Member Avatar for cguan_77

Hey guys,

Any ideas how to share a scanner on network just like sharing a printer? I'm using XP. Any suggestions is greatly appreciated. Thanks..

cguan_77

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Short answer: XP does not offer a one-click "share a scanner like a printer" the way Printers and Faxes does. The scanner APIs in XP (TWAIN/WIA) are local driver interfaces, so making a USB scanner available across the network requires either a network-capable device, a small "scan-server" on a host PC, or third-party server software that exposes TWAIN/WIA over the LAN. (learn.microsoft.com)

Practical approaches (pick one that matches your hardware and security needs):

  • Use a network-ready MFP or scanner and enable "scan to network folder/FTP/email" on the device; point it at a writable share on a file server or NAS and supply credentials. This is the cleanest option when the device supports it. (support.brother.com)
  • Run a dedicated host PC attached to the USB scanner and either 1) install scanner-server software that makes the scanner available to other PCs, or 2) let others remote-control the host (RDP/VNC) to run the vendor scanning app. (The remote-control trick is often the simplest when drivers are not available on client machines.)
  • Install drivers on every client and use the scanner locally from each machine (simple but repetitive).

If you go the host-PC route, checklist and quick fixes:

  • Confirm the scanner works locally and the WIA service is running: open services.msc, find "Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)", set Startup type to Automatic and Start it, or run net start stisvc. (learn.microsoft.com)
  • Add a Windows Firewall exception for the scanner app or the server software (XP SP2 introduced the built-in firewall you may need to configure).
  • Share a folder with proper NTFS/share permissions (disable Simple File Sharing if you need per-user credentials), keep the host awake during scans, and avoid USB hubs if you see reliability problems. (learn.microsoft.com)

Security note: Windows XP is out of support and risky to expose on a network. If the scanner or NAS requires SMBv1, avoid enabling SMBv1 on modern systems because of serious security risks; prefer firmware updates or alternate methods instead. If XP must host the scanner, isolate it on a VLAN or limit access to trusted machines and replace it as soon as practical. (learn.microsoft.com)

If you need step-by-step help for one specific model or a short checklist for a host PC, include the scanner make/model and whether it has Ethernet/WiFi and that can be added to the thread.

Recommended Answers

All 6 Replies

Member Avatar for jbennet

Comntrol panel -> Scanners and Cameras

I thinjk you can just right click and do share?

Member Avatar for cguan_77

hi jbennet,

That's a good idea....but system must have a service pack 2 installed in order to configure the firewall to set for sharing scanner.. Thanks.. This thread is consider solve.. Two Thumbs Up for Jbennet...

Member Avatar for jbennet

You dont have service pack 2?

You can get it for free if your windows copy is legal. If you cant download it (if you are on dialup) they can send you a cd for a small fee

Member Avatar for mbstrater

Comntrol panel -> Scanners and Cameras

I thinjk you can just right click and do share?

Right click when and where?

Member Avatar for eeepcer

Capturix ScanShare may help you to convert your ordinary scanner into a network scanner. And it is completely compatible with XP & Vista.

Free to download:

Member Avatar for roystonlodge

Sorry for posting to such an old thread, but I was researching this same problem recently and came across a few different solutions to the problem.

1) If you don't mind paying for software:
- RemoteScan http://www.remote-scan.com/
- Capturix ScanShare http://www.capturix.com/default.asp?product=css

2) If you don't like paying for software, and especially if you have some programming skillz:
- Open Source Network TWAIN engine: http://sourceforge.net/projects/nttwain/
- SourceForge search results for "TWAIN network Windows"

3) What I ended up doing. At my office we were just forced to take new computers with Vista. The IT department wouldn't connect our office scanner to Vista because they said it was incompatible. So, I brought in an old laptop I no longer use and connected the scanner (as well as a colour printer). Because the IT's permissions policies do not allow me to install software on the Vista machine, any client software has to be a "portable" EXE to function. I got around this whole problem by putting a VNC server on my personal laptop and a small VNC client on the Vista machine, and setting it up so the client connects directly to the scanner software when logging in, without getting access to the rest of the laptop. Works just fine, and there's an added benefit in that anybody else in the office can also connect to the scanner through their internet browser because the VNC server has a mini HTTP server built-in. You could do the same thing with the Remote Desktop server built-in to Windows.

commented: This post solved the same issue for me. I wanted a FREE solution to share a scanner across a network and the VNC Server solution was painless. Thanks. +0
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