Expert: Ramon Zammit - 3/4/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I am hoping that you can help me. I can not get the scanner, to communicate with the computer, I get a message" can not communicate with the scanner"  when I called cannon they said that i was missing a twain_32 folder, and i needed to create it in order for the scanner to work. Can u help me? I have windos xp. I kind of remember that about a year ago or so, I deleted a bunch of programs that i though I did no needed, and i wonder if I deleted this folder by mistake. Thanks

ANSWER: hi gustavo

what i suggest is to uninstall everything related to the scanner that you installed so far

restart your computer

download the drivers of your scanner.

install the drivers and connect the scanner with the computer ONLY when asked to.



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---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank for you patience, I did that and did not worked, i have a brand new cannon mp620  ( printer and scanner ), and I like I said before I have no problems printing, It just that the scanner can not communicate with the computer. When I called Cannon they said that I needed to install a twain_32 folder, because the one I had was empty, or that i needed to create one (twain_32 folder) i have had this computer for about two years and i wonder if i deleted it something by mistake. I remember a long time ago deleting programs that I though were useless, so maybe that is the problem. I red somewhere that maybe I need to re-install windows? Thanks for your help.

Answer
How to troubleshoot TWAIN scanner problems

Situation:
This document describes ways to identify and resolve issues with WinFax PRO/TalkWorks PRO and TWAIN-compliant scanners.

Solution:

Update the TWAIN scanner drivers

TWAIN scanner manufacturers can write their software applications to look for specific version numbers of another application that makes use of TWAIN. If their application is designed to look for a specific version of WinFax PRO it may not work with a different version. If this is the case, only the scanner manufacturer can correct their TWAIN files.

The scanning software may also report that it is unable to scan due to an incorrect resolution setting. This is because WinFax PRO looks for a reported resolution setting of 200 x 200 dpi, although the resolution of a fine resolution fax is 204 x 196 dpi. If the TWAIN scanner manufacturer has updated their drivers and is now sending 204 x 196 as the resolution information, WinFax PRO will fail.

Contact the scanner manufacturer to make sure you have the latest drivers.

NOTE: If you are using WinFax PRO/TalkWorks PRO in Windows NT or Windows 2000, you must use 32-bit TWAIN drivers in order for WinFax PRO/TalkWorks PRO to work with the scanner. Windows NT and Windows 2000 do not support 16-bit TWAIN drivers. Some scanner manufacturers do not support their hardware under Windows NT or Windows 2000. Contact the hardware manufacturer for Windows NT or Windows 2000 support information.

Update the WinFax scanner software

If you are using the WinFax scanner, disable Auto Scan from the Program menu. If the problem persists, choose About from the Help menu in the WinFax Scanner software and make sure you have version 4.1. If you have version 4.0 download and install SCNR1195.EXE and SCAN415.EXE from:

http://www.symantec.com/techsupp/files/winfaxscanner/winfaxscanner.html

NOTE:
The WinFax Scanner is not supported under Windows NT or Windows 2000.

Scanner compatibility with WinFax PRO/TalkWorks PRO

Incompatible scanners do not appear in the scanner list, or they cause an error when you try to use them to scan from WinFax. A workaround for this situation is to scan the image into your scanning software, then click Print on the File menu and change the printer to WinFax. This procedure will work with any scanner, even if it is not TWAIN-compliant.
Please see one of the following documents:
WinFax PRO/TalkWorks PRO list of tested scanners
WinFax PRO 10 supported scanner list
Support for ISIS compliant scanners

Check for a TWAIN folder

In Windows Explorer, you should see a TWAIN folder in the Windows folder. This could be any of the following, for example:

C:\WINDOWS\TWAIN
C:\WIN95\TWAIN
C:\WIN\TWAIN

NOTE: The Scanner menu options are provided by WinFax if the program finds the \TWAIN directory. If you create a directory called TWAIN, even without having a TWAIN Scanner, you will see the Scanner option on the Setup menu and the Scan Option on the Tools menu in WinFax.

Check for *.DS file in the TWAIN folder

The TWAIN folder must also contain a data source file with a *.DS extension. This file is provided by the manufacturer of the TWAIN-compliant scanner, so consult the scanner documentation for the exact name of the file. Examples of these files include:

ESTWAIN.DS (Epson Scanner)
WINFAX.DS (WinFax Scanner)
HPDS23.DS (HP Scanner)

If this source file is in the TWAIN32 folder or any other folder, copy it to the TWAIN folder.

Make sure the Win.ini file references the scanner *.DS file in the TWAIN folder

  1. Click Start, and click Run. The Run dialog box appears.
  2. Type win.ini and then click OK. The Win.INI file opens in Notepad.
  3. Go to the [Twain] section of Win.ini and make sure you have a line similar to the following line:

     Default Source=C:\WIN95\TWAIN\?.DS
  4. Save the changes and restart Windows.


Make sure the PATH statement refers to the TWAIN folder

In some instances, the scanner's TWAIN installation program likes to isolate its files by creating and installing to a subdirectory in \WINDOWS\TWAIN. For example:

\WINDOWS\TWAIN\MYSCANNR

This configuration requires the TWAIN directory to be placed in the PATH statement of the AUTOEXEC.BAT. The location of the scanner software executables may also need to be added to the PATH.

  1. Click Start, then Run. The Run dialog box appears.
  2. Type sysedit and click OK. The System Configuration Editor opens.
  3. Click the Autoexec.bat window.
  4. Add the full path (for example, C:\WINDOWS\TWAIN ) of the TWAIN directory to the PATH statement in Autoexec.bat.
  5. If you do not have a PATH statement, add a line similar to the following line:

     PATH C:\WINDOWS\TWAIN
  6. Save the file, and restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
  7. If this fails to resolve the problem, repeat steps 1-3 but add the path to your scanner software to Autoexec.bat.


If adding these directories to the PATH statement does not resolve the issue, copy the files from the scanner subdirectory to the TWAIN sub-directory. The same is true if there is only a TWAIN32 directory. Create a TWAIN directory and copy the files from TWAIN32 to TWAIN.

Check that you have all the required DLL files

Make sure the following files are on the system. If they are not, the Scan command in the Tools menu may not work properly.

Provided by Windows 95:

TWAIN.DLL (required if you are using a 16-bit TWAIN source)
TWAIN_32.DLL (required if you are using a 32-bit TWAIN source)

Provided by WinFax PRO:

WFXTWN16.DLL
WFXTWN32.DLL

The first two files should be located in the WINDOWS folder. The second two files should be located in the WINFAX folder.

Check for older DLL files

You may find the existence of another file referring to TWAIN but this is an older file we provided with WinFax PRO 4.0. The file can be renamed or removed from the system as control is now provided for in the WFXTWN16.DLL and WFXTWN32.DLL . The older file is called WFXTWAIN.DLL.

As a last resort, you can try renaming any TWAIN files in your \WINDOWS folder.

  1. Start Windows Explorer.
  2. Locate and rename any of the following files:

     TWAIN.DLL
     TWAIN_32.DLL
     TWUNK_16.EXE
     TWUNK_32.EXE
  3. Rename the \WINDOWS\TWAIN and \WINDOWS\TWAIN_32 folders, if they exist.
  4. Reinstall the scanner software.


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