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Not sure how it is going to show up......but here you go!

HP Scanjet 5100C Scanner Family - Basic Troubleshooting for the Scanner


Things to check, verify, or test

Fixes and workarounds

Installation problems

Memory problems

Scanner button problems

Problems scanning text

Problems scanning from applications

Contact HP?




Things to check, verify, or test
Make sure that you are using an IEEE-1284-compliant printer cable between the scanner and printer. Make sure that print spooling is turned on, especially when using the HP Scanjet Copy Utility. Print jobs will be spooled up (saved to disk) until the printer is available, requiring more disk space, especially if you scan multiple pages.

To check print spooling:

From the Start menu, point to Settings, and select Printers.
Right-click the icon for your printer and choose Properties from the menu.
Choose the Details tab.
Select Spool print documents so program finishes printing faster.
If you install a new printer or printer driver, or if you change the way the scanner is connected, you will need to re-install the HP Scanning Software.

If you have problems scanning or printing while the scanner and your printer are both connected to your computer parallel port, run the HP Parallel Port test (from the Start menu, point to Programs, select HP Scanning Software, then select HP Parallel Port Test).

Depending on your printer speed, this test can take a few minutes to run. The HP Parallel Port Test prints a test page and verifies communication between your printer, scanner and computer. The program may be able to change the printer configuration to improve compatibility.

If scanning is too slow or the scanner not responding, contact your computer manufacturer to check your parallel port setting in basic input/output system (BIOS). It should be set to EPP (Enhanced Parallel) for best performance.

Fixes and workarounds
If you still have problems scanning or printing, you can try each of the following (in the recommended order) until your scanner and printer work together.

Obtain and install the latest port sharing (for example, IEEE 1284.3 compliant) printer driver from your printer manufacturer, then re-install the HP Scanning Software.
Turn off bidirectional communication between your printer and your computer. Contact your printer manufacturer for instructions on how to do this.
Do not print and scan at the same time.
Do not use the HP Scanjet Copy Utility. (You may not be able to use the Scan To: Printer destination either.)
Disable the scanner button on the scanner. To disable the scanner button:
From the Start menu, point to Programs, select HP Scanning Software then select HP Scanjet Button Manager.
The HP Scanjet Button Manager dialog box appears.
Clear the box labeled Enable the Scan Button.
Choose OK.
Contact your computer manufacturer about upgrading your personal computer (PC) to support an additional parallel port. You can use a second parallel port to connect the scanner. These changes may involve opening your PC to install an interface card, upgrading your operating system, and/or installing additional drivers. You will need to re-install the HP Scanning Software after you change how the scanner is connected.
Purchase and install a new HP printer. Then re-install the HP Scanning Software.
Installation problems
Issue
Cause
Solution

When you restart your computer, you see operating system prompts about an unknown device in a New Hardware Found dialog box.
You connected the scanner to your computer Before you installed the software.
Choose Cancel in the New Hardware Found dialog box and then install the HP Scanning Software. The Setup program will update your system appropriately.

The printer is not working.
Your printer drivers and/or status monitors for your printer do not allow port sharing.
Use a workaround solution to use both the non-compliant printer and scanner.

You cannot run the scanning software.
The software installation is incomplete.
Restart the computer and try running the Setup program again.

The scanner is not working.
The scanner was not installed properly.
1. Make sure the power cord is connected to the scanner and plugged into an electrical outlet.
2. Make sure the scanner is unlocked.
3. Make sure the parallel cable is securely attached.
4. Completely power off your computer system, wait 30 seconds, and then power on the scanner.
5. Turn on your computer.

Not enough disk space is available during installation.
The Setup program determined that your hard disk space is insufficient.
Either:
1. Create enough space by deleting unnecessary files from your hard disk or archiving older files to disk or other storage device.
2. Install to a different drive.



Memory problems
Issue
Cause
Solution

The HP scanning software is out of available memory.
The system memory or system resources are not sufficient for the application to run.
1. If any other applications are running, close them.
2. From the Start menu, point to Programs and select Windows Explorer. Delete all files in the directory: /WINDOWS/START MENU/PROGRAMS/STARTUP, then restart Windows and try again. (Note that some applications do not release all the memory or resources they take up even when you exit from them, so restarting Windows with no applications in your Start-up group can give you maximum memory and resources.)
3. From the Start menu, point to Programs, and select Control Panel. Then double-click the System icon. Choose the Performance tab. Choose the Virtual Memory button. You should use the size suggested in the dialog box; however, make sure you have at least 16 MB or more of available space on the selected drive. Clear the box labeled Disable virtual memory (not recommended).



Scanner button problems
Issue
Cause
Solution

The scanner does not respond when you press the button on the scanner.
The HP Scanjet Button Manager is not enabled.
From the Start menu, point to Programs, select HP Scanning Software, then select HP Scanjet Button Manager. Check the box labeled Enable the Scan button.



Problems scanning text
Issue
Cause
Solution

The text font changes when scanning text. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) conversion may lose font, font style, and text size formatting information.
The default font in the word processor is used.
Specify the font in your word processor.

Documents lose their formatting when scanned into a word processor.
Some formatting may be lost upon converting to editable text.
Specify the formatting in your word processor.

Scanned document does not convert to text for editing.
The region type is incorrect.
Specify the region type in the HP Precisionscan software.



Problems scanning from applications
Issue
Cause
Solution

When using Acquire in the file menu of a word processor, instead of the HP Precisionscan software, some other program appears.
The data source for your Acquire command is not set to go to the HP Precisionscan software.
Choose Select Source in the File menu of the word processor, then specify HP Precisionscan software as the source.

Cannot find Acquire in the File menu on the word processor.
Your word processing program may not use this type of access to the scanning software.
Use another method of inserting a scanned picture into a word processing document, such as the Insert Object or Insert Picture commands.

Cannot find the Insert Object command on the word processor menus.
Your word processing program may not use this type of access to the scanning software.
Use another method of inserting a scanned picture into a word processing document, such as the Import Picture command or the Copy and Paste commands.

Your word processor documentation for information on whether an Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) link is available.
The picture is too large or small after it is inserted into a word processor document.
Picture was not scanned at the correct size. Zooming does not change the size of the scanned picture. Set the Region Size in the HP Precisionscan software.



SUMMARY: HP supplies all of their manuals and help files with your HP Scanjet scanner on the CD-ROM. To access the information you must install the scanning software from the CD-ROM. Once that is completed you can follow the path listed below to the User Guide and much more.

Choose Start/Programs/HP Scanjet Software/HP Online Help, then click any of the items listed, as an example.

HP Scanjet Help
HP Scanjet Readme
HP Scanjet Support Supplement
Show Me Videos
User GuideHP Scanjet 5100C Scanner Family - Basic Troubleshooting for the Scanner
 

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A SCAN DOES NOT LOOK RIGHT IN THE VIEWER
ISSUE: The blue borders in the view area are not drawn the way I want them.

SOLUTION: In most cases you should be able to use the regions that the HP PrecisionScan software has identified for your scan. However, if the automatically-identified regions do not include all parts of the scan that you want, draw your own borders by using the Region tool to drag a box around the part of the view area you want to transfer to the destination.

ISSUE: My scan shows up in the middle of the Viewer, and I want it at the top.

SOLUTION: The scan is shown in the center of the Viewer if you placed the original in the center of the scanner bed. However, as long as you can see the scan well enough to work with it in the Viewer, it does not really matter where it appears within the display. Next time, if you want the scan to appear at the top of the Viewer, make sure you place it in the upper right hand corner of the scanner bed.

ISSUE: I can barely see the view area in the Viewer. I want to make it bigger, without changing the actual size of the scan.

SOLUTION: Use the Zoom In tool if you want to see a close up version of a region. This gives you finer control over selecting regions to scan. This tool does not change the final size of your scanned image--it just gives you a different view of it in the Viewer.

You can also resize the Viewer window to change the view area. Depending on how you drag, the Viewer display expands as far as it can horizontally, vertically, or both (while maintaining aspect ratio). For maximum display size, drag the lower right corner of the Viewer down and to the right as far as it goes.

ISSUE: I tried to make the view area bigger by resizing it in the Page Size or Region Size dialog box, but it did not change what I see in the Viewer.

SOLUTION: The Page Size and Region Size dialog boxes control the size of the scan in the destination, but they do not change the way it looks in the Viewer. The status bar at the bottom of the Viewer shows the size the region or scan is in the destination.

Use the Zoom In tool if you want to see a close up version of a region in the Viewer. This gives you finer control over selecting regions to scan. This tool does not change the final size of your scanned image--it just gives you a different view of it in the Viewer.

You can also resize the Viewer window to change the view area. Depending on how you drag, the Viewer display expands as far as it can horizontally, vertically, or both. For maximum display size, drag the lower right corner of the Viewer down and to the right as far as it goes.

ISSUE: The Viewer takes up my whole screen, and I want to make it smaller.

SOLUTION: You can resize the Viewer window to change the view area. Depending on how you drag the Viewer window, the view area contracts as far as it can horizontally, vertically, or both. For minimum display size, drag the lower right corner of the Viewer up and to the left as far as it goes.

ISSUE: I scanned a black-and-white drawing on a colored background, but in the Viewer, the background is white.

SOLUTION: When the HP PrecisionScan software identifies a region as a black-and-white drawing, the region is shown in the Viewer with a white background and is transferred to the destination with a white background, regardless of the background color in your original.

If you want the original background color included in the destination, change the region type to color drawing. Note that the region is transferred as a bitmap graphic, instead of scaleable clip art.

ISSUE: My scans are coming in crooked.

SOLUTION: If you clear the Detect Regions on the Page box in the Auto Detect tab of the Preferences dialog box, the HP PrecisionScan software also stops automatically deskewing originals. Note that automatic deskew only corrects images that are skewed less than 10 degrees. If your original is tilted more than 10 degrees, the HP PrecisionScan software assumes you intentionally skewed the original on the scanner bed.
 

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PrecisionScan, A Scan Does Not Look Right in the Destination


A Scan Does Not Look Right in the Destination




A SCAN DOES NOT LOOK RIGHT IN THE DESTINATION
ISSUE: I wanted to scan the whole original as a single image, but after I chose Scan, another window came up with different areas of the scan shown in blue boxes. I do not know why the image did not appear in my destination.

SOLUTION: You are seeing a view area in the Viewer, which is part of the HP PrecisionScan software. The Viewer appears when you choose Scan in the HP PrecisionScan software Main dialog box, if you have the Select Parts of Page or View Page First box checked (it is checked by default).

In the Viewer, you can choose to include only selected regions. To scan the entire original as a single image, manually select the entire scan, change its type to drawing or photo, and transfer the scan to the destination by choosing Accept. The entire scan is displayed as an image in your destination (provided the destination accepts images and not just text).

NOTE: Next time you want to scan an entire original, uncheck the Select Parts of Page or View Page First box, then choose Scan. The entire scan bypasses the Viewer and is sent directly to your destination.

ISSUE: I only wanted part of the original, but the whole thing appeared in my destination.

SOLUTION: Make sure that the Select Parts of Page or View Page First box in the HP PrecisionScan software Main dialog box is checked before you scan. The HP PrecisionScan software displays a view area in the Viewer, where you can choose to include only selected regions. After you choose the regions you want to include in the scan, transfer the scan to the destination. Only the selected regions appear in the destination.

NOTE: If you want the HP PrecisionScan software to automatically identify regions, turn on Detect Regions on the Page before you scan. If Detect Regions on the Page is turned off, you still get a view area in the Viewer, but the entire scanner bed is identified as a single photo region. To transfer only part of the original, manually select the regions you want.

ISSUE: I thought I made the scan bigger (or smaller) in the Viewer, but in the destination, it is still the same size as the original.

SOLUTION: You probably used the Zoom In or Zoom Out tool in the Viewer to change the view area. These tools do not change the final size of your scanned image--they just give you a different view of it in the Viewer. If you want to enlarge or reduce the final size of the scan, resize the scanned page or regions using the Page Size or Region Size dialog box.

ISSUE: I changed the size of one region, but they all changed size in the destination.

SOLUTION: Any changes you make in the Region Size dialog box affect all subsequently selected regions. To resize only one region while maintaining the original size of other regions, change the size of the region you want to resize, then transfer this region only to the destination. Return to the Viewer and reinstate the default Region Size dialog box settings before transferring the other regions.

ISSUE: A scanned image I transferred to a word processor document has a border of white space around it.

SOLUTION: Some software programs add a white space background automatically to all images transferred to a document. You might be able to crop the extra white space by using a cropping tool in your word processor image editor or drawing tool.

ISSUE: I scanned a black-and-white drawing on a colored background, but in the destination, the background is white.

SOLUTION: When the HP PrecisionScan software identifies a region as a black-and-white drawing, the region is shown in the Viewer with a white background and is transferred to the destination with a white background, regardless of the background color in your original.

If you want the original background color included in the destination, change the region type to color drawing. Note that the region is then transferred as a bitmap graphic, instead of scaleable clip art.

ISSUE: Part of what I wanted was cut off.

SOLUTION: If the automatically-identified borders do not encompass all of the regions you want to transfer to the destination, you might need to manually create a border and then set the region type.

Also, if you choose selected regions in the Viewer, both images (photos and drawings) and editable text are placed in your document, if the application accepts both (for example, if it accepts Rich Text Format [RTF]). If the application accepts only images, the text is not editable. If it accepts only text, you do not get the images.

ISSUE: Some features in the original image do not appear in the scanned image.

SOLUTION: If the automatically-identified borders do not encompass all of the regions you want to transfer to the destination, you might need to manually create a border and then set the region type.

Also, if you choose selected regions in the Viewer, both images (photos and drawings) and editable text are placed in your document, if the application accepts both (for example, if it accepts Rich Text Format [RTF]). If the application accepts only images, the text is not editable. If it accepts only text, you do not get the images.

ISSUE: My scans are coming in crooked.

SOLUTION: If you cleared the Detect Regions on the Page box in the Auto Detect tab of the Preferences dialog box, the HP PrecisionScan software also stops automatically deskewing originals. Note that automatic deskew only corrects images that are skewed less than 10 degrees. If your original is tilted more than 10 degrees, the HP PrecisionScan software assumes you intentionally skewed the original on the scanner bed.
 

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easist way to fix a problem...get rid of it:winking: good luck with that on...In all fairness HP does make good printing and scanning products!!
 
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