ActivClient (from ActivIdentity) allows your CAC-reader to communicate with Windows for strong authentication using smart cards and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).  If you find ActivClient freely available on the Internet, It’s probably malware.  ActivClient middleware is only available from within protected .mil sites thus creating a Catch-22; you need ActivClient installed to obtain ActivClient.  Until now!  By using the free Trusted End Node Security (TENS) formerly known as Lightweight Portable Security (LPS) CD (or via USB), you can “CAC-in,” download the file(s) to a USB thumb drive, then go back into Windows, and install ActivClient.  Here’s how….

The following is abbreviated from the DoD Software Protection Initiative’s TENS Quick Start Guide and TENS User Manual on https://spi.dod.mil/lipose.htm and guidance from this site's ActivClient page.  If you encounter problems, please consult these documents and sites first.

1.  Create a bootable TENS-Public CD.  

     a)      Download and save the TENS-Public ISO image from https://spi.dod.mil/lipose.htm. 

     b)      Burn the .ISO file to a blank CD following these instructions: https://spi.dod.mil/burn.htm

     c)       If the computer does not have a CD drive, TENS-Public contains a Windows script to make TENS-Public boot from a USB thumb drive.  You’ll need to mount the .iso (make it appear to be a CD to the computer) in order to run the script. 

Watch YouTube video on setting up TENS / LPS to use USB flash drive

2.  Prepare your computer.  Insert the TENS-Public CD, connect a network cable to your computer’s home network (if using Wi-Fi, wait until step 4), connect a USB CCID-compliant smartcard reader (examples: SCR-331, 3310, & 3500), and insert your CAC into the reader.  Have a USB thumb drive ready.

3.  Restart your computer with the TENS CD in the drive.  If TENS-Public doesn’t boot automatically, configure your computer to boot from CD.  On a PC, change the boot priority to CD before the hard drive in the Boot Order menu or BIOS (image on left).  On an [Intel processor based] Mac, hold down the “c” key immediately after hitting the power button.

4.  If using Wi-Fi:  Configure the Network Manager (screen’s lower right 2 PC icon)

5.  If you have an SCR-331 CAC Reader, this is an excellent opportunity to update the firmware on the reader, read instructions at paragraph 5.6 on PDF page 36 (document page 34)