Make it work with Vista
I solved the problem of getting the HP ScanJet 3300-series scanners working on Win 7 beta, so it should also work on Vista. Because of the obsolescence of this software & hardware, I will not support the following. You’re on your own.
First of all, Windows XP and later have a service called Windows Image Acquisition (WIA). Because this scanner was developed before XP, it has no WIA support — and in fact, the HP PrecisionScan LT software that is provided with the unit conflicts with WIA. So, the procedure to install it is as follows:
1. If plugged in, unplug the USB cable at the back of the scanner. Uninstall any software you may have tried to get it to work. Start System Restore (Control Panel | System "System Protection" — requires Administrator privileges) and Create (bottom button in the dialog) a custom restore point named "Installed HP PrecisionScan LT," so you can easily undo any aftereffects of the following, if necessary.
a. If the scanner is present in Computer | Properties | Device Manager’s "Imaging Devices", right-click and delete it. You may need Administrator privileges to do this — see Windows’ Help.
b. You may have to edit the Windows Registry to delete the scanner manually from the HKLM | SYSTEM | Current Control Set | Enum | USB key, but this is highly technical and takes advanced privileges and techniques beyond most users. The 3330c’s usual key name here is VID_03F0&PID_0205.
2. Install PrecisionScan LT. This is usually accessed from the folder SJ650 created by executing the downloaded file SJ650.exe, and running its program Setup.exe — or the one off the HP scanner-setup CD for Win2K.
a. BUT YOU MUST RUN IT IN WINDOWS 2000 COMPATIBILITY MODE. To do this, right-click Setup.exe and pull up its Properties dialog, and click the Compatibility tab. In the Compatibility Mode group box, click "Run this program in compatibility mode for:" box to check it: The selection drop-down field will become enabled. Click the down-arrow icon at the end of the field and select Windows 2000. Then click the OK button. Windows will add PrecisionScan LT’s Setup.exe to Windows’ compatibility database to be run in a synthetic Win2K environment.
b. Now, just to be sure, when you run Setup.exe, also right click it and select "Run as Administrator." This is to ensure that it and all processes it spawns will have rights to do the system stuff they will do. Make sure that no non-essential programs are running. In fact, temporarily disable your network connection, and then temporarily kill your antivirus/antispam and firewall, to preclude their blocking your installation — although running as Administrator will minimize this problem.
3. After the process completes, Setup will spawn a dialog that tells you to OK any messages you may get about the driver being non-certified, etc. Accept it. DO NOT plug the USB cable into the scanner yet. Reboot your machine and OS first.
4. When you’ve rebooted and all the dust has settled, you have to disable Windows’ native WIA service, or PrecisionScan LT will hang. This procedure will recquire Administrator privileges.
** NB: This has the side effect that standard Acquire operations from some programs won’t work (because they rely on the WIA service you disable here). You have to explicitly scan from PrecisionScan LT, and send the scan to the destination from its Send menu. Afterward, test your programs to see whether Acquire works or not. It does in Corel WP Office X4, for me.
a. Right-click Computer, and select Manage. The Computer Management tool will pop up after a few seconds. Select its Services and Applications snap-in at the bottom of the left pane, and then click the Services item in the right pane. A screen showing the services running on your machine will appear.
b. Click in this pane to give it focus, and then hit W to index to that region of the list. You will see Windows Image Acquisition a ways down. Right-click it and select Properties. First hit the Stop button to kill the service; then, in the "Startup type" drop-down box, select "Disabled," and click the Apply button.
c. Exit Computer Management by hitting dialogs’ top-right-corner X boxes until you’re out.
5. Now, reboot again. When OS-start dust has settled, clear any dialogs that may pop up, and plug in the USB cable to the scanner. You should now be able to run PrecisionScan LT to scan, and send output to destinations available on its drop-down.
6. There is yet another update from HP, SJ700, that might be necessary to enable destinations such as Word and MS Office, and you might have to run that as Administrator, too.
7. If the preceding doesn’t work for you, you’re on your own. This hardware and software is obsolete and no longer supported by HP or MS. To undo what you did above, run All Programs | HP PrecisionScan LT Software | HP ScanJet Uninstall (this pre-XP HP install does NOT create an uninstall entry in Programs and Features), then run System Restore and select the point you created in step 1. You may have to manually re-enable the WIA service, but shouldn't have to.
8. If you HAVE to have WIA for something on a one-time basis, just re-enable it, reboot, do what you have to do with it, and disable it & reboot again to use PrecisionScan LT.
9. On some systems PrecisionScan LT will randomly go incommunicado & have to be uninstalled & reinstalled. Sorry. Try creating a restore point when it IS working, and then revert to that to see if you can avoid having to go through the whole rigmarole.
