HP PhotoSmart C4280 Laser Printer Logo
Posted on Jan 22, 2008
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Scanner won't work but the printer does

My printer works fine, but when try to scan it says usb not connected

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  • 18 more comments 
  • yobob Feb 07, 2008

    Uninstalled and reinstalled many times will not install the HP Solution Center Software for the Scanner

  • Anonymous Feb 15, 2008

    Printing and copying are fine, but when I scan, it says USB not connected.




    I've contacted Hp through email and no reply yet.

  • Anonymous Feb 18, 2008

    Ditto...I have the SAME issue with mine...waiting for a solution!  Maybe we should just take our printers back?

  • JamesShoe Feb 18, 2008

    Same for me. It prints and makes copies great, but when i try to make it scan, it says USB not connected and the power light flashes.

  • Anonymous Feb 18, 2008

    I'm having the same problem as well. I am able to print and make copies form my printer, but as soon as I try scanning it tells me the USB is not connected. "B. White"

  • sholaki Apr 06, 2008

    I'm running Mac OSX 10.4.11. I downloaded the new installer from Hp's support site, and uninstalled the old software that came with the unit. Now, the printer works, but the scanner won't. Hp scan pro opens when I press scan on the device, but then quits immediately, without warning. Then when i re-open/retry HP scan pro stays open but just sits there trying to connect or something. It won't even force quit. I have to turn the scanner off so that it closes.

    Also when I try to use the setup assistant for the scanner, it doesnt list the device. It then suggests I go back to the Hp support site to download the latest software.. The same software I just downloaded!

    I haven't tried copying yet.

    Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks.

  • annie100 Apr 23, 2008

    Hello,
    Has anybody managed to resolve the problem with the scanner yet?
    I have downloaded the latest drivers for my Mac but the scanner still wont work...
    Any ideas??
    Andrea

  • mahendra925 Jun 25, 2008

    i have hp f380 all in one using windows 98 os.
    i installed printer and scanner driver properly. my printer works proper.
    scanner displayed in hardware profile and test successfully but when try to scan message is unable to connect scanner.
    help me my email id is:
    [email protected]

  • DiverDC Jul 01, 2008

    Printer works fine....C4280 All in One...but try to scan and the message window say USB not connected.   

  • Gjmaz Oct 02, 2008

    Hi,  I have had an HP 3330 all-in-one for several years now.  When I switched over to wireless, I discovered that the scanning function wasn't supported with the "bonjour" driver.  Fine.  At the time, the scanner wasn't that important to me.  Well, now it is.  When I decided to hard connect my computer to the printer and reinstall the software, I discovered that the scanner function wasn't loaded at all.  In particular, after receiving the most recent 1.1.1 HP driver software update.  


    After trying to reset disk permission, repairing the disk and finally doing an archive/install to see if this works, I emailed HP with the problem.  Well, here's their response:


    Thank you for contacting Hewlett-Packard.



    This is in response to your e-mail regarding the HP LaserJet 3300 Multifunction Printer.



    Greg unfortunately the LJ 3330 is not fully compatible with Mac OS 10.5 since Leopard does not support the type of file that is used on the Installer (Vixe installer), in this OS you will be able to print but the scan feature won't work. If you need an All in One printer for Leopard we recommend you the HP LaserJet 3050, LaserJet 3055 or LaserJet M1522nf since they are similar models to the 3330.
    We truly apologies for any inconvenience that this situation could cause you.



    Sincerely, 

    HP Email Support



    ----------------------------


    How nice of them to offer up another product when they won't update, reconfigure their driver for Mac OS 10.5 support for a perfectly working device.


    I told them that my next all-in-one will be a Brother.

  • gchadderton Nov 04, 2008

    same problem on 2700

  • eross30 Nov 25, 2008

    I cannot connect my scanner to my mac book.its a HP all in one C4280

  • megooner Jan 16, 2009

    How do I get just the driver? It wants me to download the whole installer again, that is the only way i can see to do it.

  • asnevitt Feb 09, 2009

    have a macbook pro with an airport. set up the HP c6180 for wireless. Can print. But can't scan. well, once in a blue moon I can scan. Sometimes it tells me my device does not have scanning ability. Sometimes it tells me the device is not connected.

    Very annoying.

  • Anonymous Mar 16, 2009

    I can scan, but cannot send my scanned material to computer, because the scanner cannot "see" or recognize the computer.

    Where do I put this HPQSCNVW.EXE

  • tttmy84 Mar 18, 2009

    i hooked up the hp c4280 with the hp dv2842se. The printer is ok but the scanner keeps on "usb disconnected" whenever i try to scan. Wat the problem?

  • jas265 Mar 30, 2009

    I have the same problem- I have an HP C4280 connected via USB to a MacBook, and am unable to scan.

    I'm a bit confused by the answer from Feb. 2008- If I don't download the installer, what am I supposed to download from the HP site?

    Thanks!

  • Anonymous Apr 01, 2009

    printer works but when I scan it doesn't detect the USB in my macbook pro

  • djdeutsch53 Apr 11, 2009

    I am running OS X 10.5.6  .  I have discovered the same problem with two different HP printers/scanners : 3180    and  4480.  In both cases the computer will print but will not recognize that there exists a scanner.

  • Anonymous Apr 27, 2009

    Prints and copies like a champ. Scanner is a no go.

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3 Answers

Anonymous

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  • Expert 181 Answers
  • Posted on Feb 28, 2008
Anonymous
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Ok here is the answer you have all been waiting for - look on the CD that came with any HP printer for the mac and you will see that it is for 10.3.9 and 10.4. I bet you dollars to donuts you have the new 10.5 leopard software and you got the new printer for free from the apple store.

All is not lost - go to the hp website at www.hp.com and on the left side you will see a grey menu that says software and driver downloads click on it and type your product. The version right now is 9.7.1 once you get all the way through. DO NOT INSTALL THE HP INSTALLER FILE - it is the same as the CD.

Well on the off chance your using windows the same applies - delete the old software on your computer and follow the steps above. The version number you will need depends on what OS but just make sure it is the most recent and you should be fine.

  • 2 more comments 
  • lexiliya Dec 22, 2010

    You are wonderful! It worked Great! Thanx

  • Thankful424 Jan 09, 2011

    I had this scanner problem for a couple of years and your solution fixed it today. Hurray! Thank you!

  • sandy5678 May 19, 2011

    can someone who recently used this technique (i.e. lexiliya or thankful 424) please explain how you downloaded the software from the hp website without using the actual HP installer file? i just got a mac (used to have a toshiba) and i'm having the exact problem discussed here. i understand how to search for the drivers and downloads for my product, but from there, i don't understand how we are to download something that is not the hp installer file. does this make sense? any help would be greatly appreciated!

  • NewMacGuy Jun 14, 2011

    I have the same problem. I downloaded everything fine. I just don't get what to do after the files are downloaded. Do I launch the HP Installer and choose custom install, only installing the HP Scan Drivers and Software? I'm confused.

×

A

Anonymous

YAY this worked. thanks

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A

Anonymous

For those experienced scanning problem on Windows 2000, try this:

1. After you have installed the HP C4280 installation files, look for HPQSCNVW.exe (i.e. HP Scanning App file for Windows 2000), it is likely stored here ("C:\Program Files\HP\Digital Imaging\bin\hpqscnvw.exe") or under a Hewlett-Packard folder.

If you can't the above file, try to look for this file: "C:\Program Files\HP\Digital Imaging\bin\hpqdirec.exe", similar scanning application file.

2. Create a shortcut to this application file on your desktop, and once you have plugged in your C4280 USB to your PC, launch this app and the scanning will work.

The problem you encountered was due after installation, HP's app file somehow didn't manage to be created as an icon or shortcut on the PC, due to some compatibility issue with Windows 2000.

3. For those on Windows XP and Vista, if you still encountered scanning problem, e.g. USB not connected, etc. Follow steps 1 and 2 above, but look for: HPQSCNVW.exe or HPQTRA08.exe files instead in step 1.

It took me a week of continuous calling to HP helpline, till I came across one tech support guy whom knew this solution. Good luck!

5 Related Answers

Anonymous

  • 1 Answer
  • Posted on Sep 20, 2008

SOURCE: Scan problems with Canon MX310

I had the same problem. After replacing the USB cable with a good one the scanner came back to life.
I suspect scanner has a higher requirement for USB data transmission thats why printing and copying work but scanning does not.

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Anonymous

  • 181 Answers
  • Posted on Feb 27, 2008

SOURCE: Trying to scan, but keeps on saying "USB not connected" BEWARE SPAM NUMBER 1-800-532-4187

Ok here is the answer you have all been waiting for - look on the CD that came with any HP printer for the mac and you will see that it is for 10.3.9 and 10.4. I bet you dollars to donuts you have the new 10.5 leopard software and you got the new printer for free from the apple store.

All is not lost - go to the hp website at www.hp.com and on the left side you will see a grey menu that says software and driver downloads click on it and type your product. The version right now is 9.7.1 once you get all the way through. DO NOT INSTALL THE HP INSTALLER FILE - it is the same as the CD.

Anonymous

  • 1 Answer
  • Posted on Sep 05, 2009

SOURCE: trying to scan, but keep getting error code

I finally got a solution to my problem, which is the same as this one. When trying to scan via USB, you have to make sure the unit is set to USB. On the top panel just above the LCD display, is 3 buttons, Copy, Fax, Scan. Hit the SCAN button, till the display says USB SCANNING. Then try to scan again. Good luck!!

Anonymous

  • 1 Answer
  • Posted on Sep 21, 2009

SOURCE: Printer and copier work fine- scanner says USB not connected.

I had this same problem and it is fixable, but not the way you would probably like, though you can still scan with the printer. You just have to open the Paint program and click from scanner or camera, and then choose your printer and click scan preview, and then scan, it works just fine but its a little time consuming.

Anonymous

  • 1 Answer
  • Posted on Oct 21, 2009

SOURCE: trying to scan, but keep getting error code 2,162,0 My scanner pr

This works!:
Best Solution posted on Sep 05, 2009 4%20ratings_thumbs.gif
noavatar_s.gif the_sunman
Rank: Apprentice
Rating: 94%, 4 votes
I finally got a solution to my problem, which is the same as this one. When trying to scan via USB, you have to make sure the unit is set to USB. On the top panel just above the LCD display, is 3 buttons, Copy, Fax, Scan. Hit the SCAN button, till the display says USB SCANNING. Then try to scan again. Good luck!

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I am having problems making my scanner work - I can't scan a document from the printer/scanner/fax/copier to my laptop
How is the all-in-one connected to your computer? What OS are you using? Did you install the full software, basic drivers or the OS drivers? Are you starting your scan from the computer or the buttons on the all-in-one? Is this a newly installed printer or one that has been used several times with this computer?

The Photosmart C7180 can be used with a USB connection, wired ethernet network, wireless network, bluetooth or PictBridge. For a Mac OS, only the USB connection will work.

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