Photosmart C4380 will not scan

[ColinBG]

Hi,

I have an old Photosmart c4380.  It used to print, copy and scan. Now I have real difficulty getting it to scan. I used to be able to open the HP solution centre and select scan. Now when I double click the solution centre I get a new window with fi on it, but it won't open. The annoying thing is that I stumbled accross a product called VueScan 64. It works perfectly but costs £20. Why do I have to pay £20 simply because HP/Microsoft cannot keep their software aligned? Anyone know of a work around. I tried using the HP help tool but that just takes me round in circles.

[Dragon-Fur]

@ColinBG 

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Welcome to the HP Community.

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Purchasing software to run to make an old printer usable is likely a lost cause.

That said, if you LIKE the VueScan software, by all means, purchase it.

I tried it (for testing purposes) years ago. 

Vuescan "Save" did not work unless you pay for it, but it did appear to be a nice program.

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There is no actual fix for the interface - the old Solution Center, long unsupported, depended on Flash.

Flash is gone and not coming back.

OK...

The printer software itself - assuming it is still installed - is very likely still usable.

For example,

You should still be able to print from applications (Word, for example).

PDF printing is still likely possible using Adobe Reader DC

Scan

Scanning options are available - several scan programs / applications, in fact, are available for Windows 10.

Just one example,

1.  Start Scan using HP Scan executable

The exact name of the "HP Scan" executable might be different for one or another printer / software.

Example:

The old Solution Center Scan software is located in "Digital Imaging"

The name of the scan executable varies.

C:\Program Files (x86)\HP\Digital Imaging\bin\

OR

C:\Program Files\HP\Digital Imaging\bin\

Find and Double-Click on scan File name / executable.

For example:

hpiscnapp.exe 

OR

hpqkygrp.exe

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What else?

Flash has been permanently disabled as of 12-Jan-2021.

This causes the "startup" menu of the Solution Center to fail when you try to open the software.

There are options, both recommended and others that are "not supported" but do work according to those who have used them.

For those printers affected by the loss of Flash,

A collection of the recommended options (and examples) are included in this Post:

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Printer-Setup-Software-Drivers/HP-Photosmart-4480-All-in-One-Printer-s....

Message includes a link to the TKB article on the subject.

If you do not like the recommended options, do not want to use these, or wish to see more,

Search the Community for "Solution Center" - sort the results by Date - open / read those threads that are of interest to you.

Reminder:  The only actual solution is to replace the printer.

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Question Resolved / Answered, Click "Accept as Solution"

[ColinBG]

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. After posting I found an application called 'HP Scan and Capture' which after a major struggle I managed to install. This allows me to scan and better still it allows me to save the scan into a file of my choosing. As you mentioned I could always print. It was just the scanning that didn't work. I think HP has been somewhat negligent, but I suppose that is not exactly a surprise. What incentive do they have to keep an old printer working when they could sell you a new one.

Thanks again for your help.

[Dragon-Fur]

@ColinBG 

You are welcome.

Yes, HP Scan and Capture is indeed one of the recommended applications in the list.

Stay Safe.

Thank you for participating in the HP Community.

The Community is a separate wing of the HP website - We are not an HP business group.

Our Community is comprised of volunteers - people who own and use HP devices.

Click Thumbs Up to say Thank You.

Question Resolved / Answered, Click "Accept as Solution"