Microsoft KB Archive/181652

PI: HOWTO: Reporting Scanner Problems

PSS ID Number: Q181652 Article last modified on 09-15-1998

WINDOWS:1.0,2.0, Express

WINDOWS

================================================================ ==

The information in this article applies to:

 == Microsoft Picture It!, versions 1.0, 2.0, Express == 

= SUMMARY =

When reporting a scanner problem to technical support, include the information shown below so the support engineers can provide the best reply.

For example:

Manufacturer: Mustek Model name: Paragon 1200 SP Pro Scanner type: Flatbed, single-pass, SCSI Scanner driver: Mfsc_pro.ds Version: no version tab Date of file: 7/14/97

Scanner Driver Version and Date
To find the name, version and date of your driver, do the following.

  Click the Start button, point to Find, and click Files and Folders.   Type &quot;*.ds&quot; (without quotation marks).   Click Find Now. You may find one *.ds file for each TWAIN-capable device installed on your system. For example, one scanner and one digital camera.   Right-click the filename you wish to examine and click Properties.   On the General tab, note the Date Modified. This is the date of the file. This is the same date that is reported in Windows Explorer.   If there is a Version tab, click it and note the version number. This tab will usually mention the manufacturer’s name and describe the file. If there is no Version tab, this is a 16-bit driver. If the date modified is after 8/24/95 it was probably based on older technology but designed to work on both Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. </li></ol>

Manufacturer and Model Name
This information is usually silk-screened on the scanner itself or can be found on documents that came with the scanner. Be sure to include the full name of the model. For example, some Mustek models have very similar names so “Mustek 1200 scanner” would not be enough information.

Paragon 1200 A3 Pro, Paragon 1200 SP Pro Paragon 1200 III SP, Plug-n-Scan 1200 III EP Spell the names for the engineer. For example: Is it “Plug and Scan” or “Plug-n-Scan”? “MusTech” or “Mustek”?

Scanner Type
Flatbed scanners are about 2 foot by 1 foot wide and have a lid that opens to reveal a scanning surface (bed) similar to a photocopier.

Sheetfed scanners look like a compact printer such as a Canon Bubble-Jet. They scan by feeding the page through the scanner.

Handheld scanners are small and you scan by dragging the scanner across the flat surface you wish to scan.

Snapshot scanners are about the size of a CD-ROM drive. They pull a photo through the scanner or pull it in and push it out. They can sit on a desktop or be installed in the computer like a CD-ROM drive

How Is the Scanner Attached to the Computer
SCSI: Has its own SCSI interface card and the cable plugs into the card.

Parallel: Plugs into the same parallel port a printer would use.

Internal: Installed in the chassis of the computer like a CD-ROM drive.

PCMCIA: Plugs into a PCMCIA port or PCMCIA card.

Serial: Plugs into the serial port (like an external modem would).

USB: Universal Serial Bus connections are new. The cable looks like a mouse or keyboard cable and the rectangular plug plugs into a 1/2 inch x 1/4 inch USB port.

Single-Pass or Three-Pass ————————-

On a flatbed scanner, how many times does the light bar pass over the paper to be scanned? Models based on older technology make three passes.

Additional query words: twain, smart scan, scanner, camera

=
========================================================= Version : WINDOWS:1.0,2.0, Express Platform : WINDOWS Issue type : kbhowto ============================================================================= Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1998.