In Windows 2000 the Message 'An Error Occurred Communicating with the Scanning Device' Displays When Scanning from HP Director

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Issue

During a scan from HP Director on a computer running Windows 2000, the following message displays on the computer screen:

An error occurred communicating with the scanning device. Please ensure that the scanning device is connected properly and try again .

Solution

If you are using HP Director, check whether all icons are present. If only two icons are present in the HP Director screen, go to Only Two Icons Appear in HP Director Following Installation in Windows XP (c00018090) (in English).

If all icons are in present in HP Director, follow these steps:

Click Start , select Settings , and then click Control Panel .
Double-click System . The System Properties dialog box displays.
Click the Hardware tab.
Figure 1: System Properties dialog box
Click Device Manager . The Device Manager dialog box displays.
Click the plus sign (+ ) next to Universal Serial Bus Controllers .
Click the USB Composite Device entry, and then click Remove .
Disconnect the USB cable from the All-in-One, wait for few seconds, and then reconnect the cable. The New Hardware found dialog box displays.
Click Next through all of the screens that display while the Wizard installs the USB composite device, and then click Finish .

If the issue persists, use a different USB cable to connect the HP All-in-One to the computer.

Cause

This issue has several causes:

Communication issues between the All-in-One and the USB controller.
An incomplete software installation
Using a USB cable longer than three meters (9.8 feet) in length, or using a defective USB cable.