# HP Scanjet 4600



## digband (Sep 23, 2008)

I have spent hours of research and troubleshooting on this but cannot find an answer - i typically can figure almost anything out with enough searching, but... 2 weeks ago my HP scanjet 4600 stopped functioning properly after working fine for a long time - it is not communicating with the HP Director for some reason ("an error occurred while communicating with the scanning device..."), yet, it's clearly communicating with other scanning software programs (ms paint, direct shortcut to hpqscnvw.exe-->what i always used when it was working successfully so i could bypass the Director interface) - the problem is that, it commences scanning but when the carriage reaches the bottom of the scanner, it's like it smacks into the end of the track and keeps pushing forward and will not return back to the top, making a kindov grinding sound.

If i let it sit like this, in 2 minutes or so it will stop pushing and return to the top, but the scan is all black and no further scanning can be done in that session. I have reloaded drivers, installed IE 7 patches, updated, even took the whole scanner apart to make sure the inner hardware didn't seem broken - the thing is, if i do a self-test on the scanner, the carriage seems to return to the initial position fine, which continually leads me to believe this is a software/communication error somehow. Any help or even a link (not the obvious ones) to somewhere where i can find someone who's resolved a similar issue would be highly appreciated - THANKS!

digband


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## thomglo (Nov 15, 2008)

I have the exact same problem. I have been trying to get my 3 (THREE) computers to recognize the 4600 and a 4670 which is also in my possession. HP carried on a lively "chat" with me for maybe 4 messages, and with the 4th one, they stopped answering my chat messages which means they have no idea why their scanners won't work with XP Professional. I tried installing it on one of my WIN 98 computers with the same result. There should be a generic driver for these scanners but I haven't found one. It is such a wonderful thing to plug in my Canon LIDE 30 and see the message "Scanner Found." 
HP 4600 and HP 4670 are critical to my profession as an archivist scanning old newspapers. HP should be ashamed of themselves for leaving those of us with older scanners out in the cold. I


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## kinryuu (Dec 30, 2008)

We had the same problem. I bought a new combo cable, and tried a new USB cable. No joy. But then I got a response from HP, and re installed the communications patch, and then decided to uninstall the HP Memories app, just based on my own idea, HP didn't say to do that. Then tried the scan from the HP Photo & Imaging, NOT HP Director. IT WORKED !! But HP Director still gets the same error, so have to just scan from HP P&I. 

Patch:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...&swLang=8&mode=2&taskId=135&swItem=sj-32245-2

If I get any more info, will share it here.


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## thomglo (Nov 15, 2008)

Can't vouch for the effectiveness of a solution i found which enables my 4600 and 460 scanjets to work. Even hp couldn't solve the problem.
=====================================
try this:
After more than two years of trying to get my 4600 hp scanjet to work, and convinced that hp couldn't figure out the problem, i found the following process that works for me, and i hope for you.
The scanner was demonized. It would scan down to the bottom and crank away, not returning to the top. When i disconnected the line in, i lost the scanner completely and had to restart in order to find it again. Another annoying and recurring problem was when it did scan, i got a half page scanned and the
other page black, or an all black page. Here’s what i did, but with the stupid software and hp’s lack of knowledge on fixing the problem, i tried literally hundreds of work-arounds. The following one has been working for me.
However past experience has shown me that what works today can magically change tomorrow so i have been repeating the following process:

Go to control panel and right click on "cameras and scanners." on the "general tab” go to the “events” tab and select “scan button press.” go to your scanner and press the “scan” button. In my case this brings up a list of destinations for the scan. When i press the "scan" button on the 4600 scanner, a list of software programs are listed asking me where i want to send the scan. I choose photoshop. This process has been working with hp driver version 9.0.0.83. Bringing up photoshop, i choose "import," click on hp 4600 and so far this has been working for me. But, and this is ahuge but, after i close the program and try to resume the next day, something always seems to invade either my computer or the scanner, and i am back to that stupid erratic defect in this scanner. In which case, i have been repeating the steps above. I hope this works for you.

Tom glover hamilton nj,


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## thomglo (Nov 15, 2008)

*Re: HP Scanjet 4600 WILL NOT SCAN*

Can't vouch for the effectiveness of a solution i found which enables my 4600 and 460 scanjets to work. Even hp couldn't solve the problem.
=====================================
try this:
After more than two years of trying to get my 4600 hp scanjet to work, and convinced that hp couldn't figure out the problem, i found the following process that works for me, and i hope for you.
The scanner was demonized. It would scan down to the bottom and crank away, not returning to the top. When i disconnected the line in, i lost the scanner completely and had to restart in order to find it again. Another annoying and recurring problem was when it did scan, i got a half page scanned and the
other page black, or an all black page. Here’s what i did, but with the stupid software and hp’s lack of knowledge on fixing the problem, i tried literally hundreds of work-arounds. The following one has been working for me.
However past experience has shown me that what works today can magically change tomorrow so i have been repeating the following process:

Go to control panel and right click on "cameras and scanners." on the "general tab” go to the “events” tab and select “scan button press.” go to your scanner and press the “scan” button. In my case this brings up a list of destinations for the scan. When i press the "scan" button on the 4600 scanner, a list of software programs are listed asking me where i want to send the scan. I choose photoshop. This process has been working with hp driver version 9.0.0.83. Bringing up photoshop, i choose "import," click on hp 4600 and so far this has been working for me. But, and this is ahuge but, after i close the program and try to resume the next day, something always seems to invade either my computer or the scanner, and i am back to that stupid erratic defect in this scanner. In which case, i have been repeating the steps above. I hope this works for you.

Tom glover hamilton nj,


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