Windows 7 and native 64-bit compatibility

It's the kind of post I would like to do more often, and I think a good way to finish this year.
We worked hard to make the full ISLOG RFID Suite 2010 compatible with Windows 7 and associated User Access Control. Rights are checked now and even a limited user can use ReadCard software for exemple. Windows 7 try to find a driver for every card insertion, whereas that kind of stuff doesn't exist in RFID (thank to the contact smartcard world inheritance), an error message occures each time and it becomes quickly noisy. There is a temporary solution do disable this behavior on Microsoft website :

To disable Smart Card Plug and Play in local Group Policy, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, type gpedit.msc in the Search programs and files box, and then press ENTER.
2. In the console tree under Computer Configuration, click Administrative Templates.
3. In the details pane, double-click Windows Components, and then double-click Smart Card.
4. Right-click Turn on Smart Card Plug and Play service, and then click Edit.
5. Click Disabled, and then click OK.

The significant other change is native 64-bit support. All software are installed natively in 32-bit or 64-bit depending your operating system. It was a challenge for us and took a lot more time that what we thinked at the begining. But at the end, all readers (Omnikey, Cherry, SCM, ...) and all chips (HID iClass, Mifare Classic, Mifare DESFire, Tag-It, ...) supported in 32-bit are supported in 64-bit too. It worth it.

Dell embedded reader

I will continue today about contactless reader topic.

It take a while now we have some interests on the embedded rfid reader available in Dell E-Family laptops. It was a huge evolution because now people own RFID reader by default just like wifi or bluetooth, without knowing what is it sometimes.
Thanks to HID Global, Broadcom and Dell companies, RFID software can be democratized.

After testing, the story was less funny: the reader doesn't work like standard PC/SC reader and it seems difficult to use it without proprietary SDK.
In fact the reader run in two modes which can be turn on/off to support PC/SC or not. Special thanks to Ridrix for his discovery.
Once you enable normal radio mode, you're on familiar ground and the good new is ISLOG RFID Suite already works with Dell embedded reader for Mifare Classic and Mifare DESFire chips too. We're currently unable to support HID iClass card on this reader without the SDK, will should be released soon I hope.

Cherry and SCM SDI010 readers

Time is passing by so fast... already 4 months since the last post.

All our products just passed few tests, and are compatible with Cherry RFID readers and SCM SDI010 reader for Mifare Classic and Mifare DESFire chips. In fact we support those chips with all fully compliant PC/SC RFID readers which support ISO 14443 A and ISO 7816 (like Omnikey 5321, 6321, ... of course).
It seems trivial but it's a big design change, that almost guarantee you that any desktop RFID reader you plug on your computer will work with ISLOG software.
Again, standards have won.