XP vs my scanner

[Allan]

Since installing Windows XP, my Microtek Scanmaker 3630
takes a year and a half to scan text documents in
Textbridge Pro. I can scan pictures Ok (with another
program) but I cannot load the 'instant access control
panel'. When I try to load the instant access control
panel, I get an error message saying that it cannot load
the .exe program and shuts down Textbridge Pro. I have
already installed the compatible drivers for XP (I
believe). Please help me.

Thanks,
Allan.

 

[Yves Leclerc]

If you did an upgrade to Windows XP, you will now need to un-install the
scanner software and drivers. Then, you will need to get the Windows XP
versions.

If you re-installed them after installing XP, make sure you have the XP
versions. If not, follow the same procedure as above.

 

[Bob Harris]

A couple of points: (1) Scanners need more than just drivers to do most
things. The drivers for XP are likely different than those for 98/ME, but
it sounds like you have already updated them. (2) Next you need to update
the basic scanning software. In the case of my HP 6200C that was about a 47
Meg download ! So, check with your scanner manufacture and se if they offer
an XP set of basic scaning software. If so, download and install it. But,
be aware that not all hardware vendors offer full XP support for all their
products. Good luck. (3) Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software is
distinct from plain scanning software. Most scanner come with some
rudimentary OCR software, but think of that as a demo or freebie. Maybe the
manufacture of the scanner will offer a newer verison for free (unlikely) or
maybe you will need to buy a newer version, or a more complete version, or
switch to another brand of OCR software. I personally use a product called
OmniPage, which is an upgraded version of what came with my scanner for
win98. I also Upgraded versions twice since then, so I now have version 11.
They are now up to version 14, but the incremental upgrade price was getting
too steep for my needs. Still, I will say that version 11 works well.