Nikon scan was unsable to find any active device

This tip WORKED... I'd sent my 8000 in once, for the "unable to read film holder" error message. Shortly after the repair warranty expired, the problem returned. I got off lucky with the first repair, since I worked at a Nikon dealer, but; still the cost for me was close to four hundred bucks, not including shipping.

So, with some trepidation I decided to give Brian's tip a try. It helped, that I was no longer with the camera shop and didn't have the bonus of an employee discount.

Once you get the cover off, take a minute or two; and watch how the scanner works and what Brian suggests makes a lot of sense plus it gives a clearer understanding to what goes on under the hood of a film scanner.

What I did was. Ordered form Micro Tools; Asahiklin cleaner (AK225) to remove old lubricant from runners, Super Lube synthetic grease, and lint free applicators; with postage may run forty bucks.

Followed Brian's directions and before putting back the scanner's cover I wanted to make sure everything worked. At first I only cleaned the left rail, most obvious and easiest one to get to, plus that where it sounded like the clunking/drag was coming from.
Initially, there was a slight clunk/drag, but NOT as severe as before. Went back and repeated the process with the right running rail; and lo -n- behold the difference WAS amazing, especially with the smoothness in way the film transport mechanism travelled.

The clunk was gone and the error message was gone.

But, I was still getting jagged scans on the edge of the image. No where as severe, as before. Still, something wrong was happening. Thought, I was screwed and it looked like I was going to have to send the unit in after all; then I decided to try something else.

I switched from Nikon scan to a Silverfast AI demo I had. Mainly out of frustration and one last ditch effort, not to send the unit in. The switch worked. Plus, if you watch the the way the scanner actually works, when using the 3rd party software; the process of running the scan seems/sounds smoother.

Sadly, I am unable to afford the Silverfast software. So I tried the Vue Scan software. So far so good.

In closing; Brian's tip worked wonders in the physical/hardware end of things.

But, a second consideration may lie in the need/use of alternative scanner software. In fact you might want to consider this option FIRST, before one disassembles their scanner. Also, consider this; Nikon no longer supports their own scanner software. This tip WORKED... I'd sent my 8000 in once, for the "unable to read film holder" error message. Shortly after the repair warranty expired, the problem returned. I got off lucky with the first repair, since I worked at a Nikon dealer, but; still the cost for me was close to four hundred bucks, not including shipping. So, with some trepidation I decided to give Brian's tip a try. It helped, that I was no longer with the camera shop and didn't have the bonus of an employee discount. Once you get the cover off, take a minute or two; and watch how the scanner works and what Brian suggests makes a lot of sense plus it gives a clearer understanding to what goes on under the hood of a film scanner. What I did was. Ordered form Micro Tools; Asahiklin cleaner (AK225) to remove old lubricant from runners, Super Lube synthetic grease, and lint free applicators; with postage may run forty bucks. Followed Brian's directions and before putting back the scanner's cover I wanted to make sure everything worked. At first I only cleaned the left rail, most obvious and easiest one to get to, plus that where it sounded like the clunking/drag was coming from. Initially, there was a slight clunk/drag, but NOT as severe as before. Went back and repeated the process with the right running rail; and lo -n- behold the difference WAS amazing, especially with the smoothness in way the film transport mechanism travelled. The clunk was gone and the error message was gone. But, I was still getting jagged scans on the edge of the image. No where as severe, as before. Still, something wrong was happening. Thought, I was screwed and it looked like I was going to have to send the unit in after all; then I decided to try something else. I switched from Nikon scan to a Silverfast AI demo I had. Mainly out of frustration and one last ditch effort, not to send the unit in. The switch worked. Plus, if you watch the the way the scanner actually works, when using the 3rd party software; the process of running the scan seems/sounds smoother. Sadly, I am unable to afford the Silverfast software. So I tried the Vue Scan software. So far so good. In closing; Brian's tip worked wonders in the physical/hardware end of things. But, a second consideration may lie in the need/use of alternative scanner software. In fact you might want to consider this option FIRST, before one disassembles their scanner. Also, consider this; Nikon no longer supports their own scanner software.