|
|
Review of the HP ScanJet
3300C USB Color Scanner
(3300C, 3300Cse, 3300Cxi)
Last updated: 3/16/00
 A
customer brought me her computer to fix a problem with a game and this scanner
to install. The game was a difficult problem; installing the scanner
was a breeze. Furthermore, I was impressed with the quality and
performance of this $130 scanner.
INCLUDED. The 3300C comes packed in sturdy
retail box which includes:
- A two-sided poster with Setup and Configuration instructions
on one side and Scanning instructions on the other. There was no
hardcopy user manual.
- Four-foot USB cable.
- Power adapter.
- CD with drivers, software, and documentation.
INSTALLATION. Before buying
this scanner, you should determine if your computer/operating system has/supports
a USB (Universal
Serial Bus) interface. Look at the back of your computer to
see if it has USB jacks. They are usually two, small, rectangular jacks,
one above the other, labeled with a symbol that looks like this:  . Or,
check your computer manual or motherboard manual to see if your computer
has them. If your computer has a Baby AT motherboard, it may have a
USB capability but no interface going to the outside of the computer. If
so, you will need to purchase a USB cable and bracket assembly which
is compatible with the USB header connector on your motherboard. Installation
of the assembly is fairly simple on most computers.
Your Operating system has to have a USB driver
to operate this scanner. If you are using Windows 95 it has to be OEM
Windows 95 OSR2 with the USB supplement (OSR2.1 or OSR2.5) (more info is
available in Microsoft's
Knowledge Base article Q192193). You can download the USB supplement
from FAQ
section of the usbworkshop web site. Windows 98 and
98 Second Edition support USB. If your computer does not have
USB, USB expansion boards with drivers are widely available.
If you have a Super7 motherboard with the
Via MVP3 chipset, scoot over to VIA's
Web site and download and install the VIA USB Filter Driver.
Next, USB has to be enabled in your computer's
CMOS Setup and the Windows USB driver has to installed . You can check
to see if the driver is installed by looking in the Device Manager (Start>Settings>Control
Panel>System>Device Manager). If you find it there and it is
OK (select it with your mouse and click Properties) you will know it is enabled
in the CMOS Setup. if the driver is not installed, enable USB in the
CMOS Setup. windows should then detect the USB interface and install
the drivers.
Now for the easy part... Unbox the scanner,
boot you computer to Windows, and put the HP CD in your computer CD-ROM drive. A
menu will pop-up. Choose "Step 1" and follow the instructions--a
no-brainer. After the drivers and PrecisionScan Lite are installed
the setup will reboot you computer. Turn off the computer when Windows
shuts-down and the computer starts the reboot (before Windows starts again). Unlock
the shipping lever at the left rear of the scanner, plug-in the power adapter
and cord, plug-in the USB cable, and turn on your computer (there is no power
switch or power LED on the scanner). Windows will detect the
scanner, install the drivers automatically, and bring up the menu again to
complete the other steps in the installation. Your CD-ROM may not come-up-to-speed
fast enough to display the menu. If that happens, just click Retry
when prompted to insert the HP CD. It was that easy with the computer
I installed the scanner on. I did not install the Adobe Type Manager
because of problems
experienced with it when installing a ScanJet 4100C some time
ago. Also, I do not particularly like the Type Manager (because
of other problems with it many years ago before Microsoft included all kinds
of fonts with Windows) or see any real benefit in installing it.
Next - Operation >
|
|
