HP Scanjet G4050

I have found that HP scanner software is particularly fussy. When you log in the software tries to find a scanner immediately. If it doesn't find one on the USB chain, it complains. I dismiss I then the complaint. When I want to use the scanner, sometimes I have no trouble starting up the software and getting it to recognize the scanner. Other times I have to turn on the scanner first, then open the software... other times I have to unplug the scanner from the USB chain, and plug it back in. I have found no way to bypass the initial handshake when I log in, nor the magic bullet that would just allow the scanner to operate without all the bells and whistle button software that is part of the scanner package... But it all works in the end. If Leopard broke it I'm positive that HP or Apple will fix it. I was looking at your scnner in the store, and would consider buying it. The price is right, but my 4570c is doing just fine.

I ran into problems with the HP Scanjet G4050 as well. Here's a summary:
• Default upgrade to Leopard over a working Tiger install, with the G4050 working normally.
• G4050 worked, but exhibited odd problems after waking from Mac sleep. It was as if the scanner hardware had gone to sleep and then the HP software lost it. If you're at this stage, here's a workaround that worked for me every time:
1. Switch off G4050 with power button on the left rear.
2. Switch G4050 back on.
3. Put Mac to sleep, then wake again.

If this works, or if you don't need to fix anything, stop. Don't do anything until you read my whole post.

Too bad I didn't leave it there and wait for an HP upgrade of the software. Keep reading.

After troubleshooting for a while, I used the HP uninstaller utility to remove the scanner software. Then I tried to reinstall from the install disc. The installer seemed to work, but the scanner software was not installed, or parts of it weren't installed. Then the G4050 didn't work at all. I couldn't find any way to hand install from my cloned Tiger install.

Then I found this file with a Google search. This URL will download the pdf from HP:
http://h41140.www4.hp.com/macconnect/pdf/Mac_OS_launchspecial.pdf

The document says that no drivers need to be installed in Leopard for the G4050. Leopard includes the driver. It recommends an upgrade install and notes that an Archive and Install or Erase and Install will prevent the scanner from working in Leopard. Wish I'd read this yesterday.

Here's the most relevant paragraph:
"Products using device drivers with VISE
Installer v2.x will currently not run on Mac
OS X Leopard. This includes HP Scanjets
and HP Photosmart digital cameras.
In addition to the full HP driver set built
into Leopard, HP plans to release software
updates in 30 to 60 days."

Bottom line: do an upgrade install and leave the scanner alone at that point. If you've already done an Archive and Install, or uninstalled the HP Scanjet software, you're hosed until HP gets the new software out.

Meantime, I'm using the scanner plugged into a G4 PowerBook with Tiger.

I got bit by this too. The scanner was working fine after installing Leopard, except for its propensity to mis-scan slides no matter how I fine-tuned the selection rectangle.

But then today it decided to complain about a missing file or a corrupted disk. Futile reinstalls and disk checks and repair permissions eventually brought me here, only to find out I'm not alone. I now have a dead G4050.

This is the first and last HP scanner I buy. The software that drives the scanner if very poor and it looks like HP's plans are not to release new drivers until months after the OS ships.

I yearn for the good ol' days when operating systems maintained backwards compatibility.

I've posted on this issue in the Macintouch reader reports at some length. Here's a summary:

The most important problem with the G4050 and Leopard was not the driver, it was the install software by Vice. On 11/26/07, HP released new software for this and other scanners. It uses the Apple Installer, and has an upgraded version of HP Scan Pro. I've installed using this version on both a Leopard and a Tiger Mac. Both work.

Drivers are also not a problem, according to HP. Leopard includes the driver for the G4050 (and, presumably many other scanners), and new versions of the driver will be supplied direct to Apple to be included in OS updates.

I've still experienced a problem with the HP Scanjet Scanner preference pane similar or identical to the one I reported above. On waking from sleep, the software acts as if I'd pressed the pdf button on the scanner, but Scan Pro says it can't find the scanner. Clicking Options in the preference pane and unchecking Respond to Button Presses works around this problem.

Following up on this issue with the HP Scanjet software.

The new installer did solve the problem with installs, but that's not the end of problems in Leopard.

I'm still, repeatably, having the problem that a phantom button click from the scanner occurs on any wake from sleep if the scanner buttons are enabled in the HP Scanjet Scanner preference pane. Disabling the buttons works around this problem.

A worse problem is that the scanner sometimes seems to "disappear." Opening HP Scan Pro.app produces a warning box that the scanner was not found. I've also seen Console logs showing that HP Scanjet Manager (hard drive > Library > Application Support > Hewlett-Packard > HP Scanjet Scanner) has crashed.

Just wanted to add a bit to this discussion, in case it helps anyone else.

After comparing the installation on a PowerBook G4 with 10.4.11, which is much less problematic, I found permissions differences on this file:
HP Scanjet Manager (hard drive > Library > Application Support > Hewlett-Packard > HP Scanjet Scanner)

I had to use Terminal to change the permissions (the Get Info box didn't work, and in fact seems to force a Finder relaunch) so that myharddrivename (me) had Read & Write permissions. That seems to have helped the issue of my G5 sleeping in response to Energy Saver settings.

In looking just now, I see that the permissions have changed again on that file. So I wonder if there's an issue with permissions and the HP Scanjet Manager.

BTW, after running the Leopard 10.5.2 update, Repair Permissions fixed dozens of permissions related to HP software. I take this as a hopeful sign.

Sadly, my hopes were dashed.
I spent a couple of hours systematically testing the situation, and can state:
• The scanner hardware causes three symptoms: computer returns to sleep after waking, scanner sends phantom button press on waking, scan software sometimes cannot find scanner on waking.
• If the scanner USB cord is plugged into a normal-speed USB bus (you can see this in System Profiler > USB) the symptoms disappear, but the scanner takes 2-3 times as long to preview or scan. So it's the interaction between the scanner hardware and the High-Speed USB bus that causes the problems.
• Logging into a new Test User account did not change the symptoms. So it's not a permissions issue.
• If the scanner is powered down or its USB cord is unplugged, no symptoms appear. So it's not the software itself.
• I think there's a timing issue here as the scanner is sometimes not recognized on wake from sleep, but if you just power down the scanner and power it back up, or restart HP Scan Pro app, it is recognized.

The most convenient workaround we figured out is to have the buttons enabled and just keep the scanner powered down (with its built-in power switch) except when in use.