EPSON Perfection 4490 - Ireflective media scans, film doesn't

You need to install the correct drivers that can be found here: http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/supDetail.jsp?oid=58611&infoType=Downloads

Open Epson Scan and select Professional mode. Turn off the Auto Thumbnail option. Leave the target size As Original and then do a preview. Once the preveiw is complete in the preview windows draw a marquee around the area you want to scan and select scan.

did you properly close the scanner lid? these type of errors do usually occur when you unproperly close the lid wherein light passes inside causing it to reflect on the document that you are trying to scan

try to uninstall and reinstall your printer software

http://www.howtomendit.com/answers.php?id=64090

Go here: C:\Document
s and Settings\[username]\Application Data\EPSON\ESCNDV\ES0058

and delete any image files in that folder. The last folder might have a different number depending on your scanner. It should start working again.

If you can't see that folder - click on My Computer - in the menu click on Tools and select 'Folder options..." Click on tab 'View' and select 'Show hidden files and folders'

You should now be able to see 'Application Data' in Docs and Settings...

you need to clean of reflection glasses of lens so if you are handy on it then take off fron scanning glass and take out glasses and clean the out with clean cloths.
and put them back.
note: if you are not aware of it please do not mess up with them because it will be more annoying.

good luck
please rate all answers.

Close Epson Scan, unplug the TPU, plug it in, turn off the scanner, turn it on, reopen Epson Scan.

Make sure the lid is plugged in. There is a cord on the back of the lid that plugs into the back of the scanner body.

Please do the following to scan slides or negatives in manual mode of the Epson TWAIN:
For scanning transparencies in HOME mode - for EPSON SCAN models, not Epson Twain/Manual mode models.
1) In the program you are working from, begin the scanning process. If working in FULL AUTO MODE as the scan begins click PAUSE or CANCEL, then change "Full Auto Mode" to "Home Mode".
2) You will now see all Epson Scan settings displayed. If the scanner has not previewed automatically, click the large preview button to get a visual of what is on the scanner.
3) Ensure the settings on the Epson Scan are correct for what you wish to scan. For example, the DOCUMENT TYPE for transparencies must be either "Color negative film", "B&W Negative Film" or "Positive film"*.
* FILM here indicates that the item being scanned is transparent to light; this setting is also used for slide scanning. Positive indicates that the image is in true colors (ie the grass is green and sky is blue), whereas negative indicates reversed colors, as produced in some photo finishing processes.)
If the DOCUMENT SOURCE is set for a flatbed related option, ie PHOTO, the scanner is looking for reflective items and will not activate the backlight in the transparency unit. If the DOCUMENT TYPES for "FILM" are greyed out or cannot be selected, close the Epson Scan, reseat the power/communication cable connecting the base of the scanner to the transparency unit, then reopen Epson Scan and try again.
NOTE for PROFESSIONAL MODE users: DOCUMENT TYPE should read TRANSPARENCY for film scans.
4) Ensure the other scanner settings are correct for the type of scan you are doing. For example:
IMAGE TYPE should be color photo for all positive or negative color transparencies, or BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO for monochrome transparencies.
DESTINATION is unimportant, however you should select a RESOLUTION appropriate to what you plan to do with the scans. (There are no hard and fast rules for DPI. As a general guideline, if you are saving scans at original size, a resolution ranging from 400-600 DPI should capture enough information to faithfully record the image. If the slide or negative will be enlarged, you will need to increase this DPI accordingly. We have no means to calculate what your exact needs will be in this situation; you will need to experiment and view the output to gauge the appropriate input DPI from the scanner.)
PREVIEW. If your scanner is doing a THUMBNAIL PREVIEW, the slides will automatically preview and appear in boxes on the left side. Here, you can select or deselect the slides you wish to scan.
If you recieve a message that the scanner could not find the film, or you see in the preview that part of the scan is cut off, click the down arrow next to the large PREVIEW button and click NORMAL, then PREVIEW again. In NORMAL PREVIEW mode, the scanner will capture all information on the flatbed; you will then have to manually marquee or crop the slides you wish to scan. Use the left mouse button (click, hold, drag) to lasso one slide inside a box made of dotted lines, then click scan. Only the selected area will scan. Repeat this process for as many slides or filmstrips are on the bed.
5) Click CLOSE once scanning is complete. The images will now transfer to the application in use.

I have the same problem with my 4990. This began when I moved to a new computer running Vista. I've updated all drivers to the latest version including Epson Scan for Vista but the only thing the 4990 "sees" is reflective documents. Negatives are not recognized at all. I know this is probably a different problem from what you are having but the effect is the same.