HP Scan can't find scanner after Lion upgrade

[bg4gls]

PrintDoc, Thanks very much for trying to help me. For reasons unrelated to the scanner I have decided to revert my computer to Snow Leapard. The scanner works fine in SL. Thanks again, Bob

[GBurge]

I'm wondering if I could reopen this thread since it looks like it is tended by one of the HP pros named Print Doc!  (Do you really have 13k posts?)   I have a parallel situation but I've now seen on the web that this issue is everywhere.

• I have a MacBook running Lion

• I have an HP Photosmart B209a

• I'm using an Airport Time Capsule for wireless which links all devices

• My print functions work fine

• Since upgrading I've lost all scan ability.  HP Scan cannot "see" the scanner.

So what have I done?

I followed your advice here and elsewhere to do the following:

• I scrubbed the HP Print software with the uninstall program

• I downloaded the full install from HP giving me print/scan software that works for OS 10.6

• I fixed all of my permissions (and restarted)

• I reset the PRAM on a new restart

• I've deleted the printer and added it.

• I've unplugged the printer and restarted it to see if the computer could see the scanner

Still: I can print.  But I can't scan.  I can't scan with Image Capture, Preview, or HP Scan.

Are there still any bullets left that I can fire at this thing?  The printer itself can "talk to" my computer.  But the scanner software seems dead.

Thanks for thinking about this, PrintDoc.  

Gary B. 

[PrintDoc]

Did you reset the printing system?

- Go to System Preferences > Print & Fax
- Right (or control) click in the rectangle listing your printers and select Reset Printing System.
WARNING - this will delete ALL of your printers!
- Select the plus sign to re-add a printer. Look for the printer, select it and wait until the "Add" button becomes available. Click it.

What router do you use?  Have you restarted it?

[GBurge]

This is the one thing I did not do.  Chiefly because I have two printers on there from my university where I work and it would scrub my ability to work with them.  I've deleted the HP printer here at home and reinstalled it.  My question:  Have you actually had luck with the Full Reset in order to resume scan function??

Router:  I have a Siemens Speedstreem 4100 supplied by AT&T.  This bring the internet to my Apple Time Capsule.  My theory is that there must be something amiss with the scanner itself.  Why?  When I try to open the scanner using my OS Print/Scan program (>SysPrefs), it doesn't see anything either.  The progress wheel just stops turning.

This is such a universal mystery to so many, if we get the solution it will be valued by many.  It looks like many who write about this issue just abandon their scanners in frustration.

[PrintDoc · Accepted solution]

OK, we can wait on resetting the printing system, but I have had luck with scanning because scanning actually goes through this system (note that it is called Print & Scan in Lion System Preferences).

If you can make a copy at the front of the printer the scanner works.  If you cannot, it is broken.  Its kinda that simple.

Did you download this: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL907

Download it, restart, then delete and re-add the printer in Sys Prefs.

[GBurge]

Print Doc:

This repaired the connection.  Thank you.  I still think there are a lot of people out there who are stuck.

Here is what I suggest.  That we post a fresh entry (not add to this thread) with a good title that lists the things we've done.  Google will index this and it will be found by others.  Perhaps a title like:  HP Scanner for Macs Not Working in Lion: The Solution.  

Here's what I did as a summary that could be posted.  Since you know this so well, perhaps each bullet point would need a small explanation.  And perhaps some of these steps were unnecessary.

• I removed/scrubbed the HP Print software with the uninstall program.  

• I downloaded the full install from HP giving me print/scan software that works for OS 10.6

• I fixed all of my permissions (and restarted) using Disk Utility (Applications>Utilities>Disk Utilities)

• I reset the PRAM on a new restart (Turn the Mac off.  If its a laptop, unplug the charger.  Hold the Command-Option-P-R keys and turn the Mac on.  Hold these 4 keys until after you hear the 3rd chime, then release.)

• I've deleted the HP printer and added it (go to Pref>Print/Scan.  select printer on left.  select "-" at bottom.)

• I've unplugged the printer and restarted it to see if the computer could see the scanner

• I downloaded the HP/Apple OS 10.7 upgrade from: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL907

• I restarted the computer.

Results

• In Pref>Print/Scan, I selected the scan option and opened the scanner

• I opened the HP Scan Application.  There I selected the "Browse Devices" button and looked for the scanner to appear.  It did.  

• Scanning works.

Gary B.

[PrintDoc]

Its a great idea.  I think I would post it as a general Lion printing/scanning fix since there are many who cannot print and this sequence seems to work for them.

What step(s) do you think fixed it for you?

[GBurge]

I'm not entirely sure.  Of course, my assumption might be that the last download was the fix.  But there might be cumulative things that develop.  I'm not sure if the Pram reset or the permissions repair did anything.  But those always retune the computer.  My hunch is that together the new HP software combined with the new Apple download you gave in the end did the trick.  But really, I'm guessing.  

I'm glad you'd be willing to post something.  You've likely got more experience with this than anyone in this forum.  I also wondered about posting the same thing over at Apple's user forums.  That site is often a go-to place for Apple users.  But then, if you just google the problem, hopefully a person will find what you post.

gb

[PrintDoc]

I started to create a post containing all of your ideas and, well, it is pretty clear that to post the step-by-step instructions for all of those items would just be too long of a post to be useful.

I am thinking of paring it down to the bare essentials, the ones that I have found most useful:

- Scrubbing (if older HP software present)

- Resetting the printing system

- Download the print drivers from Apple & the full featured software from hp.com

I have had resonable luck with PRAM reset and permissions repair as well.

What do you think?

[GBurge]

This sounds like a managable list.  I'd note that after doing some of these things, they'll need to restart.  Perhaps have two levels of effort.  Level A.  e.g. "try these things and see what happens."  This is your present list.  But if this doesn't work, go to:  Level B.  "now do a PRAM and permissions reset" -- and give instructions on how to do that.  (Most people have no idea how to do these things.)  I suspect most of the problems will solve themselves with Level A.

gb