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Scanner is not connected

Step:
1. Check cable connections.
2. Check to see if a SCSI terminator is required.
3. Check to see if the READY indicator and the scannig [sic] lamp are both [sic] stay lit.
4. Make sure there is no SCSI ID number conflict.

** Make Sure the scanner is on the list of the system device manager.

Um... How the hell would I know if a SCSI terminator was required? And if I did know how to determine this, would I know what one was or where to get one? Or what to do with it? And what if the scanner is not on the list of system device? How do I get it there?

Damn second hand hardware. I mean, it's free, so I shouldn't complain about the hassle. And I knew it might not work, so I shouldn't complain about the lost 45 minutes. But 45 minutes is a big chunk of my evening.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

SCSI daisy chains. If the SCSI device only has one SCSI port, then it can only go at the end of a chain, and is also therefore terminated internally.

If the SCSI device has two SCSI ports, then another SCSI device can be daisy chained off it. The last device in a chain usually needs to have its spare port terminated (either plug a terminator into the port, or switch a switch on the device, or some do it automatically...). If you don't have a terminator, putting an unused device at the end of the chain can work. E.g. Computer-Scanner-External HD-External CD drive.

Each SCSCI device needs to have its SCSI ID set to a unique number [from 0-9] within the current setup. There's usually a thumbwheel on the device for setting its ID. 0 and 1 are often already taken by the SCSI port on the computer, and the internal Hard Drive if it's SCSI (rare these days).

SCSI was designed to drive people nuts.

System device manager I know nothing about.

Hmm. That's helpful.

But I don't think the scanner has a second port. I'll have to check when I get home. If it does, then I have to go out a "terminator"?

Thanks a lot.

A SCSI terminator basically looks like the connector on the end of a SCSCI cable, without the cable. But most more recent SCSI devices should either have a switch for one of the ports to terminate the chain at that point, or should do it automatically.

The limited literature that came with this scanner mentions the use of a terminator, so I'm pretty sure it doesn't have such a switch.

Did it come with driver software to install? I would think that would put it in the system device list. Maybe device drivers can be downloaded from the manufacturer?

(I used SCSI (pron. 'scuzzy') stuff with Macs a lot, but never with PCs.)

FWIW: The pronounciation of SCSI is a regional thing. In California I found it often pronounced "sec-si" (sexy). Weird.

I think scuzzy would be the more appropriate term.

This is a side effect of letting Californians share the experience of plugging up a port....

The literature seemed to say this was a device for Macs, but I was able to get the driveer for my operating system from the Microtek website. I assumed that since I was able to do so, that it is PC compatible. Could that be an issue?

I would think that so long as you've got a SCSI port on your PC, and your PC has whatever software is needed for the SCSI port to work in general, and the PC drivers are for the SCSI version of the scanner, that it should work (famous last words).

There *is* a switch. It's right next to the number dial. It seems to have no effect. I'm going to decide that because of this switch, I have no need of a terminator.

The system properties say, "The device is either not present, not working properly, or does not have all the drivers installed." Since I just got the drivers, and the scanner is here and to the best of my knowledge plugged in correctly, I'm going to assume that it is broken. Or not worth my time to figure out. Disappointing.

If there are two SCSI ports on the scanner, then the switch probably terminates one of them, so you probably need the scanner plugged into the other one (and the switch switched the right way). So there's four different configurations, probably needing a restart before the correct one would work...

There's only one port that fits the big cable that came with it. I think there are two smaller ones. What would they be for?

No idea... My microtek scanner has two ports, USB and something else (PC serial I think), but the only cable it came with was USB. Maybe your other ports are PC serial and PC parallel (and would work with a different cable (and driver?))?