Hello,
I am currently running Linux Mint 9 (Isadora). This is my first Linux OS. I've been a Linux user since 2010, and have been teaching myself as I go along.

I have two scanners, an Epson Perfection 1660 Photo and an Epson WorkForce 600 all-in-one. Prior to today, the 1660 was working perfectly through Simple Scan. The 600 printer and fax features have always worked on Isadora, but the scanner feature has never worked on Isadora. Both machines are plugged in and turned on.

In the past few days, I've installed Linux updates twice. Tonight, when I tried to run Simple Scan, I got the following error message: "Failed to scan. No scanners available. Please connect a scanner." I am also getting a "no devices available" error from XSane.

I ran the following diagnostics from the root directory:
$ sane-find-scanner
found USB scanner (vendor=0x04b8 [EPSON], product=0x0847 [USB2.0 MFP(Hi-Speed)]) at libusb:001:008

$ scanimage -L
No scanners were identified. If you were expecting something different,
check that the scanner is plugged in, turned on and detected by the
sane-find-scanner tool (if appropriate). Please read the documentation
which came with this software (README, FAQ, manpages).

$ lsusb
Bus 001 Device 008: ID 04b8:0847 Seiko Epson Corp.

Note: the USB scanner that was detected was the Epson Workforce 600. The Epson Perfection 1660 Photo, which was working perfectly, is no longer detected at all. Linux is not supported for either machine, and neither is listed in the SANE project of support scanners. I've manually installed the wine .exe files from the original disk that came with the 1660, but it didn't fix anything. Restarted my computer just in case, but that didn't work either. Help please?

Hi,

Welcome to LQ!
Did you installed the drivers?

Check that you are enabled as a user in the "saned" group. If not, add yourself (as root of course)

Also check the plugdev and daemon group too

It's possible the 1660 failed just as you were doing software updates, but I think it's unlikely.

Have you tried switching the usb cords from one scanner to the other? That would either prove one of the cords defective or eliminate that possibility.

Then try unplugging the 1660 for a few seconds, then plug it back in. Then repeat the procedure with the 600.

Now run dmesg. Does it show both hotplug events, or just one?

Finally, read this thread from February. It may prove helpful.

Thank you all for your suggestions.

Satyaveer, I did try to install the drivers that came with the two scanners, but I was not successful. I wasn't able to figure out how to open the .exe files and move the pertinent instructions into Linux, and installing them from the .exe files didn't work. I'd be grateful for any help you could offer with this. FWIW, the 1660 was running perfectly before my last system upgrade, both machines are still powered on, and the Workforce 600 printer, copier and fax features are (still) working perfectly.

barnac1e -- I'm sorry, but I don't know how to check that I'm enabled as a user in a group. I'd be grateful for any help you could offer with this. Do I need to do this if my computer is a standalone? (It is.)

bigrigdriver -- cords and scanners seem to be functioning. I ran dmesg, saved the results into a document file, and searched for "hot plug". There were two entries. I am not sure how to interpret them, but one of them seems to contain an error:

[ 0.852693] pci_hotplug: PCI Hot Plug PCI Core version: 0.5
[ 0.852708] Firmware did not grant requested _OSC control
[ 0.852729] Firmware did not grant requested _OSC control
[ 0.852737] pciehp: PCI Express Hot Plug Controller Driver version: 0.4
[ 0.852806] input: Power Button as /devices/LNXSYSTM:00/LNXSYBUS:00/PNP0C0C:00/input/input0
[ 0.852809] ACPI: Power Button [PWRB]
[ 0.852837] input: Power Button as /devices/LNXSYSTM:00/LNXPWRBN:00/input/input1
[ 0.852838] ACPI: Power Button [PWRF]
[ 0.853842] ACPI: SSDT 00000000bb7900f0 01448 (v01 DpgPmm P001Ist 00000011 INTL 20051117)
[ 0.854178] ACPI: SSDT 00000000bb791540 004F4 (v01 PmRef P001Cst 00003001 INTL 20051117)

Best regards,
loshakova

exe files don't work on linux. Search on Google for drivers for linux.

Satyaveer -- Thanks. I downloaded and expanded the correct files shortly after I posted my help request, but I wasn't able to install them. When I try to install the data file, I get a "missing file operand" error. I am assuming that it wants me to tell it where to install the file, but I don't know where to put it. Sorry, I feel stupid -- so far I have managed to figure out what I needed to use Linux by searching here or on Google, but not this time.

Best regards,
loshakova

What is the complete name of the package you downloaded? And what command you tried to install?

Satyaveer,
The name of the package is iscan_2.28.1-3.ltdl7_amd64. It contains two files, control and data; the two original tar archives, control.tar.gz and data.tar.gz; and a plain text document called debian.binary. I've been trying to install the data file, as that is the one the readme file told me to install first. I have been navigating to the iscan_2.28.1-3.ltdl7_amd64 folder and then typing 'install data'. I get the following error message:

install: missing destination file operand after `data'
Try `install --help' for more information.

I tried 'install data -d', but that gave me back the error message
install: omitting directory `data'

Best regards,
loshakova

Can you run scanimage -L as root?
If the scanners are found it is a permissions issue.

jlinkels

I ran it. Here's the result:
loshakova-desktop loshakova # scanimage -L

No scanners were identified. If you were expecting something different,
check that the scanner is plugged in, turned on and detected by the
sane-find-scanner tool (if appropriate). Please read the documentation
which came with this software (README, FAQ, manpages).

Best regards.
loshakova

Did you extracted the data.tar.gz package? And can you post the files names in this package after extracting it?

Satyaveer,

Yes, I extracted data.tar.gz and control.tar.gz packages before attempting to install them.

The data folder contains many nested folders. The first level of the folder hierarchy has three folders: var, etc, and usr.

The control folder contains four plain text documents and four shell scripts.

Best regards,
loshakova

Please post the content of control folder.

Control folder contents:

text files:
md5sums
control
shlibs
conffiles

shell scripts:
prerm
preinst
postrm
postinst

There is also one free-standing text document at the same folder level as the data and control files. It is called debian-binary.

best regards
loshakova