Cannot communicate with scanner

[jblink]

HP Laserjet 100 MFP M175nw

Windows 7 64bit

Has worked fine but now whilst I can print ok I get an error message that communication cannot be established with the scanner.  This happens on two PCs but on at least three others I can scan ok, so the scanner itself is not at fault.  There was no common change to the non workling PCs that I can identify that may have triggered the problem.  I have run the scan doctor and both WIA and HP Twain throw up errors whish require unistall and reinstallation of the HP software.  I have done this many times now with no change (on both PCs)

The printer / scanner is connected wirelessly with a fixed IP address.  Firmware date 20140618

One of the working PCs is Win 7 64bit, one Win 7 32bit and one Vista 32bit.  Unfortunately the two PCs that do not work with the scanner are the two most powerful and those I use 99% of the time (Typical!!) a desktop and work laptop.

Help or suggestions appreciated

[X-23]

Hey @jblink,

Welcome to the HP Support Forums!

I would like to assist you with resolving the Scanner Communication issues you're experiencing with your HP Laserjet 100 MFP M175nw. First, I would like to thank you for all the detail you provided in your post. You are making my job very easy. Because you are able to scan fine on 3 out of 5 computers, you're right, this is not an issue with the printer. Also, it does not appear to be an issue with the network either. If it was the network all 5 computers would have been affected.

Now I understand that you ran the Print and Scan Doctor on the two Windows 7 64 bit Operating Systems that are giving you Scanner Communication errors and both turned up with WIA and Twain issues. This is unfortunate.

HP software uses Twain which allows you to scan an image directly into the application where you want to work with the image. The Twain driver provides two-way communication between the application and the scanner hardware. Twain is what controls HP Scan software. However, WIA (Windows Image Acquisition) is built into your Microsoft Operating System and enables graphics software to communicate with imaging devices (like HP Scanners). Twain relies on WIA to be working. If WIA fails, Twain fails.

Because you stated that WIA and Twain both failed during the Print and Scan Doctor 'fix scanning' check, this may actually be an Operating System issue on both Windows 7 64 bit computers. It may have occured after running a Windows update. Let's try to fix WIA.

WIA Fix:

1. Click on your Start Menu and type in the search programs and files box: services.msc and select 'enter' on your keyboard. The Services window will now open.
2. Under Services, scroll down until you see Windows Image Acquisition.
3. Double click on Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) and go to the Dependencies tab at the top
4. You should see two services listed.
5. In the top left of the screen you should see 'stop' & 'restart' - select 'Restart'
6. Exit that window and now scroll down to Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
7. Click on Remote Procedure Call and make sure it's set to Automatic.
8. Next, go to Shell Hardware Detection and double click it
9. Select the Startup Type as 'Automatic' and select Apply.
10. In the top left of the screen you should see 'stop' & 'restart' - select 'Restart'

Try to scan again!

Please let me know if these steps resolve your issue. Good luck! 🙂

[JF01]

Hi,

I have the exact same problem unfortunately the fix above did not work. My all-in-one is an HP Laserjet Pro 200 MFP M276n 

As above my printing is fine but 2 out of three computers have lost the ability to scan. I can scan to usb so the hardware is fine but this is problematic when scanning lots of doublesided multi-page documents so i really need to fix the problem.

The HP Print and Scan doctor fails on WIA and Twain for me as well and i have run through the fix above but the settings for the various services were all already set to automatic. I restarted all of them as below just in case but had no success.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled software repeatedly and both devices have been restarted numerous times so the HP doctor fixes aren't working either.

The computer did install a windows update the day before the problem occured so it would make sense that it was this that caused the issue. Does anyone have any other ideas for a fix?

I would really appreciate some help on this!

Thanks in advance

[X-23]

Hey @JF01,

Welcome to the HP Support Forums!

I would like to assist you today with resolving the scan issue that you're experiencing when scanning from your HP LaserJet Pro 200 color MFP M276n to two Windows computers. Thank you for including all of the troubleshooting steps you have already attempted prior to reaching out for support. At this time, because WIA is failing under the HP Print and Scan Doctor Tool I do believe that a Windows Service issue is occuring.

When it comes to scanning, HP Printers rely on two services to scan. Twain is the HP Scan service that allows you to scan an image directly into the application where you wish to work with that image. The Twain feature relies on WIA. WIA is Windows Image Acquisition and it is a service built into your Windows Operating System. It is the service that enables graphic software to communicate with imaging devices (like scanners). All in all, WIA can work even if Twain isn't working. But, if WIA is corrupted or not running properly, Twain will not work. If Twain fails to work HP Scan will not work.

Because you have already checked the WIA service and Restarted the service to no avail, I am going to have you run a Microsoft Fix It Tool to correct this Scan Service issue.  Please click here to access the Microsoft Fix It Tool. Once the website opens select 'Print, fax, scan, share or save' under Step (2). Under Step (3) Select Run Now for 'Diagnose and fix printer and printing problems automatically'. Once the Tool launches please follow the onscreen instructions to complete any fixes. Should any system issues (including Registry issues) be found than the Microsoft Fix It Tool should correct those issues. Once the Tool has completed please test scanning again.

Please respond to this post with the result of running the Microsoft Fix It Tool. Should the issue persist there is a a good chance that the Windows Update that was run caused some sort of scan Service conflict on your system. A System Restore on the computers may need to be performed to correct this issue. However, it would be helpful to know what Operating System you're using on the two computers that you're having an issue with to provide additional guidance. I look forward to hearing from you!

[JF01]

Hi X-23,

Thanks for your response.

Unfortunately the Microsoft fix-it tool did not find any errors and didn't perform any fixes.

The PC i'm currently working on is Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and I think the laptop is the same.

If i do a system restore will i lose data?

Thanks for you help on this.

[X-23]

Hey @JF01,

Thanks for getting back to me regarding this issue.

In regards to the System Restore, it "uses restore points to return your system files and settings to an earlier point in time without affecting personal files" - (Source). Therefore, only Windows system files, programs, and Registry settings would be affected. No personal files, photos, or documents would be lost. However, if something goes wrong during the System Restore process you can undo the changes.

For instructions on how to perform a System Restore please click here.

Please let me know if a System Restore resolves the WIA Scan Service failure. Good luck! 🙂

[JF01]

Hi X-23,

Thanks again for helping me out. Unfortunately i've done a system restore from 16th March which is the furthest option and it still isn't working.

I think it was about that time that I lost scanning capability but i don't have the option to restore any further back than that.

I don't suppose you have a plan D? 🙂

[JF01]

Also i've tried all the above fixes again on the off chance that they would work this time round but no luck 😞

[JF01]

I've fixed it!!!

Over a month of trying and finally found a fix that worked!

I found the advice below on another website and it did  the trick!

"What I did what stop the WIA service,

went into the LOG ON tab in the services property, chagned it to log on using the Local System account, told it akso to be alled to interact with the desktopt THEN WIA worked."

thanks for all your help though @X-23 I do appreciate it.

[X-23]

Hey @JF01,

I'm very happy to hear that you were able to resolve the WIA Service scan issue. The steps you found are very helpful and I will have to remember them in the future! 🙂

It has been a pleasure working with you. Have a great day! 🙂