Help with Epson Scanner that has stopped working; Epson support says it is windows.

BearPup,

Thank you so much for taking time to respond.

1. " Have you changed any software prior to installing your scanner?" The scanner was installed and working correctly.   For no apparent reason the scanner stopped working.  No new software was installed from the time it last worked to the time it was found not to work.  However, it would seem obvious that something changed --  I just can't pinpoint it.   The system has received automatic updates from Windows and Avast! and perhaps other programs.     By the time we noticed the change, and I tried to fix it, the older instances of system restore had been pushed out by the newer fix attempts.  So I can't regress the system.

2.  "have you tried installing the drivers / using the scanner following a clean boot?" I'm not quite sure what you mean by a clean boot.  I have booted in Safe mode, and it has failed.  Windows Image Acquisition does not run in Safe mode, and EPSON told me this was the service the scanner runs through.

If by "clean boot" you mean uninstalling and reinstalling Window 7 OS, the answer is, no, I haven't tried that.   That is a non-trivial and very time consuming option.   I would like to try all other options before that.****Is there a way to clean boot (without OS reinstall) that allows me to only add one program / service at a time?3.  "what do you use for the software interface for the scanner, i.e., do you use the software that came with the scanner or some third party application?"  I use capture program that comes with the scanner, EPSON Scan.    Note that Windows Paint acquires images through the Windows Image Acquisition service, so that attempt qualifies as a third party application.   The answer is therefore, I have tried both OEM and Third Party and they both fail.

I *really* appreciate your assistance on this, and look forward to your further input.

Hello,

By a clean boot we mean the Windows OS loaded with as few programs, services, and user options as possible.

The following is from my notes on how to do a clean boot:

Log on to the computer by using an account that has administrator rights.

Click Start, type msconfig.exe in the Start Search box, and then press Enter to start the System Configuration utility.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, you should type the password or provide confirmation.

On the General tab, click the Selective startupoption, and then click to clear the Load startup items check box. (The Use Original Boot.ini check box is unavailable.)

On the Services tab, click to select the Hide all Microsoft services check box, and then click Disable all.

Note This step lets Microsoft services continue to run. These services include Networking, Plug and Play, Event Logging, Error Reporting, and other services. If you disable these services, you may permanently delete all restore points. Do not do this if you want to use the System Restore utility together with existing restore points.

Click OK, and then click Restart.

For more information about how to perform a clean boot in Windows 7  see the Video: How to do a clean boot in Windows.

After the computer is restarted, you now have a clean boot environment. Do one of the following as appropriate:

· If you previously could not install or uninstall a program or an update, try to install or uninstall the program or update again.

Note If you receive the "The Windows Installer service could not be accessed" error during the installation or uninstallation, follow How to start the Windows Installer service when system services are not loaded, and then install or uninstall the program or update again.

· If the installation or uninstallation is successful, you have resolved your issue. Follow How to reset the computer to start as usual to reset your computer to the normal startup.

· If the installation or uninstallation still fails, that means this issue is not caused by application or service interference. You may have to go to Microsoft Support

for more specific support.

· If you previously could not run a program, try to run the program again.

· If the program runs correctly, that means this issue is caused by application or service interference. Follow How to determine what is causing the issue by performing a clean boot to determine what application or service causes the issue.

· If the program still does not run as expected, that means this issue is not caused by application or service interference.

I hope this helps; keep me posted.

Regards,

BearPup

BearPup,

Thanks for that great tip about a clean boot! Didn't know you could do that.

I have done a clean boot, removing all non-Microsoft services (including AVAST!) from startup.  I detached, repowered, and re-attached the EPSON Scanner.   The system recognized the scanner and said it was operating correctly.

Unfortunately, the error still occurs when I try to use the EPSON Scan and MS Paint. 

I'm hoping you have another trick up your sleeves :-)

Samoht

Samoht,

Well, no more tricks up my sleeve, but maybe some direction. When a clean boot doesn't fix a problem, the problem is most likely not caused by an application or service interference. If it was caused by such interference, it would stop causing the problem with the application / service not booted up.

Since you've gotten it to work previously in Windows it certainly is Windows compatible and rules out a defect. That leaves one option: something that isn't cleared in a clean boot is causing the interference.

When you do a clean boot can you run SFC /scannow (System File Checker)? I'd like to verify that none of the Windows system files is corrupt. I recently had that happen, and the only symptom at the time was that certain programs no longer worked as they should. It was only when I ran SFC that the defect was found.

I hope this helps; keep me posted.

Regards,

BearPup

BearPup,

Thanks for shepherding me through this.  

I've run SFC /SCANNOW  (from command line as administrator).  There were no integrity problems found.  "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations."

Your comments make me wonder if there are potentially any windows services failing? 

I suppose I can run a disk repair option in case there is something wrong there...

Any other thoughts?

• Samoht