Epson Perfection 1670 Intermittent Problem

Hi,

I have a machine running Windows XP Home connected to an Epson Perfection 1670 Scanner. When the machine boots and it performs a RAM check at the BIOS stage, you hear the scanner rotate a motor. The pc boots, the scanner is shown correctly in device manager and the scanner is then able to scan images etc. In about 1 of every 3 occasions, when the pc is powered up and the BIOS RAM check occurs, the scanner does not rotate any motors. When the pc is fully booted the scanner is not shown under imaging devices in device manager. Instead it is shown as an Unknown Device in the USB section. There are no red indicators, or yellow exclamation points to indicate that there is a problem, the device is just purely shown as "Unknown Device". If you then pull the USB cable out of the back of the scanner and then re-insert it, the scanner is then detected correctly and can then be used to scan images etc.
I suspect that there is a fault with the scanner, but I find it strange that it works when the motors turn at the BIOS RAM check, and it doesn't work when the motors don't turn at the BIOS RAM check??

Any constructive comments would be most welcomed.

Thanks

Paul

Quote:

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Originally Posted by paul.rowling

Hi,

I have a machine running Windows XP Home connected to an Epson Perfection 1670 Scanner. When the machine boots and it performs a RAM check at the BIOS stage, you hear the scanner rotate a motor. The pc boots, the scanner is shown correctly in device manager and the scanner is then able to scan images etc. In about 1 of every 3 occasions, when the pc is powered up and the BIOS RAM check occurs, the scanner does not rotate any motors. When the pc is fully booted the scanner is not shown under imaging devices in device manager. Instead it is shown as an Unknown Device in the USB section. There are no red indicators, or yellow exclamation points to indicate that there is a problem, the device is just purely shown as "Unknown Device". If you then pull the USB cable out of the back of the scanner and then re-insert it, the scanner is then detected correctly and can then be used to scan images etc.
I suspect that there is a fault with the scanner, but I find it strange that it works when the motors turn at the BIOS RAM check, and it doesn't work when the motors don't turn at the BIOS RAM check??

Any constructive comments would be most welcomed.

Thanks

Paul

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Have you tried using a different USB port ?

Yep, tried a different USB port, but the same thing happens

Cheers

Paul

Sounds like the scanner is quietly dying... or possibly the usb port is not providing enough power to the scanner. Does it have its own power supply or is it powered only by the usb port?

Hi,

The scanner has it's own independent power supply. I spoke to epson's technical support, who siad that I needed to update the usb drivers for my motherboard as I was using generic drivers. The mobo is a Gigabyte GA-7N400E, the usb host controllers are described in device manager as "Standard OpenHCD USB Host Controller".

I have updated the nvidia nforce chipset drivers but this doesn't seem to include usb drivers, and the USB host controllers remain named the same as before after installation of the updated Nvidia chipset drivers. Are there updated drivers for this or are epson getting confused?

Cheers

Paul

Did you point out to them the problem happens well before windows loads?

Hi NooNoo,

That was my first argument, how can a windows driver affect it when the scanner doesn't seem to be initialising at the BIOS level? The techie I spoke to was adamant that it does affect it???

With regards to usb drivers for this nvidia chipset, do they exist? That way I can update them and then go back to epson to say that it hasn't worked.

Cheers

Paul

You did update them, just tell them that, and pray you don't get that knuckle head again

If you do, go through the script with them nicely until you get bounced to tier two, then you may get someone who knows what they are talking about.

BEFORE you do that though, you must be sure that it is the bios initialising the usb that you hear, and not the windows preload.

What do you mean by windows pre-load? The scanner definatley moves it's mechanics when the BIOS RAM check occurs on the PC

Cheers

Paul

My webcam comes to life just after the screen you describe, and although windows splash hasn't started, the cause of this is windows starting up.

Well after installing the updated chipset drivers the problem is still there, so I think the scanner is at fault. The scanner starts moving it's mechanics before the BIOS RAM check is complete, surely windows has nothing to do with the boot sequence at that point?

Cheers

Paul

Correct. Have at them Paul... but be nice, otherwise they can refuse to help at all.