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Last Reviewed:  April 19, 2023

Scan Troubleshooter

First, an important point to understand: FileCenter has no direct control over your scanner. Scanners are controlled completely by their driver and Windows. FileCenter only puts in "requests" to the driver through Windows and receives pages in return.

As a result, most scanning problems are actually driver problems, and the driver is the responsibility of your scanner manufacturer.

FileCenter does have a few different ways it can try talking with the driver, and sometimes one method works better than the others. The instructions below will walk you through those settings.

Quick Overview

Here are the basic steps for getting your driver to communicate with FileCenter:

  1. Uninstall and update your drivers
  2. Make sure you are using the right driver
  3. Try changing the Mode and/or Transfer type
  4. Try scanning with the Use Scanner Dialog option turned on

We'll now go through each of those steps in more detail.

Step 1. Update Your Driver

Your scanner's drivers do the actual scanning, not FileCenter. If the driver isn't working, your first step is to remove the old driver:

  1. Go to the Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features
  2. Uninstall everything related to your scanner

Now install an updated driver:

  1. Note the scanner manufacturer
  2. Note the scanner model number (find it on the bottom or back of the scanner)
  3. Go to the scanner maker's website
  4. Look for a link that says Downloads, Drivers, or Support
  5. There should be an option to look up a driver for your scanner
  6. Download the TWAIN driver setup file for your version of Windows
  7. Run the setup file
  8. Follow the instructions in the setup
  9. Turn on your scanner; Windows should find and recognize it

Step 2. Select The Right Driver in FileCenter

Click the Scan button in FileCenter. About mid-way down, you'll notice a Scanner field. Click the Select button next to it then Select Driver.

You will see a list of every TWAIN scanner Windows recognizes on your computer. If your scanner is there more than once, first try the one that doesn't have WIA in the name, then try the WIA option.

If your scanner isn't on the list, Windows can't see it. Why? Either it doesn't have a TWAIN driver, or it isn't turned on or plugged in properly. If you're sure it's plugged in and turned on, first try a different USB port (common problem), then try a different USB cable. If it's a wireless scanner, you may need to plug it in with a USB cable instead.

Tip: If your scanner is a Fujitsu ScanSnap, see Using a ScanSnap Scanner

Step 3. Change The Scanning Mode And Transfer Type

If it still doesn't scan properly at this point, there are a couple of settings in FileCenter that may help. These attempt some alternate communication methods with the driver. (Remember, it's ultimately the driver that's in charge of doing the scanning).

On FileCenter's Scan dialog, click Select next to the Scanner field. You'll now see two options: Mode and Transfer. Do the following:

  1. Set the Mode to "A"
  2. Set the Transfer type to "Native"
  3. Try a scan
  4. If the scan fails, change the Mode to "B"
  5. Try a scan
  6. If the scan fails, continue trying each one of the Mode options

IMPORTANT: If you ever get an error, a crash, or a message that the scanner is busy or in use, you'll need to reboot your computer and scanner before proceeding.

If the scan still fails at this point, change the Transfer type to "Memory" and start over, trying each of the modes. Then change the transfer type to "File" and try each of the modes again, continuing in this manner until you find a combination that works.

Step 4. Show The Scanner Dialog

Some scanners have problems if you don't scan through their interface. This can include everything from crashes to blank or skipped pages to problems with resolution and paper size.

On FileCenter's Scan dialog, select the option called Use Scanner Dialog then click Start Scan. Your scanner's interface will pop up. Proceed with the scan. If it works, you will want to make this setting permanent:

  1. Open the Scan dialog
  2. Select Use Scanner Dialog
  3. Click the little Save link next to Profile

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