Help: Win XP broke my Epson Perfection 1640 SU ?

[Stefan A. Deutscher]

Hi,

I had a weird experience yesterday: Having just received two Epson
Perfection 1640 SU flatbed scanners, I connected one of them via UBS
cable to a brandnew IBM thinkpad, as it came out of the box with Windows
XP SP1.

The scanner light was green and all seemed well. I told the XP scanner
and image wizard thingy (Programs, accessoires, cameras and scanners) to
do a prescan of an image, and something came up in the prescan window
that resembled the image I had placed on the glass. I then told the app
to do a real scan. It created a bit of weird noise, as if fine
positioning the sliding image scanning head, and spit out a large yet
completely white bitmap. I tried again, same thing.

To add insult to injury, the slider with the imaging head and lamp are
now stuck in front of the scanner, and do not go back even when I power
cycle the scanner or restart the computer, or even disconnect the two.
The scanner LED that is supposed to be steady on green flashes red.

Thinking that one of the scanners I had received was sort of DOA, I
hooked up the other one - same effect. In seconds, WXP SP had appears to
have trashed two scanners. I am baffled. Digging at the MS help or
"knowledge" base ( what a neat name for "bug listing site" !) I found
that SP2 is supposed to fix a prescan issue. Nevertheless, I cannot
believe that XP should be able or allowed to issue commands that push an
imaging unit so far off that it gets stuck.

I have now upgraded to SP2, but of course, that does not get the scanner
unstuck.

Now I would like to know:

(a) Does anybody know how to fix this?

(b) Has it happened to others as well?


Thanks in advance & cheers, Stefan

 

[CSM1]

Hi,

I had a weird experience yesterday: Having just received two Epson
Perfection 1640 SU flatbed scanners, I connected one of them via UBS
cable to a brandnew IBM thinkpad, as it came out of the box with Windows
XP SP1.

The scanner light was green and all seemed well. I told the XP scanner
and image wizard thingy (Programs, accessoires, cameras and scanners) to
do a prescan of an image, and something came up in the prescan window
that resembled the image I had placed on the glass. I then told the app
to do a real scan. It created a bit of weird noise, as if fine
positioning the sliding image scanning head, and spit out a large yet
completely white bitmap. I tried again, same thing.

To add insult to injury, the slider with the imaging head and lamp are
now stuck in front of the scanner, and do not go back even when I power
cycle the scanner or restart the computer, or even disconnect the two.
The scanner LED that is supposed to be steady on green flashes red.

Thinking that one of the scanners I had received was sort of DOA, I
hooked up the other one - same effect. In seconds, WXP SP had appears to
have trashed two scanners. I am baffled. Digging at the MS help or
"knowledge" base ( what a neat name for "bug listing site" !) I found
that SP2 is supposed to fix a prescan issue. Nevertheless, I cannot
believe that XP should be able or allowed to issue commands that push an
imaging unit so far off that it gets stuck.

I have now upgraded to SP2, but of course, that does not get the scanner
unstuck.

Now I would like to know:

(a) Does anybody know how to fix this?

(b) Has it happened to others as well?


Thanks in advance & cheers, Stefan

You did not read the instructions before trying to use the scanner.
If you had read the instructions, you would know that you should have
installed the software before connecting the scanner.

Now you Remove any and all Epson scanner software that is currently
installed.
Open Device Manager, and with the scanner connected, remove the Epson
Scanner. Disconnect the scanner, Reboot computer.

Install the Epson software, reboot. Connect the scanner, let XP install the
new hardware.

Now hope that it works.

 

[CSM1]

Hi,

I had a weird experience yesterday: Having just received two Epson
Perfection 1640 SU flatbed scanners, I connected one of them via UBS
cable to a brandnew IBM thinkpad, as it came out of the box with Windows
XP SP1.

The scanner light was green and all seemed well. I told the XP scanner
and image wizard thingy (Programs, accessoires, cameras and scanners) to
do a prescan of an image, and something came up in the prescan window
that resembled the image I had placed on the glass. I then told the app
to do a real scan. It created a bit of weird noise, as if fine
positioning the sliding image scanning head, and spit out a large yet
completely white bitmap. I tried again, same thing.

To add insult to injury, the slider with the imaging head and lamp are
now stuck in front of the scanner, and do not go back even when I power
cycle the scanner or restart the computer, or even disconnect the two.
The scanner LED that is supposed to be steady on green flashes red.

Thinking that one of the scanners I had received was sort of DOA, I
hooked up the other one - same effect. In seconds, WXP SP had appears to
have trashed two scanners. I am baffled. Digging at the MS help or
"knowledge" base ( what a neat name for "bug listing site" !) I found
that SP2 is supposed to fix a prescan issue. Nevertheless, I cannot
believe that XP should be able or allowed to issue commands that push an
imaging unit so far off that it gets stuck.

I have now upgraded to SP2, but of course, that does not get the scanner
unstuck.

Now I would like to know:

(a) Does anybody know how to fix this?

(b) Has it happened to others as well?


Thanks in advance & cheers, Stefan

XP probably loaded a WIA driver. NOT Good.

One other thing, Download the latest Epson Software for the 1640:
http://www.epson.com

Click on Support.

 

[Stefan A. Deutscher]

Hi there,

thanks for posting a reply to my quest!

You did not read the instructions before trying to use the scanner. If
you had read the instructions, you would know that you should have
installed the software before connecting the scanner.

True. Didn't have 'em, as the units came from ebay w/o manuals or what
not. I have downloaded them now though.

Now you Remove any and all Epson scanner software that is currently
installed. Open Device Manager, and with the scanner connected, remove
the Epson Scanner. Disconnect the scanner, Reboot computer.

Install the Epson software, reboot. Connect the scanner, let XP install the
new hardware.

Did as you suggested, and at least it does not offer the WIA driver any
longer. However, the red light is still flashing on the scanner and the
imaging unit is stuck next to the front of the scanner rather than going
back.

When attempting a scan, the positioning motor makes the usual
high-pitched noise, the LED flashes green, but the scanner head does not
even move. Then, the LED flashes red again, and every three flashes or
so, there is a flick of green inbetween.

The imaging unit seems sort of stuck or derailed, and I am not sure it's
a problem with the scanner as the same system messed up both of them
this way.

XP probably loaded a WIA driver. NOT Good.

It did. Scary. It's been a loong time I didn't have software damage my
hardware.

One other thing, Download the latest Epson Software for the 1640:
http://www.epson.com

Got that. Alas, it appears to be stuck hardware.

Thanks again & Cheers, Stefan

 

[CSM1]

Hi there,

thanks for posting a reply to my quest!


True. Didn't have 'em, as the units came from ebay w/o manuals or what
not. I have downloaded them now though.


Did as you suggested, and at least it does not offer the WIA driver any
longer. However, the red light is still flashing on the scanner and the
imaging unit is stuck next to the front of the scanner rather than going
back.

When attempting a scan, the positioning motor makes the usual
high-pitched noise, the LED flashes green, but the scanner head does not
even move. Then, the LED flashes red again, and every three flashes or
so, there is a flick of green inbetween.

The imaging unit seems sort of stuck or derailed, and I am not sure it's
a problem with the scanner as the same system messed up both of them
this way.



It did. Scary. It's been a loong time I didn't have software damage my
hardware.



Got that. Alas, it appears to be stuck hardware.

Look on the side of the scanner for a carriage lock. The shipper may have
locked the scanner for shipping.

Link to Epson 1640 SU.
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/...V_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=14584&infoType=Overview

Get the documents. Read Product Information Guide PDF file.
It shows a transportation lock.

<snip>

 

[Stefan A. Deutscher]

[ snip ]

[ snip ]

Hi,

thanks again for following up!

Look on the side of the scanner for a carriage lock. The shipper may
have locked the scanner for shipping.

They actually did, and I forgot to mention that I did unlock the
shipping lock before taking the unit into operation. Right now, the
imaging unit is stuck at the wrong end of the scanner bed; XP drove it
once across.

Link to Epson 1640 SU.
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/...V_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=14584&infoType=Overview

Get the documents. Read Product Information Guide PDF file. It shows a
transportation lock.

Yup, got the files. I had hoped to find a product maintenance manual
(IBM actually do publish them for their products) that would tell me how
to open the unit without damaging it, and getting the imaging unit
unstuck, but no luck. However, I left a description in their web support
form, and they basically told me to have the scanners serviced:


"The drivers we have posted on the Epson site are fully compatible
with Windows XP service pack 1 and 2. Some of the bundled software
that came with the scanner on the CD-ROM unfortunately will not be
compatible with Windows XP, such as the Adobe Photo Deluxe software.
The scanners themselves might not have been in fully operational
condition when you got them through the seller on EBay?

The only thing based on your description is to bring the scanners in
to an authorized service center to have them looked at."


Given this information, I am not sure whether it was XP or a hardware
fault, or both. The dealer suspects a transport damage and kindly agreed
to take them back, will see how that goes.

Thanks again & cheers,
Stefan