Epson 3490 Scanner Will Not Start

[hoosier]

I've had no problems in the past using my Epson Perfection 3490 scanner.

However, I am now getting this pop-up message: "Cannot properly communicate with the scanner. Make sure the scanner is on, properly connected, and properly set up to scan. If using a SCSI connection, restart your computer."

I haven't changed the way I have always hooked-up the unit or anything. I reistalled the driver program from the Epson web site.

Can anyone suggest what I might do please?   

[Mark H]

Try deleting the driver in device manager, reboot, and then reinstall the scanner from scratch as if it was brand new out of the box. For device manager, right click the "My Computer" icon, select properties, select the hardware tab and then click the device manager button.

Mark H

[hoosier]

Mark,

To uninstall the Epson scanner I went the route of Control Panel + Add or Remove Programs.

When I tried your Device Manager suggestion, I cannot find the Epson scanner program listed there at all.

[Whizbang]

I don't know if this applies here, but if you use hibernate or stand-by function on computer, you likely will corrupt the printer/scanner drivers.  Epson is really sensitive to those options.

[hoosier]

Re" if you use hybernate or stand-by function on computer"

I never use the "stand-by" function, so that shouldn't be an issue

[Whizbang]

Go to the Control Panel and click on Power Options.  Then click on the Hibernate tab.  If the Hibernate box is not checked, that possibility can be ruled out. 

From Microsoft: hibernation
A state in which your computer shuts down after saving everything in memory on your hard disk. When you bring your computer out of hibernation, all programs and documents that were open are restored to your desktop.

Excuse any typo you may find.  I have a bad habit of misspelling hibernate with a "y."

Same thing with Hibiscus.   :-[
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[Mark H]

Mark,

To uninstall the Epson scanner I went the route of Control Panel + Add or Remove Programs.

When I tried your Device Manager suggestion, I cannot find the Epson scanner program listed there at all.

A total uninstall of the program and drivers, reboot and then reinstall is a first step. Another step is to use the system restore function of Windows XP to go back to a point in time before having problems.

Mark H

[hoosier]

Hibernate box was not checked. And, I did completely remove Epson driver and programs and reinstalled same from the Epson web site.

And here's something very strange:

When I left click on My Computer I see an icon representing my scanner. When I right click on the icon I can then select Properties. In Properties I see a box labeled Test Scanner. After I left click on that box I get a message saying "Your imaging device successfully completed the diagnostic test". 

And yet, I still cannot use my scanner. The same old "cannot properly communicate" message keeps popping up.

[hoosier]

Just some further information: Device Manager shows my scanner as connected, and after right clicking on properties and left clicking on Test, I get a message saying that my device is working properly. But when I try to Scan I continue to get the "Cannot communicate etc." message

[Whizbang]

If the connection is USB, try switching to another jack.   :-\

[hoosier]

I have my 3490 scanner working again. Hurrah!

I will tell you how I got there, but I have no idea why this should have worked. Whizbang, maybe you can explain some of this ?

I went to a friend's home, installed the 3490 driver and twain on her computer, then my scanner, and again got the "Cannot communicate-----" message.

My friend noticed that I had connected my cable to the UBS port on her computer's front face. She said she never seemed to be able to get that front port to work. I plugged into a backside UBS port and my scanner worked okay.

I came home, added a 4-port hub to the rear of my computer (I was out of spare ports back there), connected the cable --- and the scanner worked just fine.

However, and here is a major mystery: For no particular reason, I plugged the scanner cable back into the front port of my computer ---- and the scanner still works okay!!!

[Whizbang]

The only possible explanation I could give other than a simple dirty contact would be IRQ confusion that was resolved by the switch in ports.  USB problems are not easy to explain once they disappear.  I had been guessing that you might have been tapping a USB 1.1 port, but those are non-existent on newer mainboards.  I mentioned in another poast that my USB-powered earphones and sound card are not registered as even being connected on the one front port, even though the setup works and does not affect the regular mainboard onboard sound from my Hauppauge TV card.  When I switch to the USB port that was used when I installed the USB card, the control panel loads and turns off the mainboard sound chip.  I have to unmount the USB card from that port, or the computer will freeze.  The computer does not even recognize that the card is being used in the other port, and I simply pull it out when I want to and can also put it back in at any time.  You figure.   ???

[hoosier]

Nothing I can possibly imagine could make a front panel UBS 2.0 input act differently from a rear panel UBS 2.0 input dependent on what input device is connected thereto. How naive is that ?