -> Control Center -> Settings -> User Settings -> PasswordBank).

OK, that looked easy enough.  I downloaded the files, installed them, and restarted my machine.  As instructed, I checked the Protector Suite Control Center and rechecked the Firefox support box.  But, sadly, when I fired up Firefox, nothing happened.  I didn't have a Protector Suite extension installed.  DOH!  And there was none listed under the 5.62 support section.  And none when I searched Google...

But there is a Firefox extension under the 5.82 Firefox 3 Support Installation instructions.

INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS for PS QL 5.8.2 (works on 32bit and 64bit operating systems):

Download extension for Firefox 3 final release from the link below:
http://files.upek.com/GetPackage.asp?Key=W271FQ1F6092PUD33U41U2OV1GQBPHUO

To install PasswordBank extension for Firefox 3 simply drag'n'drop the XPI file on the Firefox window and confirm the installation. Alternatively, you can install the extension if you run Firefox -> go to File -> Open -> pbff3.0.xpi...

Please note that this extension will work only with PS QL 5.8.2 and 5.8.0.4024 (custom build for Toshiba)!!!

That last line seemed pretty ominous, but I decided to give it a try anyway and install it.  It worked like a charm.  Firefox 3.0 fingerprint support is BACK!  :)