Installing Visioneer OneTouch 8100 Scanner  

This was originally responsed to over at the VISTA Forums, but Since I found the Solution within Windows 7, I may as well post it here:

Can anyone please assist me with my visioneer one touch 8100 scanner - Vista Forums

Smilez said:

Hello there can anyone please assist me with my scanner i have a visioneer one touch 8100 and i have search every way i could find to get an updated version for it to be use with my windows vista 32 bit the website doesn't have any and i tried emailing them but there's no way of contacting them by email can anyone please tell me what i can do to get my scanner working it still in good condition but because i have windows vista 32 it wouldn't work is there anything else i can do. I would very much appreciate your assistance thank you very much for your valuable time. I look forward for and answer.

Since I use my scanner all the time, and it has a 48-bit scanning mode and I did not want to waste another 50 bucks or so getting a new one, I made the "token" attempt at trying to find a Vista or Windows 7 Driver - There ARE none, so I fooled with it a bit and I came up with a procedure that may work.


Visioneer OneTouch 8100:



I located the Driver on the Visioneer Support Website:

http://support.visioneer.com/products/8100/downloads.asp

And I downloaded the driver for USB:

http://support.visioneer.com/downloads/drivers/8100/8100u.303110.EN.exe

I had the Scanner already hooked up due to a previous installation of XP Media Centre Edition, so When I installed Windows 7, it obviously tried to find a driver for the Scanner. Since it failed, I then obtained that driver installation package from the Visioneer site. I ran the executable With the COMPATIBILITY options (Right Click on the driver Exe file - choose "PROPERTIES", Then choose the "COMPATIBILITY" Property Sheet - Set up the Installer to run as if for "Windows XP Service Pack 2".

Under "Privilege Level" I selected "Run the Program as an Administrator" - So I did all this, and the device then showed up in the Device Manager, but with NO DRIVERS installed. What I did then was to "Update Driver Software" and I selected "Browse My Computer for Software" and I pointed it to "C:\Windows\inf" with Sub-Folders Included check box checked.

To my utter shock and amazement, all of the Visioneer driver files were IN the "C:\Windows\inf" folder - Or at least the INFs were pointing to the correct location of the driver files - And when it was done, I checked the scanner, and it actually worked!

I hope this helps someone, and that driver link is actually on Visioneer's Website. not one of those thousands of fake "driver" websites.

If anyone needs further explanation on this driver issue, please feel free to PM me, and I hope that someone else does have a Visioneer OneTouch 8100 - A fine scanner, need not be trashed because of updating to Windows 7.

Obviously, I am not sure if running the Installer EXE under Compatibility Mode actually helped, but since it worked and I actually got the driver installed and working, well anything is possible.

Thank you,

xWx

I have an 8100 scanner and yr method worked perfectly for Win 7

Picasa is a good substitute for the Visioneer software but still need that driver to make it work be it XP Vista or 7

good work!

The key is first download the XP driver from Visioneer
Locate the icon that represents that download it in your downloads folder or wherever you download to
Right click that icon-->>>
And go down and into the properties on that icon and find the compatibility tab--->>
Change compatibility to XP-SP2
Then
Install in XP-SP2 compatibility mode

---You are now half through---

Now you have to go device manager
Right click the 8100 icon
Reinstall your 8100 driver from where the ini files are in yr Windows folder

END

Thank you guys.. You saved me from buying a new scanner, not to mention the 8100 held a sentimental value to me because I traded for it 4 years ago for my DFI Lanparty S939 which I was trying to sell for $90 but couldn't because I powered the fan header with a floppy psu cable!!! (being an inexperienced PC builder at the time). Because the mobo was "semi" broken, I decided to get rid of it and traded for this scanner.

My 8100 would work under XP but none of the buttons worked.. And under vista is was DEAD. I was going to spend $70 on a new scanner, when I got Win7 and saw this post.... Now ALL buttons work on the scanner and everything works perfectly!!

I am "GIDDY" with excitement!!

Haha! Well I'm glad you dinna have to trash your scanner... I use mine all the time, like DAILY.

---You are now half through---

Now you have to go device manager
Right click the 8100 icon
Reinstall your 8100 driver from where the ini files are in yr Windows folder

I tried to make that clear in the post, but I guess I was not clear- He's right!

So, what you do... AFTER you manually install the driver package with the compatibility changed to Windows Xp (And it can be either SP2 or SP3 I found out TODAY) - You gotta Open the Device Manager, find the Half-Installed Visioneer - Right Klik on it, UPDATE DRIVER, and point it to the c:\Windows\INF" folder- The device will THEN finish the UPDATE Process and install the files which are in the INF Folder.

I followed the instruction posted for the 8100 and it installed the drivers! Thanks. Jeff

I just picked up this computer on ebay to try out Windows 7 (machine was cheap and came with 7 loaded).

Bummed out when my 8100 didn't work. Your fix worked perfect.
I didn't even have to tell it where to find the new driver. It did it all by itself.

Thanks so much. I'll be stopping by again I'm sure until I learn this new system.
So far I really like Win7. My main machine is Win XP but may switch to Win7 on that one too.

Thanks Again.

I still have one of first USB scanners released on the market - still works fine on XP!

It wasn't even supported officially with Win XP - but I found a way.

Wonders whether to dig it out and see if it will work on the old drivers 4 a laugh.

Go for it! What do you have to lose.