Tuesday, January 10, 2017

NAPS2 Workaround for Canon MF Toolbox Windows 10 Scanning Issues

Success!  I'm now able to scan again with my Canon ImageCLASS MF4570dn using Windows 10.

I hope it saves you some time.

After dealing for more than two hours unsuccessfully trying all the fixes that I could find in the following help links, I decided to scrap the idea of getting the Canon MF Toolbox to work with Windows 10 (Version 4.9.1.1.mf18 for Windows).

As a workaround, I installed NAPS2 (Not Another PDF Scanner 2).

With NAPS2, I am able to load my documents in the scanner and select "Scan" then "Remote Scanner" on the scanner menu. From there, NAPS2 is able to communicate to the scanner and pull in my documents as PDF (or other formats as needed).

NAPS2 is available here:  https://www.naps2.com/

Below are details of the issues that I had with the Canon MF Toolbox and some of the fixes that I tried.

Primary issue:
---------------------------
ScanGear MF Cannot communicate with the scanner. The cable may be disconnected, or the scanner may be turned off. Check the scanner status and try again. Scanner driver will be terminated.
---------------------------

Fixes tried:

MF Toolbox doesn't work on Windows 10
The solutions in the following link did not work for me.
http://community.usa.canon.com/t5/Office-Printers/MF-Toolbox-doesn-t-work-on-Windows-10/td-p/147893

Windows 10 - Canon Scanner unable to scan error- cannot communicate with scanner for these reasons: scanner is turned off (it is not), USB cable is disconnected (it is not)
The solutions in the following link did not work for me.
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-hardware/windows-10-canon-scanner-unable-to-scan-error/db3008d1-b4b7-4151-ae14-53609fa80357?page=3

Error on Computer "MF Toolbox that you are using may not be installed on your computer. Install the appropriate MF Toolbox and perform operation again."
The solution in the following link did not work for me.
https://support.usa.canon.com/kb/index?page=content&id=ART117476

These are the drivers and the patch that I couldn't get to work.  Note:  Printing works with these drivers.  I just couldn't get the scanner to work with the Canon MF Toolbox.

[Windows 64bit] imageCLASS MF4570dn MFDrivers (UFR II / FAX / ScanGear) 10/21/16  File name MF4570dnMFDriversV2031W64usEN.exe

Canon said:  "If you cannot scan over a network or with a USB connection in Windows 10/Windows 8.1/Windows 8, install the MF driver, restart (not shut down) your PC, and then install the following program."  

[Windows 64-bit] Patch for Network Scan, USB Scan (Windows 8/8.1/10) 10/21/16  File name MF4500USBScanPatchW64EN.exe

Canon said:  "This patch resolves an issue that prevents scanning over a network or with a USB connection after upgrading Windows to a newer version. If you cannot scan over a network or with a USB connection, install this patch. If installing (or reinstalling) the MF driver, be sure to first restart (not shut down) your PC after driver installation is complete, and then install this patch."

This patch did not work for me.

Workaround:

These are the links that led me to the NAPS2 solution...

Solved Windows Fax & Scan: How to Scan Documents to PDF format
https://www.tenforums.com/software-apps/27481-windows-fax-scan-how-scan-documents-pdf-format.html

wikiHow to Scan Documents Into PDF
http://www.wikihow.com/Scan-Documents-Into-PDF

Again, I hope this saved you some time.

Time is highly valuable.  Click HERE to see exactly what I mean.

4 comments:

  1. Thank you! I was just about to buy a new multi-function printer but I tried one last search for "windows 10 imageClass workaround" and found your page. I uninstalled the ToolBox, installed NAPS2 and was ASTOUNDED that I am now able to scan in Windows 10. Doubly astounded with I learned that OCR is an option for creating PDFs. Triply astounded when I clicked Scan/Start on the printer's control panel and NAPS2 popped up right away on my wife's computer. Success!

    My only regret is that I can't trigger the scan from my computer. My wife's computer shares the printer as a network resource and I can print at will, but I guess scanning remotely is one step too far.

    I have wasted dozens of hours wrestling with the old software over the years. Not that it was ever easy to get it installed on any other version of Windows, but Windows 10 just made it impossible. I may still end up buying the new printer because it's on sale and they make a high-capacity toner cartridge at a very reasonable price, but I'm not forced to do so just to be able to scan. And the new printer supports wireless connections so I'd be able to scan from my computer. That can wait though. I have some scanning to do!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am running Windows 10 on my PC and connecting with the printer/scanner over WiFi. I did not think I was ever going to get scanning to work on my Canon MF232 printer. Then I saw this blog and 5 minutes later I was scanning. From what I can quickly see, NAPS2 delivers all of the functionality promised but never delivered by the Canon MF Scan Utility.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you very much for this workable advice! I spent a lot of my time getting useless Canon UK team to help me, so I gave up and just installed NAPS2. My Canon MF229dw scanner works perfectly now.

    ReplyDelete
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