Scanner not detected on USB port

Question

I have an old Epson 2450 scanner which I have been using for years with the Epson 4990 driver, including for the past year or so on Windows 11.

But during the past week, the scanner is no longer detected. It is not seen in Device Manager.

I am running Windows 11 Pro 23H2 with the latest security updates.

I have

• Rebooted the computer
• Disconnected and reconnected the scanner power off and power on
• Tried different ports.
• Done "Scan for Hardware Changes" in Device manager.
• Ensured the port I was using would work with other devices
• Confirmed the scanner could be detected on another computer (showed up in Device Manager) also running Windows 11 23H2
  • On this other computer, the latest security update was KB5048667 which is said to apply to 24H2, even though that computer is running 23H2
• I have disabled Selective Suspend
• Uninstalled the last security update which was applied after the last successful scan
• Run sfc /scannnow with no issues found

Prior to discovering the failure, I had temporarily used that same port for a different device (a portable USB HDD).

Any thoughts?

Answer 1

Hello,

Thank you for posting in the Microsoft community forum.

According to your description, the scanner is working on another computer, and you have verified the port configuration. The symptom appears to be specifically affected by your primary computer Settings.

Here are some other steps you might consider:

1. Eliminate driver conflicts:

There may be driver conflicts or leftover files of previously installed drivers that can cause problems.

Uninstall the Epson 4990 driver. Download the latest available drivers from the Epson website.

During the installation process, right-click the installer and select Properties.

Go to the Compatibility TAB and try running the installer in compatibility mode with earlier versions of Windows.

2. Refresh the USB controller:

Go to Device Manager > Universal Serial Bus Controller.

Right-click each item and select "Uninstall Device".

When you restart your computer, Windows should automatically reinstall the USB controller.

3. Enable the safe mode and check whether the scanner is detected.

Please refer to this article for detailed steps: Windows startup settings - Microsoft Support

In the boot Settings list, use the number key 4 to enter safe mode.

In addition, check if the problem persists after a clean boot:

How to perform a clean boot in Windows - Microsoft Support

If so, the problem may be caused by third-party software or services operating in normal mode.

4. Test with different user profiles:

Create a new user account on your Windows 11 computer and test to see if the scanner is detected under this new profile. This helps determine if the problem is related to your user profile Settings.

I hope this helps.

Best regards

Jacen

Answer 2

I tried what you suggested.

But you should have a caveat that, after disconnecting all the USB devices, a USB connected keyboard and mouse won't work either!

In any event, the scanner eventually showed up in Device Manager.

Unfortunately, drivers which used to work (in Windows 11) with that scanner no longer do so. And, additionally, Epson no longer supports that scanner on Windows 11.

I was able to download and use a different scanning program (Vuescan) which did work with the scanner.

But, this morning, after a restart, the scanner would no longer connect in Device Manager, so back to square 1.

Thank you for your help. I wish the fix had been more permanent.

Answer 3

Had the same issue. on my EPSON perfection V600 Photo. It worked w.o. issues till upgrading to WIN11 24H2. After research on several sites was able to finally fix it:

1. de-inst all all stuff you have in respect to the EPSON scanner software
2. download Scan_2 and Scan Smart from Epson Web site
3. install the software.

The research, found the following (cut and pasted the original text and links) :

_______________________________________________________________________

I was able to resolve the issue by installing the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable located here:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist?view=msvc-170#visual-studio-2015-2017-2019-and-2022

Direct download link:

https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe

I have found that this fixes a lot of older software that worked on Windows 10 but not 11.

_____________________________________________________________________

This it it !! It works again like before the upgrade :-) .

. It took me several hours to get there by the way.

Hope it helps to all having the same problem and avoid spending too much time chasing the error.

Answer 4

Thank you. I will keep that in mind.

For this computer, I have purchased a document scanner (Epson ES-400II) as I no longer need photo capabilities.

And if I do, I can always re-install the 2450.

I have another computer with a 4990 scanner and, if that stops working, I will keep your reccomendation on my list.