Fix: You need a WIA Driver Scanner

This error occurs when the Windows Image Acquisition driver is missing from your computer or the driver is outdated and needs an update. This error is faced by the users who are using their scanners with the Windows OS. WIA driver enables the computer to send imaging information to the scanner and acts as an Application Programming Interface. This problem can easily be resolved by downloading and installing the WIA driver on your computer.

Method 1: Restart Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) Service

Windows Image Acquisition service is a driver software that allows the different imaging devices to interact with your computer and vice versa. Sometimes the service stops responding or it might be using too much memory so we need to restart it to recycle the processes and memory threads to keep the system healthy.

1. In the Windows Search bar, type Services and press enter to open the utility.

   

2. Find the Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) service. Right-click the service and open the Properties.

   

3. Select Startup type as automatic and click start (If the service is already running then click stop and then Shell Hardware Detection and Remote Procedure Call (RPC).click start).

   

4. After you press start, Windows will take some time to restart the service.
5. Once the restart has been performed, click OK to close the dialog box. Now repeat the above steps to restart two more services, The Shell Hardware Detection and Remote Procedure Call (RPC).
6. Once you have restarted all these services, test your scanner to see if it is working now.

Method 2: Update your WIA Driver

When you perform a system upgrade or update your Windows operating system, the driver becomes incompatible or corrupt and you need to update your drivers as well. Updating the scanner driver makes it compatible with the Windows version and helps to get rid of the corrupt files. You can update your drivers using the below steps:

1. Go to your Scanner’s official website and download the firmware from there
2. Run the .exe file and install the firmware. Make sure to restart your computer completely after updating.

Method 3: Reinstall Your Scanner Driver

It is common for Windows drivers to start malfunctioning over time as there might be bugs or the files might get corrupted by third-party applications on your computer. Reinstalling the driver can solve that problem. Please follow the below steps.

1. Right-click your computer and click manage.

   

2. In the new window select the Device Manager option. Search for the Imaging Devices and click to expand it.
3. Right-click on your Scanner and click uninstall to remove the driver and restart your computer.

   

4. In the Search, bar Enter Printers and Scanners and open it

   

5. Search for your printers and click on it and choose Delete or Remove Device

   

6. Now Press Windows key + R and in the dialog box enter “printui.exe /s” (Notice there is space before the slash) and click Ok

   

7. Click on the Drivers tab and search for your Printer/Scanner Driver and if you find it click on it and then click Remove at the bottom

   

8. Now click Ok and then click Apply on the Print Server Properties windows
9. Once your computer restarts it will automatically reinstall the WIA driver on your system.
10. If it does not install automatically then search for your scanner model driver and manually install it.

Solution 4: Troubleshoot for your Scanner

Windows has a built-in troubleshooting utility which you can use to fix the damaged firmware on your computer. It can help you fix your scanner firmware regardless if it is an HP, Canon, Dell, or any other brand. Please follow the below steps:

1. In the Windows search bar type “Troubleshoot” and click on the “Troubleshoot Settings” to open it.

   

2. Find the printer option and click on “Run the troubleshooter”.
   

   

3. It will start checking for Scanner errors and will try to fix them automatically.