Vantas 3000 USB scanner

I recently purchased a Vantas 3000 USB scanner, which I am unable to use on my computer: an AMD K6-III 128 MB RAM running Windows 98.

If I plug in the scanner to the USB port, I get the blue error screen. If I restart the computer with the scanner plugged into either of the USB ports, I keep getting "Windows protection error" and thus have to start in safe mode.

However, if the scanner is not plugged in, the computer starts normailly. I have used a portable MP3 player and digital camera on the USB ports previously without a problem. Any ideas?
Any feedback will be greatly appreciated!

Make sure you install the scanner software BEFORE pluging the scanner in. It tells the USB how to handle the new device.

Good Luck.

LagMonster,

Thank you for your reply, but I have already installed all software that came with the scanner. I can boot my system when the scanner isn't plugged into the USB port, but can't boot when the scanner is plugged in.

And just what the heck is a "Windows protection error"?

do you have any other USB devices that do this?

this is straight from the horses mouth (microsoft) about windows protection error

A Windows Protection Error means that an error occurred loading a
virtual device driver (VxD) before the desktop is loaded. In many
cases you can tell from the error message which VxD did not load, but
in other cases you may not be able to determine which VxD caused the
problem.

Windows Protection Errors are generated when any of the following
conditions occur:
•A real-mode driver and a protected-mode driver are in conflict.
•The registry is damaged.
•The Win.com or Command.com file is infected with a virus or is
damaged.
•A driver is being loaded from the System.ini file for which a
protected-mode driver has already been initialized.
•There is a physical I/O or RAM address conflict.
•There are incorrect CMOS settings for a built-in peripheral device
(such as cache settings, CPU timing, hard disks, and so on).
•The Plug and Play feature of the computer's BIOS is not working
correctly.
•The computer contains a malfunctioning system cache or memory.
•The computer's motherboard is not working properly

based on that, I might try toggling the plug and play OS setting in BIOS and also try booting into safe mode with the scanner plugged in.

good luck

Kato,

Thank you for your reply. I have used a digital camera and portable MP3 player with the USB ports without any problems.

I'm a novice at this, so how exactly do I go about toggling the plug and play in BIOS? Would you still recommend this knowing that the camera and MP3 player work without issues? If this doesn't work, any other ideas?

Any input will be greatly appreciated.

It is entirely possible that the scanner itself is defective...it could be hosing up the USB ports or the power supplies, etc. Since this is a recent purchase, you might try giving the manufacturer a call and ask for a possible replacement unit. Also, it should have come with an easy-to-understand Installation Guide...it shouldn't be this difficult to install an USB scanner in Win98. Good Luck!

Something else that you might check(not trying to insult you..... trying to help) do you have the power adapter plugged in and working? I know that you may have it in an outlet, but make sure that outlet works. I had a problem with a usb printer that would work sometimes but not others. 3 house calls later(it always just worked when I got there) I found that a wall switch controled the outlet that the printer was plugged into. The guy had vision probs and left the light off when he worked. When I came over to trouble shoot it, I would flick the switch and *poof* the printer worked.

[quote]Originally posted by Gameguru:
<strong>I found that a wall switch controled the outlet that the printer was plugged into.</strong><hr></blockquote>

HA...that's a good one. I had the same problem when I moved into a new house...my TV plugged into a wall outlet that my little girl switched off one day. I hauled that TV back and forth to my work shop twice before I figured that one out...

If I could get a little more information from you I could help you better. First of all have you ever had another scanner running on this computer. If so make sure that you have uninstalled all software from it, as it could be causing a conflict. Secondly go into your device manager and click on the Universal Serial Buscontrollers, what chipset do you have? Examples Intel 82801aa, Viatech 3038, Sis 7001...and so on. Thirdly do you have any kind of antivirus software running on this machine? If so which one and what version. Such as Norton2000. Sometimes this causes conflicts...W/B and let me know

dont feel bad Jay I just got the exact same scanner for Christmas and just started trying to install two hours ago(its now 12:30 am) and i cant get the damn thing to work either and its to late to call tech support. I keep getting the same errors as you. PIII 450 mhz 190mb ram win98se and i have other devices that work just fine in the usb port Thier website isnt any help iether :eek: