Another one to avoid

[peartree]

Here's another outfit to avoid: Visioneer.

I know that a lot of people out there own them and they're attractive because they have a brand presence and cheap prices, but there seems to be a REASON for the cheap prices. The reason is that they don't care diddly about their customers and don't want to be bothered once they have your money. This is evidenced by the fact that:

1) They have NO e-mail contacts for tech support.
2) Tech support is available free for current products. IF you ignore the fact that it's a toll call.
3) Any product that they define as a non-current product will cost you a $2 a minute 900- call for support.

This shows a total lack of customer support, AFAIC. Of course it's cheap for them, but it leaves us hanging. Or broke. I found this out when I found that my 6-month old scanner doesn't work under Windows XP,even though their drivers claim support for it.

The bottom line is: investigate tech support BEFORE you fall for the lure of the lowest price!

=== Never assume ANYTHING ===

 

[Zoron]

What model is it? I haven't found many USB scanners that don't work with XP... if you can't find an XP driver, use the Windows 2000 driver; that works in most cases.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>

 

[peartree]

Model 5820. It says it's XP compatible, but all I can get out of it is the infamous 'Confirm that your scanner is unlocked' error. There's even a note on their website's FAQ's that basically says 'If you get this error, you're on your own'.

Nope, next time it will be a company I can contact for support without spending a fortune!

=== Never assume ANYTHING ===

 

[Zoron]

Unfortunately, when we're talking about consumer scanners, that's the way it is. I'm not sure about Canon, but I do know that HP and Umax (for examples) do NOT have a toll-free end-user support line for their scanners.

Chances are if they say it's compatible, it will work. I've even gotten USB devices that have stated they weren't XP compatible working under XP.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>

 

[peartree]

Perhaps I wouldn't be so grumpy if they offered a link for support by e-mail, at least. Even Canon and HP do that much. Let's just say I suspect that it's a TWAIN issue, but I refuse to pay $2 a minute to find out. If they kept me on the phone for 20 minutes, I could have used the money to buy a new scanner.

=== Never assume ANYTHING ===

 

[Zoron]

Yeah, I have to agree with you on that one. What have you tried? Perhaps I can be of some assistance.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>

 

[peartree]

The reason I suspect a TWAIN issue is that during bootup, the system detects the scanner just fine and it goes through the 'detect and configure' phase of their One Touch Monitor okay, but any attempt to scan fails.

I only have 2 different TWAIN versions- Fuji and the one from Visioneer that came with PaperPort's software. Neither seems to work the scanner and I have no idea where to find another version.

=== Never assume ANYTHING ===

 

[Zoron]

Try to completely uninstall both versions and then reinstall Visioneer's version. Do this with the scanner unplugged, then plug it in after installing the software and rebooting.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>

 

[peartree]

I'll try that. It may take a while. My net access has been down for 5 days (!) 🙁


=== Never assume ANYTHING ===

 

[peartree]

I wish I could tell you that it worked, but it failed like everything else I've tried. What frosts my cookies is that according to Visioneer's web site, they know about this problem and apparently they don't have a clue about what is causing it, nor do they seem to be interested in finding out.

I intend to go out and buy an HP scanner as soon as I can.

=== Never assume ANYTHING ===

 

[Toejam31]

Instead of an HP scanner, you might consider some other brands. For instance, after some intensive research, I picked up a SCSI-2 MicroTek Scanmaker 4 about 2 1/2 years ago that works <i>beautifully</i>, and I've had absolutely no difficulties running it under Win9x, Win2K or WinXP. The company is not as well known as HP, Visioneer (which makes terrible hardware, IMHO) Canon, and Epson ... but the components are superior in quality, with a better price-to-performance ratio than offerings from many other manufacturers.

I've used HP scanners in the past, and in my opinion, the hardware borders on being disposable. There also can be some issues when it comes to drivers and the scanning software, especially if you are upgrading from one operating system to another. HP has a history of refusing to provide updated software without the consumer providing extra cash.

If I was going to buy a cheaper scanner, for routine work, then I'd get an Epson, which appear to be fairly reliable.

Take a look at the <A HREF="http://www.microtekusa.com/index.html" target="_new">MicroTek</A> scanners, do some shopping around for the best prices, and compare for yourself. Once you get your hands on one of these, you'll kick yourself for ever buying a cheap device from a lousy company like Visioneer. If you've got a good scanning technique, the images produced from one of these scanners can be breathtaking in quality and color.

I can send you some examples, if you wish.

Toey

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[peartree]

Yeah. The issue isn't quite as much which one to buy, now, as it is the loss of money that was tough to gather. And the anger over finding that the scanner, only 6 months old, is unusable due to driver issues. It's not like Windows XP just came out. And, knowing that it doesn't work with XP in some cases, they still put it on the shelf without any warning notes.
For my money, if you can't say 'This product will run under XP in ANY configuration' then they should never be allowed to put "XP Compatible" on the box.

Now on to the other points in your reply. I know about MicroTek and other manufacturers that have been around a long time. I'm not about to go out and buy a SCSI adapter just to run a cheap scanner, but I'll find one that works under XP. I can tell you one thing: it won't be an Epson! I have an issue with Epson, too. We have an Epson printer sitting on the shelf collecting dust. The print heads need cleaning. Guess what? If the print heads get dirty and clog up on an Epson you have three choices- rip the printer open and fix it yourself, ship the thing to a certified Epson service center for cleaning at a BIG cost, or (the one I prefer) throw the piece of crap in the trash and buy a printer with print heads in the cartridge.

=== Never assume ANYTHING ===

 

[Zoron]

Umax pissed me off as well. I have a 2000U scanner that Windows XP happened to have drivers for, and it does work, which is great. The only thing is though, I can't turn off the freakin' light... the only way to do that is to download the Vistascan software they provide with their scanners.

Well guess what? They have the software, but if you want the version that is XP compatible, you have to order the CD and pay for it. I said screw you guys and downloaded it from Kazaa. Works great. I'll keep using the scanner until it's no good... but I probably won't be replacing it with another Umax once it does go.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>

 

[inquiring]

HP is worse than Visioneer. I have a $400 3 in 1 HP scanner-printer-copier and cant get drivers that work in WIN XP. HP wants to sell them to me! Forget that. HP doesnt support this product proving that, like Intel, HP eats their young! I am going to buy a 48 bit EPSON scanner for $30 that HAS legitimate working bonafide drivers and TWAIN support.

 

[peartree]

Well, let us know how it works out. And maybe where you found the scanner, unless it's a local shop that the rest of us can't get to!

=== SHOPPINGMAN!!! Never assume ANYTHING ====