I am thinking of buying a flatbed scanner for sale on this site, item no. 25487470. It was originally for Windows 95/NT. I need it to work with my new Windows 8 computer. The seller says it worked with Windows 7. Any advice?
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I am thinking of buying a flatbed scanner for sale on this site, item no. 25487470. It was originally for Windows 95/NT. I need it to work with my new Windows 8 computer. The seller says it worked with Windows 7. Any advice?
It depends. Not very helpful I know... it's not so much if the scanner will work but if there is a compatible device driver for it to work with Win8.
Check both the scanner's manufacture site for any info, and also here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/wind...Language=en-GB
As above - it is the availability of a driver that is all important. My old Windows 98 compatible scanner, the Agfa snapscan 1212 does not work on windows 7 or later as there are no drivers available for it - though there is for XP. I also chucked a perfectly good Brother laser printer for the same reasons - that would not even work on XP.
Why not just purchase a printer/copier/scanner? Mine's an inexpensive HP and it does the trick just fine. Only paid $79 for it and it's a workhorse.
I can list a Canon Pixma MG2550 printer/scanner/copier for £40 including shipping, and that will have ink cartridges worth about £25 in it.
I recently bought a printer - wish I'd bought all-in-one now but didn't know I needed it at the time. I only need to use the scanner function. Is this Canon printer compatible with Windows 8?Quote:
Originally Posted by kreativebargains
The big problem in getting drivers for old hardware to work on newer Windows systems is the cost. Drivers now have to be approved by Microsoft, and that approval process is very expensive - too expensive to be viable for older hardware.
There is VueScan, that can make many older scanners work with newer Windows when there is no bespoke driver. It's not free though. http://www.hamrick.com/
That's a deal, Lakeleilani!!Quote:
Originally Posted by kreativebargains
Thank you all for your replies. I will probably have to go for a new model. It's funny how some of the all-in-one printers are cheaper than a scanner on its own. I will see whether Kreative can help out with his item.
I think it's a case of the manufacturers making their money from the sale of printer ink. The high revenue from that makes it possible to sell a printer, or anything with a printer in it, at a loss.Quote:
Originally Posted by lakeleilani
Just listed it. These are the latest of the canon entry level printers and they supportQuote:
Originally Posted by lakeleilani
Windows 8
Windows 7
Windows Vista
Windows XP SP3 (32bit only).
Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later
Printers are generally sold at cost or less, then as you say they make their money on the consumables. Ink can work out at over £3,000 a litre which I think should leave a large enough margin for the cartridges and a small profit.Quote:
Originally Posted by astral276
Thank you everyone for your help. I have just bought the printer from Kreative.
For anyone else looking for a driver for an old scanner, use the program "VueScan Scanner Software"
You will have to pay for it, unless you know where to find it for free...
"Vuescan" is an excellent program, especially for having full control over the scan process in photography. However, it does not work with all old scanners, Canon being a case in point. In order for Canon scanners to work, Vusecan actually calls the Canon driver. If Canon do not have a driver for your OS then "Vuescan" will not work. If you check the website (quoted in earlier posts as Hamrick) it gives a compatibility list. You are also allowed to test it for a trial period.Quote:
Originally Posted by anthonyb7414
My solution for a Canon scanner for which there was no driver for Windows 7 was to run XP in a Virtual Machine. Eventually I bought an all-in-one for the everyday stuff, reserving the standalone for more detailed work in photography.
As has been said, the profit for the manufacturer is in the ink rather than the printer. I choose a printer "in reverse". I look for one for which I may purchase refillable cartridges and make sure that the German company OCP has produced a compatible ink. It works out then at well under 20p per refill for one cartridge and is much cheaper. I'd not advise using the Chinese produced inks as they tend to be "universal" and can clog the heads.
Thank you for this as it has solved a problem with my Brother printer/Scanner which works perfectly with XP but doesn't want to talk to new W8 PC :) (and also OH's HP printer/scanner.)Quote:
Originally Posted by anthonyb7414
Drat ! Looks like I'm going to have to buy it unless eBid don't mind VueScan's logo across all my scans !
Thanks! I've found www.ocp.de. Where do you buy their ink in the UK?Quote:
Originally Posted by cambrensis
Sorry for the delay. The only one I've found who sells in sensible quantities (e.g.5 bottles for about £15) is on TOS. He has websites as well but they have fallen into disrepair.Quote:
Originally Posted by johnwash1
Others selling do so in 5 litre cans which is pointless for a run of the mill printer. Will pm you.
Just checked and he sells by 'phone and email also, so have PM'd those. Not sure about the Netiquette of adding them here.
I imagine the advice would be to avoid mentioning contact details where there would be a temptation to bypass eBid with consequential loss of fees. But since the seller isn't on this site, I guess it doesn't matter.Quote:
Originally Posted by cambrensis
Usual disclaimers though: IANAL, I don't play one on TV either.
you would need a windows 8 driver. go to the scanner manufacturer website and check to see if your scanner is on there in the support section and checkout the downloads sometimes you get a scanner driver by searching google. i you can't find one either way just buy a new scanner that supports windows 8 because you know that will work
This thread is four years old! Thought it looked vaguely familiar though.
:D
Likewise! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by cambrensis
Actually I'm amazed you and I didn't mention "How about getting it working with Linux?". ;)
Hahahaha! Do you remember the days when you simply downloaded a generic printer driver, had all the codes from the manufacturer of the printer and edited the generic one? It's no wonder I became old before my time!Quote:
Originally Posted by johnwash1
:rolleyes:
Hahaha, oh yes, memories, memories... The trouble now is, it still has that reputation. "Linux, what's that?". (Not "Linux, my Android phone is running that"). Or "Linux, my son in Australia uses it and loves it, but I couldn't possibly try it, even if you installed it for me". (Which should really be accompanied with "And it's so much easier to bring my Windows 10 computer to you to sort out due to me turning off a 3 hour update half way through!").Quote:
Originally Posted by cambrensis
Do I sound bitter? I never was much good in sales. :(
That was much of the job though wasn't it? rescuing the hopeless and helpless? hahaha....
Used to get things like..." I want a pocketable camera with a strong flash that will light up the whole street!1...."Errr....my flashgun is 4 times the size of your camera and cannot do more than fill half this room!"
Quick science courses given in corners...explaining inverse square law with carpet squares
!
I'm sorry, you're completely wrong about that inverse square law. All those flashes going off in the Olympic stadium aren't just for photographing the back of the head of the spectator sitting immediately in front!Quote:
Originally Posted by cambrensis
Or are they? ;)
By the way, Canon have just brought out a flash unit with Artificial Intelligence! It even uses bounce flash when it can, off the ceiling or even the wall behind you. Though at about 500 quid the punters you're talking about probably aren't in the market.
Glad to say I'm not involved any longer...retired completely 10 years ago. I missed working with people, though, so I have been doing more and more with church organisations since then.
One other thing I ought to have mentioned in this thread... someone remarked on scanner/printers being cheaper than plain scanners because the maker recoups the cost with ink sales. True, and that brings me to an especially evil trick to watch out for when shortlisting your purchase. Some scanner/printers refuse to scan when the ink has run out. The ink has absolutely no relevance for scanning, but the manufacturer would like their pound of flesh. Don't get caught, do your research.
Absolutely right, Johnwash! There is something else, too: I am able to use a quality 3rd party ink, because the printer does not detect that things are not "genuine", i.e. not part of the "rip-off". There is a reason for this. When purchasing I make sure that the current firmware will allow non-OEM. Then, when setting up the printer I refuse it permission to "phone home" automatically to "upgrade" the firmware. Usually ths means that they have found out that somebody has found a way around their system and this new "patch" will prevent the user from circumventing what the manufacturer wants.Quote:
Originally Posted by johnwash1
Check what is available for refilling. The two big boys can be refilled (subject to provisos above) but a third does not; you may buy only "rebuilt" cartridges. The reason is that this manufacturer simply creates an ink system. The engine is from one of the other two, usually Canon.
So, do your research; or, if you have a particular machine/job in mind, do ask. One of us may have done the research already - or know somebody who has! :D
I think going to extreme lengths to prevent the printer from "phoning home" may be shutting the stable door. After the fiasco where HP had to back down after including a time bomb in their firmware update, to stop working with 3rd party cartridges, surely no manufacturer would be foolish enough to repeat that PR disaster. Would they? Hmm, well maybe I see your point after all -- sometimes the ability to learn from history is lacking.Quote:
Originally Posted by cambrensis
Canon, Epson, HP, Lexmark, Brother, ... can you be more specific about which can be refilled? I didn't quite follow what you were saying. This is really useful info.
Short answer: Easiest are the two market leaders, Epson and Canon, with Canon being the easier. It's even possible to get devices to reset Canon cartridge "chips", though they usually have a limited life of about 100 iterations; useful in an emergency, however.
I used Epson for many years but switched to Canon in the last 5 years.
Reading this together with an earlier post, you can work o0ut that HP engines are one or the other, usually Canon, and that it is the cartridge system which appears to be different.
Of course, these things change from time to time, so again...do the research.
Thanks. I'm a big fan of Canon for cameras and scientific instruments, but I'm fed up with the number of Canon printers people bring me exhibiting "B200 error". There's many youtube videos with various suggested fixes, but, probably because the error is so generic, the comments show that what helps one person fix it may not work for another. The best video I've seen is only 50 seconds long, the author shows it being hurled out of a second floor window and smashing to pieces. It's not just one model of Canon that ends up with B200, many different models go this way. The waste in landfill is appalling, not to mention the effect on wallets.Quote:
Originally Posted by cambrensis
Yes...that B200 error is definitely a B something or other; I've seen the Youtube clip you mention a well!. I've only managed to fix it ever over a short period of a week or so, only to have it return. It appears to be caused by the earth line suddenly "floating". Were it to happen on one of mine, I'd try an experiment to see if altering the mains input would help (it does as temporary fix), but I don't offer anything experimental like that to friends. It's too risky, especially as I've never yet managed to get the circuit diagram/schematic for one with this fault. Makes life interesting, though!
Hadn't heard that theory, interesting. I believe B200 is shorthand for "Meh, there's something screwed up with the printhead, but diagnosing it and being helpful is above my pay grade". Back when I was young and enthusiastic I sometimes got success with taking out the printhead (usually very easy on Canons) and washing it thoroughly in warm water and other solvents, drying it well and reassembling. And your experience of PWA followed by PCB is similar to mine.Quote:
Originally Posted by cambrensis
(Problem Went Away, Problem Came Back)
The NT driver and software would likely work on XP, and might work on Windows 7/8 32-bit (in theory it should), but certainly not 64-bit. If it's actually from the mid 90s, it would connect through SCSI or a parallel port, which a Windows 8 computer is unlikely to have. If it is working in 7, then they're probably using an updated driver, or some generic scanner software, possibly something that's based off of the SANE scanner utilities found on GNU/Linux.Quote:
Originally Posted by sue1945