Top Astra Scanner Support Questions
	Q001 Date: 10012000 Modified: NA Author: JD Notes: NA

	The UK support web site includes information and help on all of the known issues and common questions about UMAX scanners - this page lists the current, most common questions, with quick links to their solutions.
1	Link problems with USB scanners and Windows 95 or 98 (Link or HardWare Fail, Error 00000000H, Scanner Not Found, Unknown System Device) Sometimes PCs require some extra configuration before a new USB scanner can be recognised, especially if it is the first USB device installed. Visit our USB FAQ for a list of all the common problems and solutions, including a troubleshooting flowchart and test utility for PC users.
2	Updating Scanner Drivers (Upgrading Drivers, Downloading by FTP, Ordering New CDs) All of the latest scanner drivers are available for download from this site - you can look up the latest version of the driver for your scanner model, learn more about VistaScan and MagicScan, view driver histories for VistaScan Mac and PC or MagicScan Mac and PC, or read how to order a new driver CD. Help is also available if you are having problems downloading drivers. Advanced users and support engineers can also learn more about firmware versions.
3	Problems with iBook, iMac DV and OS9 (VSContolStrip, Hang on Boot, Crash on Startup) Users of the Apple iBook, iMac DV or recent systems with OS9 preinstalled may experience some problems with VistaScan 3.5.1. These are caused by the VSControlStrip file which can be removed from the Control strip Modules folder, and the problems are fixed in the latest update of the driver. If you experience these problems (typically crashing on startup) install the latest driver updater or read the news item for more information.
4	Lamp Controls - No Power Switch (Power Saving, Lamp Timeout) The most recent Astra scanner models do not have a power switch, and use a software control for the lamp instead. Read our technical note on lamp questions for more information.
5	Parallel Port Mode Settings (Parallel Link Error, 00000000H, Scanner Test Fail, ECP, EPP) In order to connect a scanner via the parallel port it is often necessary to change the "mode" the PC uses, depending on the specific scanner model and any other devices that might be sharing the port. These settings are made in the PC's BIOS (accessible via a hot-key when the PC first starts up) - an incorrect mode may prevent the scanner from being seen by the driver or cause other devices to conflict. Read our Parallel FAQs, learn more about correct parallel modes, or follow our troubleshooting flowchart.
6	Parallel Printer Issues (Printer Conflicts, Printers Fail, Printer Errors) Sometimes sharing a parallel port with both a scanner and a printer can cause some conflicts, such as the printer being unavailable or the printer producing "garbage" pages. Learn more about these problems and their fixes in a technical note.
7	Scanning to Email (Sending scans by email, MAPI and VIM, PageManager) Many scanner users want to share their images with others via email - both the VistaScan driver and the PageManager program include features to make scan-to-email quicker and easier. Read our dedicated technical note on scanning with various email programs.
8	Copy Utility (Scan-to-printer, scanner as a photocopier, part of page missing) A common use of UMAX Astra scanners is the copying of documents - scanning a page then sending it directly to a printer. UMAX support scan-to-printer in the latest VistaScan releases, in PageManager and in the standalone "Copy Utility" program. Unfortunately many releases of the Copy Utility program are limited to scanning US Letter size pages, which are slightly shorter than A4 - this can cause the bottom of a page to be missed. Read more about this issue in our News section.
9	OCR - Scanning to Word and PageManager (Optical Character Recognition, Scanning Text, Editing Scans) UMAX scanners include software that can convert a scanned page in to an editable text file, using the OCR process. Learn more about the OCR features in Presto PageManager, scanning images in to Word, scanning for other applications or configuring TextBridge on the Macintosh.
10	Scanning to Fax (Sending faxes, print-to-fax, fax from VistaScan or PageManager) To learn more about easily converting a scan in to a fax and sending it, read our technical note on the fax features of PageManager and VistaScan.
11	Windows NT Issues (User Permissions, Service failed to start, special NT issues) More and more users are swapping to Windows NT 4.0 as their desktop operating system - although UMAX scanners are generally compatible with Windows NT (except for USB models - NT4 does note support ANY type of USB device) there are some special notes covering NT error messages, permission issues, drivers and services.
12	Using Adobe PhotoDeluxe       The Adobe PhotoDeluxe software is bundled as standard with many UMAX Astra scanners. All common issues are covered in Adobe's superb web site - the most common questions we receive are about missing templates (insert the PhotoDeluxe CD then try again) and Parsing Errors (install the ATM software from the PhotoDeluxe CD).       MacOS9 users may experience a "Type 119" error after installing the bundled version of ATM, in which case they should download an update to ATM directly from Adobe.
?	Other Issues If your questions hasn't been covered in one of the "top issues" above you can search our site for the answers, visit the home page to check the News section, choose an "FAQ" (Frequently Asked Questions) section from the list on the left or contact the support team directly.