How To: Use USAA Deposit@Home on 10.04 Lucid

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For those who bank with USAA and use the Deposit@Home feature, you probably have realized that you cannot use it on Linux machines. This tutorial will show you how to make it work on Ubuntu 10.04 and 10.10.

1. Uninstall IcedTea Plugin

First you need to remove the IcedTea plugin if it is installed. In Synaptic Package Manager (System - Administration - Synaptic Package Manager) type "icedtea6-plugin" in the Quick Search box. If it is installed the box will be green. If that's the case, click the box and select "Mark for Complete Removal." Then click the Apply button.



Alternatively you can simply go to the Terminal (Applications - Accessories - Terminal) and type:

sudo apt-get remove icedtea6-plugin

2. Enable Partner Repository

In order to install Sun Java, make sure the http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu repository is enabled. You can do this in the Synaptic Package Manager by going to the Settings menu and clicking Repositories. Click the Other Software Tab. Make sure there is a checkmark next to "http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu lucid partner". Then close the window.



Alternatively you can go to the Terminal and type the following which enables all repositories in your list:

sudo sed -i -e "s/# deb/deb/g" /etc/apt/sources.list

3. Install Sun Java

You can install Sun Java in Synaptic Package Manager by doing a quick search for "sun-java6". You should see the four following packages among the list: sun-java6-jre, sun-java6-bin, sun-java6-plugin, and sun-java6-fonts. Click the box next to each one and select "Mark for Installation." After doing this for all four packages click the Apply button.



Alternatively you can go to the Terminal and type:

sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jre sun-java6-bin sun-java6-plugin sun-java6-fonts

Or, you can simply click here to install them.

4. Verify Sun Java Installation

Restart Firefox. In the location bar in Firefox (not the Terminal) type:

about:plugins

You should see Java installed! It should say "Java(TM) Plug-in 1.6.0_20."



5. Install HeaderControl to Firefox.

Go to https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/11327 and add the HeaderControl add-on for Firefox.

Restart Firefox. In Firefox go to Tools - Addons. Go to HeaderControl and select the Preferences button. Click the Add button. Type in usaa.com for the Suffix. Click the Useragent tab. Check Mangle HTTP 'UserAgent.' In the dropdown menu select Custom Useragent. In the box below it type the following:

Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X Mach-O; en-US; rv:1.8.0.3) Gecko/20060426 Firefox/1.5.0.3

Click OK. Click OK again.

6. Scan in Checks

You're finished! Now you should be able to go the USAA website and use Deposit@Home. Just follow the instructions there. You will need to scan your checks in first, then upload them to the site.

Option A: Scan with XSane

First, install Xsane Image Scanner. You can use the Synaptic Package Manager as described above or simply click here.

Then go to Applications - Graphics - XSane Image Scanner. Select the appropriate scanner if asked. You should see several windows. The only windows you are concerned with are the main window and the standard options window.

In the main window you will see a dropdown menu that says 75. This is the dpi. Change it to 200.



In the standard options window you will see a Color Depth dropdown menu. It will say 24-bit Color. Change this to 8-bit Grayscale.



In the main window now click the scan button.



Save the image to your desktop as a jpeg. Do this for the front and the back of the check, following the instructions on the USAA website. You should now be able to upload your checks on the USAA website. Make sure to follow their instructions!

Option B: Use a script to automate check scanning

Thanks to isotherm for his post about a script he wrote to automate the process! You can download the script here. Check his post for more details.