HP Scanjet 4470c Crap Drivers / Windows XP

[Patrick Dunford]

PC is running XP SP2, total clean installation.

Situation: The scanjet 4470c has been installed, tested and is working
just fine on the USB connection. The user decides they want to move the
scanner to a different location. They disconnect the USB cable, Windows
makes a noise indicating the scanner has been disconnected. They move
the scanner, set it up again and plug in the USB cable. Windows makes
another noise as it redetects the scanner.

The user then tries to do some more scanning and finds that the scanning
software (supplied by HP) frequently hangs and/or complains that the
scanner can't be detected. As if the temporary removal had caused
Windows to change some settings that weren't changed back when the
scanner was reconnected.

The following fixes have been tried:
1. Uninstall from Device Manager. Did not remove the hardware detection
i.e. Windows did not ask for the drivers to be reinstalled when it
redetected the scanner after this step had been performed.

2. Use System Restore to rollback the entire computer to the state it
was in before the scanner was first installed. However, Did not remove
the hardware detection i.e. Windows did not ask for the drivers to be
reinstalled when it redetected the scanner after this step had been
performed.

3. Reinstall WindowsXP from scratch. Since this particular PC is only
being used with this scanner, this is relatively easy to do. This is
extreme but it has successfully returned the reliable operation of the
scanner by allowing the installation to be done again from the beginning.

The HP drivers must be crap. I have never before seen a situation where
disconnecting a USB device will cause it to not work properly the next
time it is connected.

However compounding this is that it appears to be impossible to force
Windows XP to remove its existing hardware detection of any peripheral
device. Once the device has been installed once, Windows can never be
persuaded to re=detect it as a totally new device and install everything
totally from scratch.

Any ideas?

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Visit the HP forum for System, Network, & Help Desk Administrators
and other IT Professionals who have questions about HP printers,
their capabilities, and their connectivity.
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/familyhome.do?familyId=218

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect Your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.aspx

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

| PC is running XP SP2, total clean installation.
|
| Situation: The scanjet 4470c has been installed, tested and is working
| just fine on the USB connection. The user decides they want to move the
| scanner to a different location. They disconnect the USB cable, Windows
| makes a noise indicating the scanner has been disconnected. They move
| the scanner, set it up again and plug in the USB cable. Windows makes
| another noise as it redetects the scanner.
|
| The user then tries to do some more scanning and finds that the scanning
| software (supplied by HP) frequently hangs and/or complains that the
| scanner can't be detected. As if the temporary removal had caused
| Windows to change some settings that weren't changed back when the
| scanner was reconnected.
|
| The following fixes have been tried:
| 1. Uninstall from Device Manager. Did not remove the hardware detection
| i.e. Windows did not ask for the drivers to be reinstalled when it
| redetected the scanner after this step had been performed.
|
| 2. Use System Restore to rollback the entire computer to the state it
| was in before the scanner was first installed. However, Did not remove
| the hardware detection i.e. Windows did not ask for the drivers to be
| reinstalled when it redetected the scanner after this step had been
| performed.
|
| 3. Reinstall WindowsXP from scratch. Since this particular PC is only
| being used with this scanner, this is relatively easy to do. This is
| extreme but it has successfully returned the reliable operation of the
| scanner by allowing the installation to be done again from the beginning.
|
| The HP drivers must be crap. I have never before seen a situation where
| disconnecting a USB device will cause it to not work properly the next
| time it is connected.
|
| However compounding this is that it appears to be impossible to force
| Windows XP to remove its existing hardware detection of any peripheral
| device. Once the device has been installed once, Windows can never be
| persuaded to re=detect it as a totally new device and install everything
| totally from scratch.
|
| Any ideas?

 

[Jim Macklin]

Good idea. To force Windows to redetect hardware, use
Device Manager to remove all the USB hubs and ports, then
reboot.

I think HP has issued new drivers for XP, the old 4470
pre-dates XP (I think).


--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.


message | Visit the HP forum for System, Network, & Help Desk
Administrators
| and other IT Professionals who have questions about HP
printers,
| their capabilities, and their connectivity.
|
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/familyhome.do?familyId=218
|
| --
| Carey Frisch
| Microsoft MVP
| Windows XP - Shell/User
|
| Be Smart! Protect Your PC!
|
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.aspx
|
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| "Patrick Dunford" wrote:
|
|| PC is running XP SP2, total clean installation.
||
|| Situation: The scanjet 4470c has been installed, tested
and is working
|| just fine on the USB connection. The user decides they
want to move the
|| scanner to a different location. They disconnect the USB
cable, Windows
|| makes a noise indicating the scanner has been
disconnected. They move
|| the scanner, set it up again and plug in the USB cable.
Windows makes
|| another noise as it redetects the scanner.
||
|| The user then tries to do some more scanning and finds
that the scanning
|| software (supplied by HP) frequently hangs and/or
complains that the
|| scanner can't be detected. As if the temporary removal
had caused
|| Windows to change some settings that weren't changed back
when the
|| scanner was reconnected.
||
|| The following fixes have been tried:
|| 1. Uninstall from Device Manager. Did not remove the
hardware detection
|| i.e. Windows did not ask for the drivers to be
reinstalled when it
|| redetected the scanner after this step had been
performed.
||
|| 2. Use System Restore to rollback the entire computer to
the state it
|| was in before the scanner was first installed. However,
Did not remove
|| the hardware detection i.e. Windows did not ask for the
drivers to be
|| reinstalled when it redetected the scanner after this
step had been
|| performed.
||
|| 3. Reinstall WindowsXP from scratch. Since this
particular PC is only
|| being used with this scanner, this is relatively easy to
do. This is
|| extreme but it has successfully returned the reliable
operation of the
|| scanner by allowing the installation to be done again
from the beginning.
||
|| The HP drivers must be crap. I have never before seen a
situation where
|| disconnecting a USB device will cause it to not work
properly the next
|| time it is connected.
||
|| However compounding this is that it appears to be
impossible to force
|| Windows XP to remove its existing hardware detection of
any peripheral
|| device. Once the device has been installed once, Windows
can never be
|| persuaded to re=detect it as a totally new device and
install everything
|| totally from scratch.
||
|| Any ideas?

 

[namniar]

Select scanner #2 in HP Director (Select Scanner window) then use scanner.
Each USB port will be a different #. That's what happened to my 4570c.

r.

 

[Don]

To force Windows to redetect hardware, use
Device Manager to remove all the USB hubs and ports, then
reboot.

Or, instead of rebooting (takes too long), just go to the Control
Panel and "Add New Hardware". This will redetect as well.

I do this quite a lot because I have a USB 2.0 PCMCIA card in my
notebook. When I'm not using it, I turn it off so it doesn't generate
heat and (I hope) it will live longer than way...

Later, when I do want to use it, I just "Add New Hardware" and it's
back within second. It's much faster than rebooting.

Don.

 

[Patrick Dunford]

Good idea. To force Windows to redetect hardware, use
Device Manager to remove all the USB hubs and ports, then
reboot.

Thanks. That turns out to be the only sure way, short of reinstalling
XP, to fix the problem.

HP's forum suggestion that I "make sure the computer was turned off
before disconnecting/connecting the scanner" indicates they had no idea
of the various ways in which the scanner drivers would fail. Even
installing an updated version of the scanning software can break the
drivers.

I think HP has issued new drivers for XP, the old 4470
pre-dates XP (I think).

There has been a scanning software bug fix, not XP specific, and I don't
see any new drivers for this model, or any that address this particular
problem.

 

[Patrick Dunford]

Thanks. That turns out to be the only sure way, short of reinstalling
XP, to fix the problem.

Not that either is gauranteed to produce a reliable outcome.
Based on my experiences with this scanner I would think twice about
buying an HP scanner in future.

The software, even the latest update, has the infamous free disk space
error that HP has not bothered to fix, and the update when used to
install the drivers causes svchost to crash a lot.

 

[Jim Macklin]

I have a 5500c and it has been just fine.
| Patrick Dunford wrote:
|
| > Jim Macklin wrote:
| >
| >> Good idea. To force Windows to redetect hardware, use
Device Manager
| >> to remove all the USB hubs and ports, then reboot.
| >
| >
| > Thanks. That turns out to be the only sure way, short of
reinstalling
| > XP, to fix the problem.
|
| Not that either is gauranteed to produce a reliable
outcome.
| Based on my experiences with this scanner I would think
twice about
| buying an HP scanner in future.
|
| The software, even the latest update, has the infamous
free disk space
| error that HP has not bothered to fix, and the update when
used to
| install the drivers causes svchost to crash a lot.
|