HP Scan and Capture

[disaggio]

Not sure what the root of the problem is - but I have a Dell laptop I bought 3 months ago and, for whatever reason, even though printing/scanning worked fine on it before - Scan and Capture has stopped being useful.

Please note - Printing from this Dell works fine ... no issues at all.   However, when I open HP Scan and Capture, I receive the message "Unable to contact device."  If I click "Close" on that pop-up error and go to the App's Settings and attempt to Select the Device, I don't ever find it.

Please also note - this Dell laptop isn't the only Windows 10 64-bit laptop I have on my network.  I have several other laptops.  Out of curiosity, I booted up a Sony VAIO laptop (also Windows 10 64-bit) and was able to print AND scan with that laptop.  So ... clearly, the printer is actually on the network and reachable.

I tried another approach - I tried using the printer's menu to scan a document "to a specific computer."  I could see the list of computers - and it didn't include the computer name of the Dell machine, but it did include the Sony machine.  I'm assuming this is why the Sony sees the printer but the Dell doesn't ... because the inverse is also true (the printer sees the Sony but not the Dell).

This made me wonder if the problem was the printer and the Sony were on the 2.4g WiFi signal and the laptop is on the 5g WiFi signal.  But ... then I remembered I can print just fine from the Dell (on 5g) ... and I'm nearly positive I had tested this laptop fully, including printing and scanning, after I bought it and stood it up.  It's what I do - in case I need to return it.  So - I'm positive this worked before.  Even so - I tried connected the Dell to the 2.4g WiFi and ... same result ... I can print but Scan and Capture doesn't see the printer.

Troubleshooting steps taken so far include those listed above - as well rebooting the printer, trying to "Reset" the Scan and Capture app; and also trying to uninstall and reinstall the Scan and Capture app.  Ideas?  Thanks in advance.

[banhien]

@disaggio

Please let me introduce my network at home first. I have a cable modem/Router from my ISP which broadcast both 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz.  I've got few devices which run a mixtrure of 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz

 Laptops:  Dell (7), Sony (1), Lenovo (1), HP (3), Asus (1) running Windows Vista, 7, 8.1 and 10

Tablets: iPad, HP (Windows and Android), Samsung (small and big),

Phones: iOS phones (3), Windows phones (2) and Android phones (2)

All of them connect to 3 printers: One HP, one Canon and one Epson  (all use 2.4GHz).  Laptops, Tablete and phones to each other and they happy to use same printers.

Sorry I've made a long story just to prove devices run 2.4GHz or 5.GHz can share printers which run 2.4GHz.

Now back to your story. You Dell used to print using HP Scan and Capture app. From my view, this app may replace Full Software and Deivers one day but not yet and all you need is

(a) Install proper Software and Driver to your computer, this will allow you to enable Scan using the following package

        http://ftp.hp.com/pub/softlib/software13/printers/OJ6970/OJ6970__Full_WebPack_1975.exe

(b) You may consider to allow your printer to have a static IP address, it won't go away after any reboot.

Regards.

[disaggio]

Thanks for the response.  Before I try the software you mentioned, I wanted to clarify one point, and response to your other question/point:

1st ... I can print from the Dell - I just can no longer scan to it

2nd ... yes, my printer has a static IP.  I assigned it that way through my router after it was initially assigned one (I made it static using the router admin interface)

If you still think the issue can be resolved with a different software package - I'm game to try anything.  I have 3 Sony's (all work ... print and scan) and another Dell (I haven't tried that).  All are Windows 10/64-bit.  Only the Dell's are 5g but, as I mentioned in my test connecting the Dell to the 2.4g WiFi, it didn't work then either so the 2.4g vs. 5g thing - I dont' think that's the problem.  Last ... I don't scan to my smart phones - but I can print from them (the 3 in the house) without issue.

Thanks again - let me know what you think.

[disaggio]

I can't tell you what did what ... but ... it's working.  I didn't download any drivers or scan Dr. or anything like that.   I wasn't working - now it's working.

The only thing I can think of when I look back at my "troubleshooting" steps is - maybe I never rebooted my laptop?  I thought I did, but I only wrote/recorded that I cycled the printer power.  So - maybe it was the easiest of easy things to do to get this working.

Thanks for the reply, though!  Hopefully if somebody else runs into this issue and a reboot doesn't help, they have a few other suggestions to try thanks to you all.