Scanners printer and web cam....ARRRG!

[lauricat]

Hi.

A friend has a Compaq Presario running Win xp home, a Canon N640 p-ex
scanner and an oldish Logitech web-cam running the latest image studio 7.3
software, and a HP DeskJet printer 3820. The scanner and the printer too
have the latest drivers/software loaded from the manufacturers web site. I
have also updated windows with latest critical updates too....

Problem is *intermittently*, the scanner comes up with a "communication
error" and refuses to talk to the printer/computer, or for that matter, scan
an image. But this happens intermittently only.



I have read a lot about scanners that don't work well with XP - is this the
problem?

Another theory I have is that my friend says all worked perfectly together
*until* the computer was taken away for LAN set-up for broadband
connection - I cannot see how that would affect the problems he is having
now.

Any ideas? Run generic or different scanner software? Would a USB scanning
device be better? Or could the camera be the culrpit?

TIA

Laurie.

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

If they are all connected to USB ports, it's more likely to be a power
supply unit being of insufficient wattage to power all the ports, the webcam
and the scanner.

Cari
www.coribright.com

 

[lauricat]

Hi Cari.

No joy there, scanner is parallel.

Thanks anyway.

Laurie

 

[Quaoar]

Hi.

A friend has a Compaq Presario running Win xp home, a Canon N640 p-ex
scanner and an oldish Logitech web-cam running the latest image
studio 7.3 software, and a HP DeskJet printer 3820. The scanner and
the printer too have the latest drivers/software loaded from the
manufacturers web site. I have also updated windows with latest
critical updates too....

Problem is *intermittently*, the scanner comes up with a
"communication error" and refuses to talk to the printer/computer, or
for that matter, scan an image. But this happens intermittently only.



I have read a lot about scanners that don't work well with XP - is
this the problem?

Another theory I have is that my friend says all worked perfectly
together *until* the computer was taken away for LAN set-up for
broadband
connection - I cannot see how that would affect the problems he is
having now.

Any ideas? Run generic or different scanner software? Would a USB
scanning device be better? Or could the camera be the culrpit?

TIA

Laurie.

Try connecting only one TWAIN device at a time. Scanner and webcam
might both be TWAIN devices and are conflicting.

Q

 

[lauricat]

Thanks for the tip mate. I suspected that might be the case.

OK, so *if* I have conflicts, does that mean that it's not possible to have
a camera and a scanner and XP all together?

<confused and baffled by Microsoft again...>

Laurie.

 

[Quaoar]

Thanks for the tip mate. I suspected that might be the case.

OK, so *if* I have conflicts, does that mean that it's not possible
to have a camera and a scanner and XP all together?

<confused and baffled by Microsoft again...>

Laurie.

Well, it has been posted that only one TWAIN can be connected at one
time in the case of problems with two scanners. I believe that Cari
(MSMVP) on microsoft.public.windowsxp.print_fax group confirmed the
TWAIN issue with XP. I have scanner, camera, webcam that are TWAIN
devices and do not connect except when using that particular device, but
I have a laptop so it is a natural thing to do. I do think that TWAIN
is the problem.

Q

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

Following on with my own expriences over the weekend here.... I have a
USB2.0 LiDE80 Canon scanner (the latest and greatest, I treated myself,
replacing an older N1220u which never gave me any problems).... trouble was
I got a new PC desk and stupid me didn't reconnect the USB devices to the
same port.

I think I ended up uninstalling and reinstalling the scanner about six
times..... and realizing I might have to call myself for tech support!!!! I
still cannot get the Canon ScanGear Toolbox to work by itself... but it will
happily work with Arc PhotoStudio 5 which Canon provided. No, I have
absolutely no idea why (or why not) but it's working.

USB i950 printer (yet another Canon) no webcam... but USB joystick, gamepad
and SD card reader. I haven't even attempted connecting the digital camera
at the same time.... I use the MultiMedia card reader built into the
notebook for that. I'm hoping to swap out the ImageMate SD reader for their
new USB2.0 8 in 1 reader.... but I guess I'm going to have to get that new
PSU for that!

Nothing on a parallel port. They are all working... but not all at once (I
know it's an insufficient 450w PSU, but I can't be bothered to get a new one
yet)....!

I've narrowed it down to something with Twain vs WIA..... but I'm not a
driver developer or driver writer so I just do what I can!

I think the main problem is that we're now trying to connect too many
devices to a single PC.... but we NEED all these devices!!!

But the digital camcorder on the firewire port seems fine - just remember to
use A/C power and not the camcorder battery!

Cari
www.coribright.com