"Sharing Scanners not available in XP"?

[SP Goodman]

I'm now glad I kept my Windows 2000 CD, if the below note is correct:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304097

I'm just sorry that this information is so incomplete, yet absolute. Did
some Marketing wag figure out that MS could make more money on Windows
Server by disallowing Scanner sharing in all but server products, while
forgetting how much 'server' technology is already in XP?

Is there a workaround on this?

Stephen Goodman
* Cartoons about DVDs and Stuff
* http://www.medialinenews.com
* http://www.earthlight.net/HiddenTrack
* http://www.earthlight.net/Gallery

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

That's correct, you cannot share scanners in WinXP, just the printer
function on the newer multi-function devices. Most home scanners and the
supporting software do not support this anyways, even if WinXP did. You
would need one designed for a commercial level of use.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Don Schmidt]

You will find some information at this site to enable you to network a
scanner.

http://www.remote-scan.com/index.php?entrypage=googlead_2

Seems the drawback is the computer with the scanner needs to be on all the
time. Like when sharing a printer when the printer in attached to the
computer rather than a router.

My daughter and I are on a home network and having the printer on the router
is the only way to go. Only the computer wanting to print needs to be on.

 

[SP Goodman]

You will find some information at this site to enable you to network a
scanner.

http://www.remote-scan.com/index.php?entrypage=googlead_2

Actually that's more like "information about a product one can buy to fill a
gap either left or created by XP", though, isn't it? A search online for
"share" or "sharing" with "scanner xp" brings up only the above solution.
How is this the case? Scanning hasn't exactly become a niche activity, and
good scanners aren't cheap either. I'd be more willing to buy a hardware
solution than a software one for something like this.

All the more reason to keep my Windows 2000 Pro CD, make a third machine and
put the scanner on it to share to the machines running XP. Come to think of
it perhaps it's best to do that anyway - but I still have to wonder about
the elimination of what used to be a popular facility, and the sole
point-of-solution offered via remote-scan. If a Windows server product
comes out with remote scanning capability I guess I'll know WHY...

Seems the drawback is the computer with the scanner needs to be on all the
time. Like when sharing a printer when the printer in attached to the
computer rather than a router.

Our PCs stay on here, going into standby when unused. A home server would
be on all the time anyway. Not much of a problem for me!


--
Stephen Goodman
* Cartoons about DVDs and Stuff
* http://www.medialinenews.com
* http://www.earthlight.net/HiddenTrack
* http://www.earthlight.net/Gallery

 

[SP Goodman]

Hi,

That's correct, you cannot share scanners in WinXP, just the printer
function on the newer multi-function devices. Most home scanners and the
supporting software do not support this anyways, even if WinXP did. You
would need one designed for a commercial level of use.

It would seem however that there is not a complete consensus as to whether
or not one should be allowed to share a scanner in Windows XP someplace.

Inside Control Panel->Scanners and Cameras - if my Scanner is attached to my
USB port and the Share Scanner software is loaded, the sidebar shows an
option to "allow this computer to use a shared scanner" on the network.
This is just a firewall setting, but it indicates quite strongly that at
some point it was possible to use a shared scanner on the LAN, and that on
the programmatic level it might have been possible to share a scanner under
XP. What happened? Were there so many terrors about the Firewall in the
beginning that this choice in Scanners and Cameras became a mere stub for
old, obsolete programming? XP doesn't really do so much of a number on the
HP sharing programs, except to silently keep them from sharing the scanner.
Program loads and thinks all is well, except there are no connections of
course.

Why is the only option besides a shared usb hub being offered only by one
third-party company?