Fix: Epson Scan cannot communicate with the Scanner

Epson scanners are very popular in the scanning industry and have made way to millions of homes and corporate offices around the world. Epson scanners may either be standalone or may be integrated with a printer facility. They are known for their robustness and their ability to scan clear documents and images.

There has been an arising problem with Epson scanners where the scanner application fails to scan for any documents. This problem can be traced back to a number of different reasons ranging from problems in the scanner drivers to incorrect configuration of the network.

Note: This article is meant for all operating systems (Windows 10, 8, and 7). It also includes workarounds when after updating to Windows 10, the scanner fails to work.

Solution 1: Running Scanner Software with Administrative Privileges

The first and foremost thing you should try is running the scanning application with administrative privileges. Many applications that require input from an external source require you to grant them administrative privileges so they can perform all of their operations without any interference or security checks. You should change the application’s settings and allow administrative access.

1. Right-click on Epson Scan and select “Properties”.
2. Once in properties, select the “Compatibility” tab and check ‘Run this program as an administrator’. You can also run the application in compatibility mode later on if only administrator privileges don’t solve the problem.

3. Press Apply to save changes and exit. Now power off your scanner facility and remove the USB cable/disconnect from the network. After a few minutes, set up the scanner again and see if you can scan successfully.

Note: Your account should have admin powers to execute this method. Make sure to make your account an admin before trying this out.

Solution 2: Fixing Wireless Connection

In numerous cases, the Epson scan application fails to associate the scanner with the network LAN address automatically. This issue arises if you are connecting to the scanner using a Wireless Network. While you can still search for addresses automatically within the application, it fails to do most of the time. To counter this issue, we can manually add the address by fetching it from the command prompt and make your scanner working again in no time.

1. Launch Epson Scan Settings. You can either open the application from a shortcut or search for it using Windows search.

2. Once in Scan Settings, click on Add underneath Network Scanner Address. Make sure that you are selecting the correct scanner using the option at the top of the window.

3. Now you will be greeted with a screen like this. Now we will navigate to the command prompt, fetch the correct address and insert it in the Enter address

4. Click the Windows icon, type “cmd” in the dialogue box and open the application.

5. Type in the command “ipconfig” in the command prompt and press Enter. Once in the command prompt, copy the field “Default Gateway”.

6. Now enter this default gateway in your browser and access your router. Your router’s administrative interface may differ from other routers. Once you are logged into your router, check the list of attached devices to the network.

As you can see, the IP Address of the scanner is “192.168.0.195” in this case. You can enter this address in your browser and if successful, you will be able to open the scanner’s properties.

7. Now head back to the Scanner application, enter the address of the scanner and press Apply. If successful, your scanner will be successfully added and you will be able to use the scan utility without any problems.

8. You can also press the “Test” button and see if the connection is successful.

Solution 3: Using Shorter USB Cables

Although many tech manufacturers claims their devices can be connected using very long USB cables, only a few of them live up to their spoken words. In a nutshell, the more you prolong a USB cable for the connection between scanner and computer, the more signal losses will occur.

With this being said, if you are using the scanner on the other side of the room, you should fetch another USB cable which is of shorter length and try connecting the scanner. Relocate it closer to your temporarily and check if this workaround works. If it does, it means there was the loss of signals and it was causing the computer not being able to communicate.

Solution 4: Restarting Shell Hardware Detection

The Shell Hardware Detection service monitors and provides notifications for Autoplay hardware events. This service is used as the main tool for detecting when other hardware is plugged into your system. This service is responsible for detecting scanners, printers, removable storage devices, etc. If there is a problem with this service, your computer might not detect the scanner. We can try restarting this service and reconnect the scanner and see how this goes.

1. Press Windows + R, type “services.msc” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
2. Search for the service “Shell Hardware Detection”. Right-click on it and select “Properties”.

3. Make sure that the startup type is set to “Automatic”. Now close the window, right-click on the service once again and select “Restart”.

4. Now unplug/disconnect your scanner with your computer. Wait for a couple of minutes before plugging it back in. If Shell Hardware Detection was the problem, your computer should recognize the scanner immediately.
5. Also, try restarting the Windows Image Acquisition Service in the same manner.

Solution 5: Turning off Password Protected Sharing

Password protected sharing is a security mechanism that ensures that the sharing of files and folders over the network is safe. If it is turned on, people on your network will not be able to access the files on your computer unless they enter the password provided by you manually. There were frequent cases reported where this very mechanism was causing problems for the scanner to connect. We can disable this mechanism, reconnect the scanner and see how it goes. You always revert back the changes if things don’t go our way. We will also check if Printer Discovery is turned on.

1. Press Windows + S, type “advanced sharing” in the dialogue box and open the application.

2. Click on Private and check the option Turn on file and printer sharing. Do the same for Guest or Public network.

3. Now press All Networks and disable password protected sharing by checking ‘Turn off password protected sharing’.

4. Click on Save Changes present at the bottom of your screen. Now unplug/disconnect your scanner with your computer. Wait for a couple of minutes before plugging it back in. Now check if you can use the scanner utility without any problems.

Solution 6: Changing from LPT1 to USB 001 Virtual Printer Port

Line Print Terminals belong to the rather old technology of connecting printers and scanners to your computer. Nowadays, most of the printers have transitioned from LPT to USB. We can try changing the ports of the printer and see if this makes any difference. This issue was particularly known to work for users who lost the functionality of the scanner after migrating to Windows 10.

1. Press Windows + R, type “control panel” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
2. Once in the control panel, click on the option “Large icons” present at the top-right side of the screen and select “Device and printers”.

3. Right-click on the Printer and select “Properties”.
4. Now click on “Ports” and change the ports from “LPT1” to “USB 001”.
5. Now unplug/disconnect your scanner with your computer. Wait for a couple of minutes before plugging it back in. Now check if you can use the scanner utility without any problems.

Solution 7: Resetting Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)

Another workaround which we can try before updating the drivers of the scanner is resetting Windows Image Acquisition service. This service is related to capturing the images when you scan using your computer. It is an application programming interface (API) that enables graphics software to communicate with imaging hardware such as scanners.

This process is a core part of fetching the required scanner document into your computer. Resetting this service can fix any problems if it was at fault.

1. Press Windows + R, type “services.msc” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
2. Once in services, navigate through all the entries until you find “Windows Image Acquisition”. Right-click on the service and select “Restart”.

3. Now unplug/disconnect your scanner with your computer. Wait for a couple of minutes before plugging it back in. Now check if you can use the scanner utility without any problems

You can also try stopping the service and starting it later on manually if resetting doesn’t work.

Solution 8: Updating Scanner Drivers

If all the above solutions don’t work, we can try updating the scanner drivers. You should navigate to the manufacturer’s website and download the latest scanner drivers available. Make sure to download the exact drivers meant for your printer. You can look for the model number present on the front of your printer or in its box.

Note: There are a few cases where a newer driver doesn’t work. In that case, download an older version of the driver and install it using the same method described below.

1. Press Windows + R to launch the Run Type “devmgmt.msc” in the dialogue box and hit Enter. This will launch your computer’s device manager.

   

2. Navigate through all the hardware, open the sub-menu “Imaging devices”, right-click on your scanner hardware and select “Update driver”.

Note: If your scanner is inbuilt with your printer, you should update the drivers of your printer using the same method explained below. In that case, you should look in the category of ‘Print Queues’.

3. Now Windows will pop a dialogue box asking you which way do you want to update your driver. Select the second option (Browse my computer for driver software) and proceed.

Select the driver file you downloaded using the browse button when it appears and update it accordingly.

4. Restart your computer and check if the problem gets resolved.

Note: If updating the drivers don’t work, you should exit all the scanner applications and uninstall them accordingly. Now go back to the device manager and uninstall the scanner/printer by right-clicking it and selecting “Uninstall”. Once uninstalled, unplug the scanner and download the latest drivers from the website and install them after you plug the hardware again.

Tips:

• Try disabling your antivirus software (you can use Windows Defender temporarily).
• Uninstall Epson Scan, open Windows Explorer and navigate to “C:\Windows”. Locate “twain_32” and rename it for example “twain_old”. Restart your computer and reinstall Epson Scan.
• Check if there are any restrictions on the network which are causing the printer to not connect. Also, add the ”  C:\WINDOWS\twain_32\escndv\escndv.exe” to Windows Defender, Firewall and Antivirus exceptions.
• Make sure that correct network configurations are entered in the scanner hardware if you are connecting a network.
• Ensure that the USB ports are working perfectly on your computer where you are plugging the hardware.