Laser Jet Pro MFP M41w won't scan

[PegKy]

Scanning stopped working on my Laser Jet Pro MFP 31W.  Everything else works: printing, copying. Scanning is coming up blank on screen (yes, document in properly), Checked connections, uninstalled and reinstalled software, checked for new updates in HP and Windows.  The useless Scan Doctor does not find anything.  Trying rebooting via unplugging as video suggested.  I see others with issues that have no replies, so I totally expect I will become one of those.  

[Nal_NR]

Hi @PegKy,

Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

I'd like to help!

perform the following tasks in the order given. Use the printer after each task to see if the issue is resolved.

Make sure the scanning quality is not printing-related

If you are experiencing an issue with the quality of your printed scans, send a print job from the computer to confirm the quality issue is not printing-related.

If the quality issue occurs when printing from the computer, it is not scanning-related. Go to HP Customer Support, enter your printer model number, and then search for print quality to find the Fixing Poor Print Quality document.

If the quality issue occurs when scanning, it is most likely related to the scanner hardware or scan job settings.

Clean the scanner glass and parts

Fingerprints, smudges, dust, or debris on the scanner glass, under the scanner lid, or in the document feed slot can cause lines and color bands. Clean these parts with a soft, lint-free cloth sprayed with glass cleaner.

Callout

Description

1.

Printer with flatbed scanner glass and lid

2.

Printer with a document scan feeder

Click here for the remaining steps. 

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.
Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[FrankNS]

I have the SAME PROBLEM with my HP OfficeJet 9010 All-In_One printer.  My scanner quit working about the SAME TIME yours did (sometime in May 2023), and like your problem, the other printer functions continue to work, only the scan function is affected.

I suspect that, since I didn't change anything (and I would guess that neither did you), this sudden and unexplained problem is probably related to the periodic "updates" that HP downloads to their printers.  These updates are implemented without the knowledge or consent of the end users, and YES in the past HP has gotten it wrong.  I hope that someone will realize the error soon and fix it (by downloading a correction), otherwise I will be tempted to think that this is a not-so-subtle attempt to get folks to upgrade their printers (it's called "planned obsolescence"). To be fair, I suppose that there is a chance that a Windows update caused the problem, but I don't think so.

[FrankNS]

Apologies to HP, it appears that you may not be the culprit this time.

I looked up the firmware history of my printer and found that the latest firmware update occurred on 3/29/2023. You can find this by going to Devices and Printers (via Control Panel), select (right click) the printer in question, select Properties, then copy the web address on the Web Services tab and paste it into your internet browser - this will bring up a web page with the details for your printer.  Note that your printer must be turned on when you do this, otherwise you will get a generic IP address which will be useless.

The last time I successfully used my scanner was on 5/14/2023, so that means that the latest printer firmware update DID NOT affect the scanner.

I then called up the Device Manager (also available via Control Panel) . I expanded the list under Imaging Devices and selected (double click) the printer in question. Select Properties, and under the Events tab there was an event time stamped 5/23/2023 - the timing of the event is about when the scanner stopped working.  The details for this event are:

ServiceName: StillCam

DriverFileName: \SystemRoot\system32\DRIVERS\serscan.sys

DeviceInstanceID: ROOT\SCANNER\001

This looks both promising and suspicious - apparently this driver was updated about the time that the scanner quit working.  I am at the limit of my expertise and would welcome some help.

PegKy, apologies for piggybacking on your post.  I hope that we both get our issues resolved.

[FrankNS]

I just noticed that, although the HP scan software no longer works, the Windows Fax & Scan software (a utility program that comes with the operating system) works perfectly, and offers comparable functionality to the HP version.

This will be my last post on this thread unless somehow the original problem gets resolved, then I will let you know what I find.