How to Do Everything With Your Scanner- P28 pps

FIGURE 7-3 Finding drivers and software updates on the manufacturer’s websiteSome, but not all, of the causes for a flashing scanner lamp include the following: A locked scanner Make sur

Adjusting the settings and buttons on your scanner Most user guides give you detailed, illustrated instructions as to how to modify resolution settings, configure buttons, adjust the color, and perform other tasks to refine your images

How to scan text and transparencies The attachments and software for scanning text and transparencies differ from scanner to scanner The user guide is the best place to find illustrated step-by-step instructions

Saving scanned images The user guide tells you which file formats and software applications are available for saving your files, and how to use them

When the Buttons Won’t Do Anything

External buttons are the latest rage for scanner interfaces They’re efficient, convenient, and real time-savers—when they work

If you have the disappointing experience of pushing promising-looking buttons that don’t produce any results, you’re not alone If you have a newer operating system—such as Windows ME—you might have to download a special driver or patch from the Web (The scanner was probably designed and packaged before the manufacturer had time to update the scanner software to be compatible with the new operating system.)

For nonfunctioning buttons, your first stop should be the manufacturer’s website to check for drivers and updates Hewlett-Packard, for example, provides a software

patch that is required, as of the writing of this book, to make the buttons on its

scanners operate under a Windows ME operating system

To find a link to a patch, like the one shown in Figure 7-3, go to the manufacturer’s website and look for a link labeled “drivers” or “updates.” If you don’t see a specific link on the home page, try looking for it on the technical support pages, or using any available Search feature provided on the website

How to Interpret a Flashing Lamp

Some models of scanners signal for help by flashing the lamps under the glass A logical interpretation of this would seem to be that the lamp itself is malfunctioning, but this is actually seldom the case

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FIGURE 7-3 Finding drivers and software updates on the manufacturer’s website

Some, but not all, of the causes for a flashing scanner lamp include the following:

A locked scanner Make sure that you’ve unlocked the carriage lock on your scanner Chapter 4 tells you how to locate the lock and make sure it’s been properly released (The locking device is designed to protect the delicate sensors on the scanning device in transit.)

A stuck carriage The sensor devices that capture image data are attached to a moving carriage within your scanner Sometimes the carriage is stopped, and needs to be reset To do this, simply unplug it from the power source to reinitialize the scanner motion settings

Damaged or defective sensors Occasionally the delicate sensors on a scanner carriage are damaged in transit When this is determined to be the cause of the flashing lamp, your only recourse is to exchange it for an undamaged model

Link to drivers and updates

When Your Computer Doesn’t Recognize a Connection to Your Scanner

It might sound obvious, but loose cable connections are often the culprit for this error message Even if you think you’ve checked all the connections, check again

Remember, your scanner needs a connection both to your computer and to its own

separate electrical power source In other words, be sure to check both the cable that leads to your computer and the cord that plugs into the wall

If your cabling appears to be properly connected, try the following troubleshooting procedures in this section A logical approach is to attempt them in the order listed here

Restarting or rebooting your computer allows it to update its settings, and recognize new drivers and hardware such as a scanner Use the Shutdown menu option, rather than Restart Before you restart your computer, unplug the electrical connect to the scanner for a full 60 seconds After you plug your scanner back in, restart your computer This process should allow your computer to recognize your new scanner If not, read on

Look for a Conflicting Software Driver

Did you have another scanner installed before the one you’re presently attempting to use?

If so, the problem might be a conflicting software driver left over from the old scanner

Basic Uninstallation Procedure for Old Drivers

Your first line of defense should be to properly uninstall the driver for the old scanner

Follow these steps to do so:

1. From the Start menu on your Windows taskbar, select Settings, then Control Panel The Control Panel dialog box shown in Figure 7-4 appears

2. Locate the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel dialog box and double-click it

3. The Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box, listing the software programs on your computer appears, as shown in Figure 7-5

4. Locate the driver for the scanner that you no longer want to use and click the Add/Remove button A message might appear telling you to restart your computer so the process can be completed

5. After restarting your computer, check to see if your computer properly recognizes the new scanner

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FIGURE 7-4 Access the Add/Remove Programs icon through the Control Panel.

FIGURE 7-5 Scroll to the driver for the old scanner in the Add/Remove Programs

Properties dialog box.

Add/Remove Programs icon

Drivers that Don’t Respond to the Standard Uninstallation Procedure

If after following the uninstall procedure above, your computer still gives you a message that it can’t find the new scanner, you might have a stubborn driver that doesn’t know when its welcome is up You might have to delete the scanner from your computer’s list of registered devices in the System Properties dialog box

To look for the offending driver, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the My Computer icon on your Windows desktop and select Properties from the pop-up menu The System Properties dialog box appears,

as shown in Figure 7-6

FIGURE 7-6 Look for a lingering driver using the System Properties dialog box.

2. Click the Device Manager tab and scroll through the dialog box to locate the Imaging Device icon

3. Click the plus sign next to the Imaging Device icon to display a list of scanner drivers currently on your system There should be only one If more than one driver appears, delete the icon for the old scanner driver you’re no longer using

Icon for scanner driver

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