My scanner wont work because I have run out of coloured ink - shouldnt I still be able to use the scanner??

Many all-in-one printers check ink levels before they will allow scanning. If the ink has run out, it is unlikely the unit will permit scanning.

Having no ink should not affect the running of a scanner

make sure the scanner usb and power leads are securely seated
the drivers for the scanner might have been corrupted
you might have to uninstall the scanner restart your computer then reinstall your scanner
if your printer/scanner came with an installation disc the drivers could be on it
you might have to uninstall the printer/scanner restart your computer then reinstall the printer/scanner and its drivers

click start control panel administrative tools computer management device manager scroll to ports(COM&LPT) + to expand you should see a communication port and Ecp printer port you might see a yellow Question/exclamation ? ! mark or a red X this will mean you need to install a new driver for this device right click to update driver
select properties again you will have the similiar options also have option to troubleshoot

hope this helps you