I have a Pentium III computer running Windows 98SE and am unable to use my Canon FB 630P scanner. The computer doesn’t detect the new scanner. The scanner worked perfectly when it was installed on my old Pentium computer. Any ideas?

I experienced a similar problem to yours when troubleshooting a friend’s computer which would not recognise their scanner. Eventually after reinstalling the driver’s several times, I realised that the power lead had fallen out of the power board! So, firstly check that the scanner is plugged into a power point and the cable connecting the scanner to the computer is plugged in correctly. If the problem still persists, are you trying to install the scanner through the ‘Scanners and Cameras Properties’ control panel? If you are, then don’t. I tried installing my friend’s Canon FB 330P scanner that way and it doesn’t work. Make sure that you are installing the scanner using the installation CD which came with the scanner. Another possible reason for your scanner not working is because most scanners these days require the parallel port on your computer to be set to EPP mode or bi-directional mode (your parallel port is probably currently set on ECP - Enhanced Capability Port). EPP stands for Enhanced Parallel Port and allows for a much higher rate of data transfer between the parallel port on your computer and your scanner. This is why it is sometimes required by scanners. To change the parallel port setting from ECP to EPP or bi-directional mode, you will have to go into the BIOS setup of your computer. However, I don’t recommend that you do unless you firstly contact Canon technical support to make sure that this what you have to do (as you could cause more damage than good by changing the port setting if it isn’t the problem!). Canon offer free technical support in Australia and you can find their contact details at www.canon.com.au/support/index.html.