My UMAX Astra 2200 no longer works

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Hello all,

I have yet another issue. Running XP SP3 with all updates. A short time ago I was using a thumb drive to transfer a few files between my computer and a friends laptop. Windows had been up for quite some time, so I rebooted, with the thumb drive in one of my usb ports. I heard a *CLICK* from within the tower case, and rather than continuing to reboot, it started over. It seemed to reboot fine, BUT I seemed to have lost usb functionality, such as the ability to drag and drop files onto the thumb drive. Eventually through some trial and error, and after reading some article somewhere about power drainage on usb ports, and after uninstalling Sonic’s dla “stuff”, I disconnected a Belkin 7 port hub that had been working fine for years. After that, my key drive worked again. I figured that the Belkin device had become fried, but my scanner (the Umax one in the thread title) no longer was recognized. I uninstalled and reinstalled the drivers (that I had to PAY Umax about $30.00 for!), but although the scanner seems to be recognized in Device Manager, and under Properties it states that the device is working properly, I cannot get the Umax software to communicate with the scanner. I tried different usb ports, but no luck.

It’s been a few weeks since I tried anything, and I simply pulled the power plug for now because I couldn’t get the lamp control to shut the lamp off, but I would really like to get this scanner to work again. I don’t use it that often, but it comes in handy when I need to make a copy or something. Umax is useless when it comes to support, and it seems they aren’t going to provide any drivers beyond the pay-for XP ones, AND I tried the free Vue Scan software, which does “see” the scanner but won’t work due to it is only compatible for this scanner with SCSI drivers NOT usb!

Awaiting your replies,

Scott

“Love your enemy – it’ll drive him nuts.” – Anonymous.

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You say you have reinstalled the drivers, but have you also uninstalled the software and tried reinstalled it too?

Any relevance to this article with regard to your situation?

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Hi Clint,

Thanks for the response. I must be missing something, because I uninstalled the Vistascan software, which uninstalls the drivers as well, then followed the instructions the KB article you referenced gave for testing the scanner, and it was able to communicate and preview a scan. However after reinstalling the Umax software and drivers, once again I get “Link failure” as an error message. I have done this a couple of times before over the years I have had this computer, so I don’t know exactly what it is I am missing. After the uninstallation process, I rebooted, did a JV16 PowerTools registry clean to remove orphaned registry entries, rebooted again, and plugged the usb cable into the computer, then tested with the Scanner and camera Wizard, as the article suggested. XP immediately recognized the scanner, so the Windows driver(s) were already installed. It is only after shutting down, removing the usb cable, as the Umax software instructs, and then reinstalling the Umax software do I have this problem. If there were other software I could use I would, and I guess I could use the Wizard as a fallback after uninstalling the Umax stuff, but in the long run I would like to use the Umax software for no other reason than convenience.

Again, I MUST be missing something, but at this time I just don’t know what. I don’t believe that the transparency connection has anything to do with the issue, due to the fact that it has always been connected.

If you can think of anything at all, let me know.

Thanks again!

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Just to let anyone interested know, I finally figured out what it was I had forgotten about installing the drivers for this scanner. Actually, I found it on the Umax website knowledgebase. After installing the software, one must go into Device Manager, right click on the Astra scanner entry under Imaging devices and choose update drivers, then let me choose location(advanced). A window with two drivers pops up, of which one driver is not digitally signed. I had to use that driver, and voilá, all is well! At least this is here now, so if anyone ever looks here for this solution (why do I doubt that?) it will be readily available.

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