Issue
In Windows XP, an error message displays on the computer: 'An error occurred while communicating with scanning device'
. The error displays when you use the HP scanning software (HP Solution Center, HP Director, or the scan button on the product) with a network-connected
All-in-One.
If you have Windows Vista, or Windows7, or if your products connects directly to the computer with a USB cable, use the following links:
Before you begin troubleshooting
Make a copy:
To make sure that the product hardware is functioning correctly, use the product to make a photocopy. If you cannot make a copy, this document will not help resolve the issue. Search the HP Web site for a document covering the error message that appears on the computer while copying.
Bookmark this page:
Some of the following solutions require that the computer be restarted. Consider bookmarking this page in your Web browser, so that you can return to it after restarting the computer.
Read how to use these solutions:
Try each of the following solutions in the order presented. After completing the steps for each solution, test the product. If the issue is resolved, you do not need to continue troubleshooting. If the product still does not work, go to the next solution.
Solution one: Select the correct All-in-One in HP Solution Center or HP Director
Follow these steps to make sure that the correct product is selected in the HP software that is installed on the computer (either HP Solution Center or HP Director).
| NOTE: | HP Solution Center and HP Director provide access to all the scan functions of your product, including setting up the scan button on the product.
|
Click Start
, click All Programs
, and then click the HP
folder.
Depending on the software you have, click to open either HP Solution Center
, or HP Director
.
Make sure that the correct product is selected. (You might have more than one HP product or duplicate instances of the product.)
HP Solution Center
: Look at the product tabs at the top of the screen, or the icons on the left side of the screen.
HP Director
: Click the Select Device
drop-down list at the top of the screen.
| NOTE: | If the product is installed both
with a USB cable and over a network, the software might report duplicate products. |
If there is a duplicate instance of the product (indicated by the word Copy
next to the product number), click the duplicate product with the highest
copy number.
Try scanning again.
Solution two: Turn off, and then turn on the product, the computer, and the router
Follow these steps to reset the devices.
Use the Power button (
) to turn the product off.
Shut the computer down, and then turn the router, switch, or access point off.
| NOTE: | Depending on whether you are using a wired or wireless network, you might be using different networking devices to connect your product to the network. |
Turn the devices on again in the following order:
Networking device (the router, switch, or access point)
HP All-in-One
Computer
Try scanning again.
Solution three: Check the network connection
Follow these steps to make sure your product is connecting to your existing network:
Print from a software program, such as Microsoft Word.
Try running the HP Network Diagnostic Utility
to check the status of your network connection. This utility gathers information that can help you diagnose network issues. Follow these steps to open a new window to download and run the Network Diagnostic utility:
Read the requirements and description of available features, click the Download only
button, and then click Save
to save the utility to your computer.
Browse to the location where you saved the utility, and then double-click the USERHPNDU_2017.exe
file to run it. If you get a firewall security alert, click Unblock, Accept, Continue, Yes, Allow, or Permit.
When the Welcome
page displays, click Run Network Printer Diagnostic
. The network diagnostic wizard runs and displays a list of HP network printers found your network.
If the printer displays
in the network printer list, click Check Connection
to check the network connection status. The utility also checks whether the software necessary to communicate with the printer over the network is installed on the computer. If the software is not installed, search for the network installation document for your product and operating system.
If the printer does not display
in the network printer list, click Not Listed
, and then use the information provided to connect the printer to the network. For a wireless connection, the network diagnostic might also help get wireless settings such as the network name (SSID) and security key (WEP/WPA).
Try scanning again.
Solution four: Check for critical updates, patches, firmware
If you did not install the HP Update program when you first installed the product, you might have missed notification of important updates to your software and firmware. Follow these steps to check your product page for updates that you can download.
Open a new window to browse to the Select Software and Drivers
page:
If prompted, type your product number. You might also need to click it in a list of similar products.
Click your operating system.
The Select Software and Drivers
page opens.
Look for "Critical
" items listed in the Firmware
, Patch
, and Update
sections of the page.
You can click an item to read more about it before downloading.
Click each "Critical"
item that pertains to a communication
issue, and then follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the item.
Try scanning again.
Solution five: Configure the firewall to allow a connection with the All-in-One
Certain firewall settings can allow you to print over a network, but not scan. In order for the product to work correctly, you must unblock all HP programs in your firewall software and allow them to access the Internet.
| NOTE: | To find out which firewall program you have, place the cursor over the icons in the notification area of your computer desktop. Figure 1: Notification area  |
Method one: Link to specific instructions to configure your firewall
Use this method if you see your firewall in the following table. If your firewall is not in the table, use "Method two: Unblock all HP programs and required Internet ports."
Right-click the link, and then click Open in New Window
. Follow the instructions to configure the firewall to allow a connection to the product. Then try scanning again.
Method two: Unblock all HP programs and required Internet ports
Use this method if your firewall is not in the preceding table.
Step one: Unblock all HP programs
Open the C:\program files\HP\digital imaging\bin
directory, and then locate the following files:
| hpoews01.exe |
| hpofxm08.exe |
| hposid01.exe |
| hpqkygrp.exe |
| hpqste08.exe |
| hpqtra08.exe |
| hposfx08.exe
|
hpiscnapp.exe (for HP software v10.0 or later) OR
hpqscnvw.exe (for HP software v9.0 or earlier) |
Open the C:\windows\system32
directory, and then locate the following files:
| hpzwiz01.exe
|
| hpznui01.exe |
Make a note of or copy the file path for each file listed. The file paths should resemble the example: C:\windows\system32\hpzipm12.exe
.
In the firewall software, make sure that each of these programs displays in the list of trusted or allowed programs. Add any missing programs to the list manually.
| NOTE: | The name of the list might vary, depending on the firewall program. |
Make sure you allow each of the HP programs to access the Internet freely. This is necessary if the firewall software has different trust levels or requires specific permission for a program to access the Internet.
Click OK
or Save
to save the changes to the trusted or allowed program list.
Step two: Unblock the Internet ports
This step describes how to unblock Internet ports by creating rules in the firewall software. Each rule opens one port.
The HP software uses the following ports. Each port name consists of a protocol (either UDP or TCP), a number, and a connection type (either inbound or outbound). Your computer's firewall uses each piece of this information in creating the rule to open the port.
| UDP 427 inbound | TCP 139 outbound |
| UDP 427 outbound | TCP 9220 outbound |
| UDP 161 outbound | TCP 9500 outbound |
| UDP 139 outbound | TCP 9290 outbound |
In the relevant network or rules section of the firewall software, create a new rule for each of these ports.
Make sure that each rule has a descriptive name. For example, unblock UDP 137 inbound
is a good name for the rule to unblock the UDP 137 inbound port.
If prompted to select the type of rule, select All IP Addresses
.
If prompted to select the type of IP address, select IPv4
and IPv6
.
When you have created each rule, click OK
or Save
to save these changes.
After the firewall configuration is complete, try scanning again.
If you have completed all the troubleshooting steps in this document, contact HP to troubleshoot the Windows registry and product hardware.
Workaround options
Two workaround options are available to you if you need to scan immediately:
| Option 1: Scan without HP Imaging software: |
| Option 2: Scan with the Embedded Web Server (EWS): |
Option 1: Scan without HP imaging software
Windows XP provides a basic set of scanning drivers, also referred to as Windows Image Aquisition (WIA) drivers, which you can use as an alternative to scan a document when you cannot scan using the HP drivers.
To scan a document using Paint
in Windows XP
, follow these steps:
| NOTE: | Before you begin, make sure that the product is connected to your computer. |
Click Start
, point to All Programs
, point to Accessories
, and then click Paint
.
Click File
, and then click From Scanner or Camera
.
Make any desired setting changes.
Click Scan
.
Option two: Scan with the Embedded Web Server (EWS)
The product includes an Embedded Web Server (EWS) that connects to the network. To use this option, your printer must be on the network, and you need to know your product IP address. Following are two ways you can find the IP address:
Print a Network Diagnostic Page. (See your product documentation for instructions to print the page.)
Run the HP Network Diagnostic Utility explained in Solution three. On the Welcome page of the utility, click Show Advanced Tools
.
Follow these steps to scan with the EWS:
On the computer, open your Web browser.
Type the product IP address into the address bar of the Web browser, and then press Enter
. The EWS opens.
On the Information
tab in the left navigation pane, select Webscan
. The Webscan
screen opens.
Click Preview
, click Scan
, and then follow the on-screen instructions to scan from the EWS.
| NOTE: | The name of the Scan
button might vary, depending on the version of the EWS that came with the product. |
Figure 2: EWS Webscan
1 - Preview button
2 - Scan button
| NOTE: | One or more of the links above will take you outside the Hewlett-Packard Web site. HP does not control and is not responsible for information outside of the HP Web site. |
