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HP Scanjet 4470c scanner not working on Windows 8.1

Anonymous
2014-05-27T12:21:45+00:00

Original title: HP Scanner Madness

Having just upgraded my

operating system to Windows 8.1 from XP, I've been constantly

battling to get the thing straightened out and usable...

Particularly with regards to devices I've had previously installed on XP: Namely an

Epson Printer, and an HP Scanjet 4470c scanner (with attendant

Precisionscan 3.1 software).

And while Epson were

very helpful, and got my old Stylus working fine on 8.1 (minus print

progress meter, but I can live without that) by means of an inbox

driver, the scanner has been an Epic pain in the backside.

Firstly, of course,

Hewlett Packard no longer make scanners, or support the old ones, so

they are of no help, and my Scanjet is listed as one that is not

supported by Windows 8.1... but I have had it working fine for a

period of time, so I know it can work on this system, but in

attempting to replicate that success I have had no joy, and I think a

background process in windows may have changed since in an update or

something, that is interfering with it.

While I am doing my

best not to view this kind of thing cynically, as an attempt by

microsoft to render entire swathes of people's accumulated devices as

purposefully obsolete in order to offer some kind of economic

technological stimulus to these industries by these means, I am

struggling.

Can't afford to replace

it, and refuse to do so as I know it is a perfectly functioning piece

of kit.

I've  uninstalled the

software and device and reinstalled them both a dozen times now but

all to no avail.

When I got it working,

I switched off my internet connection, uninstalled it all, checked

the box in the Device manager, to stop windows automatically

identifying and installing drivers for devices it detects, so it was

not mismatched with the scanning software driver, then loaded the

installation disc  and performed a repair.

When it stopped working

was when I uninstalled ACDSee (old Xp version,which is obsolete, and

was very unstable on Windows 8)... I tried to perform the same

process to get it started again, but it would not work, and a window

popped up during the repair that said that Windows Image Acquisition

(WIA) needed to be closed before proceeding.  I think this might be

one possible reason for my trouble, as I suspect it is jumping in to

take control of the scanner as soon as my software tries to initiate

a scan, so then Precisionscan just  hangs, waiting for the scanner to

return from a completed scan, which never comes.

The Precisionscan 3.1

Program works fine in all respects... initialises the scanner, all

menus and buttons work OK, and it begins to start a scan, sometimes

even getting half way down a scan, but then stops. The scanner itself

works on Windows Fax and Scan nicely, so I know it's not the

hardware, and I've set the drivers on both program and scanner

correctly.  But Fax and scan does not enable the facility that the HP

program has of switching from a flatbed scan to an attached

transparency (negative) scanner, which is why I need the HP program.

I did wonder if trying

to use the Fax and Scan Program, I might have activated something of

this sort which is now getting in the way, and internet searches I've

conducted about possible problems mention TWAIN, too.  But as I say,

if I'm able to get the whole package working once on Windows 8.1,

then what has happened, and is happening to stop it now?

If anyone can help here

it would be greatly appreciated, as could then get on with using my

computer again, and not spend all my time fighting with it!  Ta.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-05-30T15:42:24+00:00

    Problem Solved.

    Thanks again John for another avenue of exploration, I was kind of fumbling my way around in that area, but as it turns out it was none of these things that were impeding my scanner and associated program.

    It was, in the end, something very simple, and just needed an option to be selected in Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) program.

    Windows Image Acquisition, which is the program in windows specifically for use with scanners and cameras, was trying to jump in and run the scanner whenever I initiated a scan in the HP Precisionscan 3.1 program, so two separate scans from two different programs (and drivers) were competing for the image being taken from the scanner, causing it to freeze mid scan... and the program hung, waitingfor the completion of the scan, which didn't come.

    As soon as I turned (WIA) off, the scanner, and all functionality worked fine!

    I must have installed the HP program repair successfully a couple of weeks ago before WIA had a chance to start up, as it was set to run on a delayed start up, and when I uninstalled the unstable ACD program (which uses WIA as a component) WIA rushed to fill the void this left... thus disabling my scanner program, or rather placing WIA between the HP program and the scanner.

    For anyone's future reference, I did this by doing the following:

    1. Right click/tap START
    2. RUN
    3. Enter:  services.msc
    4. scroll down the list to Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)
    5. Double click/select, so the properties window appears.
    6. In the GENERAL tab, select: DISABLE, from the drop down menu box.
    7. Hit the APPLY button
    8. OK it, and problem solved.

    All pretty much functional through the mouse now, just need to work out how to make the buttons on the front of the scanner work now!

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-05-30T16:51:37+00:00

    Thanks, Magic Marm' - I'm going to try your solution. 

    I've been having the same symptoms with an older 1640SU Epson Scanner, plus been having a general problem where USB 2.0 devices connected on dedicated USB 2.0 ports are mis-detected by Windows 8.1 as being connected to a USB 3.0 Port, sometimes generating a warning/caution and aborting installation of the device.  (FYI-My desktop computer has both [separate] USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports and controllers.) This device mis-detection problem also seems to prevent Windows 8.1 from correctly installing device drivers for these and other newly connected USB 2.0 devices connected to USB 2.0 ports.; sometimes these devices are not detected at all....

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-05-30T01:13:40+00:00

    Hi,

    Thanks for the update. You can try to update the inbox drivers which comes with Windows 8.1 and check if it helps:

    a. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search.

    (If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and then click Search.)

    b. Enter “Device manger” without quotes in the search box.

    c. Tap on Device manager.

    d. Right Click on the device & Select Update Driver Software.

    e. Select Browse my computer for a driver software.

    f. Select Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.

    g. Select the driver option according to your device model and install.

    Let us know if you need further assistance.

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-05-29T09:30:18+00:00

    Thanks for your answer John,

    I read the articles and, for the sake of being meticulous, I followed the steps.  Although this very much approximates the steps already taken, and it didn't work unfortunately.

    I know the driver for the scanner is embedded in the HP Precisionscan 3.1 program, and that, even though I switched the windows ability to automatically download and install drivers off, and uninstalled any already installed, every time the scanner is plugged in, Windows detects it and effectively "Hijacks" it from the HP program... as evidenced by the fact that Windows Fax and Scan uses the Windows driver to drive the scanner when it is in operation.

    If Windows Fax and Scan could just be set up to use the Transparency Scanner attachment, so I could use that through the Scanner (it plugs into the back of the Scanner, and sits on top of it when in use) in this program, I could simply write off the HP Program, and be happy with that, but there is no facility in Fax and Scan for this, and really need the HP program to allow for this.

    The HP program, as I said, even starts a scan, but then hangs, and can't complete it, as the unknown element (something in windows) intervenes, and causes a freeze, or suspension of operation.  But as the whole thing worked just a few days ago, and for a period of a couple of days, it can't be anything inherently wrong with the program or scanner, or how they operate together (I use the Compatibility settings for XP (service pack 3)... without even being interrupted by switching the computer off and rebooting it over this time, so I think it was something I either activated by using Fax and scan, or something that came down through the windows updates (perhaps reading my attempts to use the HP program as some kind of spyware activity (?).

    Whatever it is intervening, I just want to switch it off, or allow the HP program to be permitted to operate... I'm sure it's going to be something simple, like checking a box or something, but I just don't know what.

    Thank you again.

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-05-28T07:36:20+00:00

    Hi,

    HP Scanjet 4470c Scanner is old product and drivers for this device is not provided by HP. The drivers for any hardware device is provided by device manufacturer.

    Method 1: You can try installing the old drivers from HP support link in compatibility mode and check if it helps:

    Download the Windows drivers from this link: **http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareCategory?cc=us&lc=en&product=57956**

    Refer this Microsoft article to install the drivers in compatibility mode:

    Make older programs compatible with this version of Windows

    **http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/windows-8/older-programs-compatible-version-windows**

    Method 2: Follow the steps from this Microsoft article and check if it helps:

    Fix printer problems

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/printer-problems-in-windows-help#fix-printer-problems=windows-8&v1h=win8tab1&v2h=win7tab1&v3h=winvistatab1&v4h=winxptab1

    Hope this helps. If you need further assistance with Windows, let us know and will be glad to help.

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