I am a very new Linux newbie. I have recently installed SuSE 8.1 and am trying to get my HP Scanjet 5300C Scanner to work.
The first thing I found out was that my scanner wasn't an HP machine at all - it's a re-badged Avision! I also found that it's not a USB machine at all - it's an SCSI machine with a USB interface! On advice, I deleted existing SANE-1.0.8-47, XSane-0.87, glib-1.2.9, and gtk+-1.2.9 using YaST2. I then opened new directory /home/<username>/scanner, went to ftp.mostang.com and downloaded into it sane-backends-1.0.11, xsane-0.90, glib-2.2.1 and gtk+-2.2.1 (all .tar.gz). I then, in turn, unzipped them and gave them the './configure, make, and make install' treatment (all in the /home/<username>/scanner directory). In the process I had to overcome some problems with 'Error: make:*** No targets specified...' etc, and 'Error: make install:*** No rule to make target...' etc, and to download and install 'pkgconfig-0.15.0', and install 'gtk-devel' (latter using YaST2) I've downloaded/read reams and reams of paper with titles like 'INSTALL', 'PROBLEMS' and'README' for sane-frontends, backends and xsane, 'Xsane Beginners Information', 'sane-avision.5' and 'The SANE Avision backend'. I've tried the articles in the April 2003 issue of Linux Journal, and in the December 2002 issue of Linux Format. I've downloaded the Yolux tutorial : 'Scanners and Linux', and Steve Sheriff's 'Quick & Simple HOWTO...', and I've studied the 'Sane FAQ' and 'FAQs about SANE hp-backends', which has a question: 'My scanner works with USB on Windows, but not with Linux', which seemed to represent my situation, but, having followed through the instructions, it was all to no avail. I've consulted several Sane pages from the SuSE manual. There is definitely a market niche for good, simple, clear documentation that supposes no previous knowledge, and actually matches current versions of Linux. On Sunday, the response to my command $sane-find-scanner was: 'found SCSI scanner "HP Scanjet 5300C 6.00" at /dev/scanner found SCSI scanner "HP Scanjet 5300C 6.00" at /dev/sg2' The response to $scanimage -L was: 'device 'avision:/dev/scanner' is a Hewlett-Packard Scanjet 5300C flatbed scanner device 'avision:/dev/sg2' is a Hewlett-Packard Scanjet 5300C flatbed scanner' This all looked promising (altho I'm a bit worried as to why there should be two items in each case, and wonder if I should delete one!), but, when I try to launch scanner [as 'root'] by clicking desktop 'Scanner' icon, I get: 'KDElnit could not launch "xscanimage": Could not find "xscanimage" executable'. So, yesterday, I downloaded and installed 'sane-frontend-1.0.11' (./configure, make, and make install). Then, when I clicked the 'Scanner' icon on the desktop, I got a small window offering two alternatives: 'avision/scanner' and 'avision/sg2'. I tried them both in turn, with the same result in each case: On 'Acquire Preview', the scanner grunts and whirrs a bit, then I just get a black bar across the top of the 'Preview' window. When I click 'Scan', the scanner whirrs a bit, then I get error message: 'Error: Failed to set value at option gamma-table'. I do not understand this at all, and cannot find any trace of it in all the literature I've listed above - or any solution on Google. You'll forgive my cynicism if, after all these 'adventures', I give a hollow laugh when I note that 'SANE' is an acronym for 'Scanner Access Made Easy' [!!!] During the past three weeks, I've torn out what little hair I had, and am just about at my wit's end. I seem to be so close... and yet so far! I should be most grateful if someone could help, please. Best Fred
