Here in this article, we will be discussing why “EPSON Scan Cannot communicate with the scanner” and how we can solve this issue.
If you find this article relevant to your Epson scanning problem then you will be definitely able to solve this issue with our proven solution methods.
Epson scanners are extremely popular scanners being used in our day-to-day life by many people in the industry for scanning Images or Text Documents. Epson scanners generally come in two variations which are Standalone Scanners and Printers.
They are known for their toughness and superior scanning abilities but sometimes an error occurs in them which is faced by most users. The error is shown in a windows dialog box that says EPSON Scan Cannot communicate with the scanner.
This problem can arise due to multiple reasons and this article covers all of them.
Methods
What are the ways to solve ‘EPSON Scan Cannot communicate with the scanner error’?
There are several methods that work on all operating systems from Windows 7 to Windows 10, so follow the step-by-step process to eliminate this error from your machine. If one fix doesn’t work move to the next one until it’s fixed.
Fix 1: Run Scanner Software with Administrative
Many applications which require input from additional sources can sometimes need Administrative privileges.
1. “Right-click” on your Epson Scanner icon and you find the Properties from the drop-down menu.
2. A properties tab should open on windows. Then Click on “Compatibility” and select “Run this program as an administrator”. You can also run the program in normal mode if Administrative privileges don’t work.
3. Press “Apply” and click “OK“.
4. Now switch off your scanner and restart your PC and check if the problem is solved.
Fix 2: Fixing the wireless cable connection
In some cases Epson fails to connect the network LAN address automatically, this problem only arises if you are using a Wireless Network Connection. To fix this problem we can manually set the address from the command prompt and make your scanner work.
1. Go to windows search and type “Epson Scan Settings“, after that click on it.
2. In the settings, box click on the “Add” button present under the Network Scanner Address. Remember to select the right scanner if you have more than one scanner.
3. Once the Add Setting is Open, minimize the window.
4. Go to the Start menu of windows and search for “Cmd” and you will see Command Prompt, press right-click to open command Prompt.
5. Once the Command Prompt opens run the command “ipconfig” and press Enter.
6. After typing the command some numbers should appear. Navigate your way to “Default Gateway” and copy the number in front of it.
7. Now enter these numbers in your browser to access your router. After you are logged into your router, check the list of attached devices to the network. There will be a number beside your Scanner Name Copy this number.
8. Now head back to the minimized window of Scanner Settings Enter the address into the Network scanner Address box and click on add. Your scanner shroud is successfully added and you will be able to use the scan utility without any problems.
9. You can also press the “Test” button to check if the solution worked.
Fix 3: Using a shorter USB Cable
Check your USB cable if it’s longer than 1 meter you may need to change it. Long USB cables can be a cause of data loss and your scanner shows this error.
Try going as short as you can for better connectivity of the Epson scanner to your computer. After changing the USB cable check if the Epson scanner error is there.
Fix 4: By turning off The password protected sharing
You may get this Error because the Password Protected Sharing sharing is on. This is a windows feature that is responsible for protecting your data while sharing files over a network.
There had been many cases in which the feature is not working properly and causing data to not pass through. For fixing this problem –
1. Find the “advanced sharing” in the windows search bar.
2. Open it and navigate your way to the Files and Printer Section.
3. Once done selected then click on “Turn on files and Printer Sharing“.
4. And go to the All Networks option and turn off “Turn off password protected sharing“.
5. And Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on “Save Changes“.
6. Now unplug/disconnect your scanner and plug it back in. Then restart your PC.
Fix 5: By Changing from LPT1 to USB 001 Virtual Printer Port
Most of the scanners and printers of the latest generations have changed their ports from LPT1 to USB but sometimes windows are default settings on it due to which a connection couldn’t be formed and causes this issue.
1. Press Windows + R and type “control panel” in the dialogue box and press enter to run the command.
2. After the Control panel opens find the icon that says “Device and printers“, right-click on it, and select Properties from the drop-down menu.
3. Now click on “Ports” and change the ports from “LPT1” to “USB 001”.
4. Now unplug/disconnect your scanner and plug it back in. Then restart your PC.
check if your issue of ‘EPSON Scan Cannot communicate with the scanner’ is solved or not.
Old drivers or corrupt drivers can cause this issue, it can also be caused by having different scanners drivers. This fix is very easy, to perform this fix follow the steps.
1. On the search menu of windows type “Device Manager” and select the first option.
2. Once the Device Manager opens find “Imaging devices” right-click on your scanner hardware and select “Update driver”.
3. Now a window will open in which select “Browse my computer for driver software” and click on it.
4. Select the first driver and press Next to install. After that restart your computer.
check if your issue of ‘EPSON Scan Cannot communicate with the scanner’ is solved or not. And you can also contact Epson Service Center for any issues related or driver downloads for your Epson printer.
If still the issue persists, there is another way to solve the issue of scanner Drivers. Here you are recommended to adopt Driver Booster to fix the driver update issue.
Driver Booster is professional software that can update all the outdated and missing drivers automatically on your laptop. Besides, it can also detect malware or any viruses present on your computer, and also it can find the missing or outdated game components such as OpenAL, Microsoft Visual C++, etc, and update them to the latest version.
1. Download and install the software on your laptop.
2. In the Scan Interface, click Scan.
3. Find the Scanner Drivers and click Update.
4. Once the update is completed, you will get the status of ‘Up-to-date‘.
Note: If your updated drivers don’t work uninstall them and go to Google and search for your Printer Name like EPSON (Model No.) Scan drivers and click on the first link to download the drivers. After the download install, the drivers Restart your PC and unplug and plug your EPSON scanner and it will be fixed.
Conclusion on EPSON Scan Cannot communicate with the scanner
The problem EPSON Scan Cannot communicate with the scanner can appear for many reasons of which some are Driver failure, Port Issues, USB Connections issues, etc. The article tried to cover all these variations but if you have any suggestions comment on them and we will be sure to attend to them.
