The end of support for Windows XP is right around the corner on April 8th. If you have an older scanner connected to a workstation running XP, it may not work or be supported with Windows 7 and above.
If your scanner only has a SCSI connection option to the PC (a thicker cable running from the scanner that connects to a card installed in the PC), it will not work with any 64-bit operating system.
Some scanner models also have a USB connection. If it does, you may be able to use that. Additional software may also be required. Even so, that still doesn’t guarantee that it will work or be supported on newer version of Windows, as scanner manufacturers are not updating drivers for older discontinued models.
If an older scanner and XP workstation are still meeting your needs, it may be simpler to keep that configuration in the short term until it drops dead or a new scanner purchase fits into your budget.
Some scanner models that won’t work or are not supported on Windows 7:
- Bowe Bell & Howell branded scanners including: Copiscan, Spectrum, SpectrumXF, Truper and Sidekick
- Fujitsu Models that start with M or fi-4xxx (except for the fi-4340C* & fi-4860C2)
*Some older fi-4340C scanners do not have a USB connection - Kodak 35xx and i8xx Models
- Canon: DR-3080C, DR-3080C2, DR-5020, DR-5080C, DR-7080C
- Panasonic: KV-S2055x, KV-S2025C, KV-S2065x, KV-S60xxx
