I too have what looks like the same problem.
I too have read all the relevant man pages and other relevant sites:
Supported devices
http://www.sane-project.org/sane-mfgs.html
CanoScan LiDE 110 (the printer I've just bought) has "complete" support apparently.
Followed directions here:
http://paragasu.wordpress.com/2011/0...e-110/#respond
Read:
http://www.meier-geinitz.de/sane/genesys-backend/
http://www.sane-project.org/man/sane-genesys.5.html
http://www.sane-project.org/man/sane-usb.5.html
Another story of purchasing a "complete"ly supported scanner.
http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php?topic=85726.0
The solution? Use windows xp in a vm.

I don't think much of that sort of solution.
As a temporary work around... ok.

I'm running debian lenny.

provides:

2.6.26-2-686


provides:

Bus 005 Device 002: ID 04a9:1909 Canon, Inc.

provides:

libusb not available
# No USB scanners found. If you expected something different, make sure that
# you have loaded a kernel driver for your USB host controller and have setup
# the USB system correctly. See man sane-usb for details.
# SANE has been built without libusb support. This may be a reason
# for not detecting USB scanners. Read README for more details.

provides:

device `v4l:/dev/video0' is a Noname USB 2.0 Camera virtual device

clearly shows I have libusb installed:

Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Cfg-files/Unpacked/Failed-cfg/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Hold/Reinst-required/X=both-problems (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name Version Description
+++-==============================-==============================-============================================================================
ii libusb-0.1-4 2:0.1.12-13 userspace USB programming library


Any ideas?

Greetings,

Now, from what I am seeing, it seems that there are a couple linked issues at play here:

1. To start with, what is the actual version of the libusb you have installed on your system?
   As of this writing, the latest stable version in Gentoo for amd64 architecture is dev-libs/libusb-1.0.8. (From what I see, it looks like you have version libusb-0.1.)
2. Then, there is the warning from sane-find-scanner -v -f:
   
   Quote:

   Originally Posted by sane-find-scanner libusb not available # No USB scanners found. If you expected something different, make sure that # you have loaded a kernel driver for your USB host controller and have setup # the USB system correctly. See man sane-usb for details. # SANE has been built without libusb support. This may be a reason # for not detecting USB scanners. Read README for more details.

   So, sane was not built with any USB support to begin with... That will need to be rebuilt after you update libusb. Or, is it something in the package you are using? Is the package of SANE you are using a binary/pre-built package?
3. I *completely agree* with you that running XP in a vm is not only a bad work-around, but not an option for some folks in general. Where are you going to get the license for the vm install nowadays? (Well, I guess you can go onto the Micro$oft boards and buy a used license. Doh!)

HTH. Let us know.

Yes, you are correct about the libusb version.
I was thinking that since the fellow in http://paragasu.wordpress.com/2011/0...scan-lide-110/
apparently had a working setup, and was obviously using Lenny, then the version of libusb would have been the same or earlier.
Unless of course he failed to mention the fact that he was using a libusb package from a more recent repo?

I'm not sure of the necessary steps to acquire and install a later version and whether or not there would be any dependancy issues?
I'm going to be ordering a new notebook soon, so I may hold of until then and just install a later debian.
Unless of course someone has a fairly easy path to update just libusb?
the CanoScan 110 is currently running on a spare 10 year old xp box I pulled out of the trash.
It's very slow, but may do for the mean time.

Thanks!