HP Office Jet J4580 Lost Scan Ability

[Cruisemissle]

As of a few weeks ago my HP Digital Imaging Software scanner portion stopped working.  The printer portion works fine.  When I put a document in to scan or when I select scan in the software, the same screen with an "f" and an "i" in a blue square comes up, the same as if I'd forgotten to plug in the USB cable.  It does this on two separate computers and has previously worked well for years on both.  I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling the printer software from the HP site to no avail.  I've run the print and scan doctor and it scans fine from the test scan there but not from the normal HP software.  I can also go into the Windows printer portion of the control panel and command the scanner to work from there and it works fine but not from the normal HP software.  I vaguely remember a printer update a few weeks back and I think HP did something that screwed up the scan portion of the software but I don't know how to roll that update back since I don't have the old software to reinstall....  HA!  I just remembered, I have the old disc.  Let me try that.  I'll update if it works.  

[Cruisemissle]

Update from Cruisemissle.  The original disc won't run in W10 or 8.1 on my other computer so I can't install the original software.  It was only good for up to W2000.  It seems to be the HP Digital Monitor software is the issue.  It won't start on either computer but I can control all the printer/scanner and fax functions through selecting the J4580 on the control panel so the device is OK.  I just created a shortcut on my main screen for the J4580 from my control panel and I'll use that mode of control as a workaround unless someone else has a better idea.

[Cruisemissle · Accepted solution]

Another update from Cruisemissle.  I read another groups thread on a similar scan issue and an HP rep said the reason the software stopped working is that it requires Adobe Flash Player and Adobe shut that off as of 1/12/2021.  That coincides with when this problem first started.  Someone else figured out if you still have Adobe Flash Player installed and change the date on your computer to before that date and start the Digital Monitor and keep it running in the tray then set the date back to what it should be, it will stay running and all functions work.  I tried it and its a PITA but it works!  I wonder how many other failures will come of that one piece of software's "Time to die".