Scanner Issues in Yosemite

[dather]

I had to upgrade to Yosemite in order to install Adobe CC 2014. After I upgraded from Snow Leopard I can no longer use my nice and expensive Microtek 6800 scanner. Microtek is not supporting the Yosemite upgrade, which I thought was needless anyway, but the problem is System Preference will recognize my Brother All In One Scanner but not my Microtek which I really need. Cannot really afford to replace that scanner right now and I think it is ridiculous that I should have to pay $89.99 for a program like VueScan just to use my scanner that Apple basically "took away" from me. Anyone out there have a better fix? Thank you.

 

[McBie]

Apple did not decide to " take away " your scanner.
It is up to the vendor of that scanner to provide a driver to support Yosemite .... or not.
But I do understand what you mean.
My suggestion is to get in touch with the vendor of your scanner and ask for their plans and timelines to support that device in Yosemite.
I did a bit of googling and it seems there is support for Yosemite for that scanner.

Cheers ... McBie

 

[chscag]

Apple didn't take anything away from you. If anyone here is at fault it's Microtek who decided they're not going to support Yosemite. I wonder if they're supporting Windows 8.1 and the upcoming Windows 10? Answer: Probably.

Any upgrade of an operating system is going to cause havoc with some hardware and software. You made a big leap from Snow Leopard to Yosemite and should have expected some glitches. And I don't know where you're getting the price for VueScan from but the standard version is only $29.95 and the Pro version is $79.95. ($10 discount on their site.)

VueScan purchase link

 

[dather]

Thanks guys, I only meant they "literally" took away the ability to use my scanner. And yes, I contacted Microtek and they have NO plans to support my scanner in Yosemite. They just want you to buy a new one but I won't buy a Microtek just because of this issue. They are not the best at supporting their drivers. I had a heck of a time getting support for Snow Leopard. McBie, I have been googling and trying everything on God's green earth to get that scanner working and with no luck.
Yes, chscag, I made a huge leap from Snow Leopard to Yosemite but it was mostly because I knew that scanner issue was going to happen. I have been running Mavericks on my MacBook pros but was reluctant to upgrade my graphics computer - 24" iMac because I need that scanner. Thanks for the correct pricing on the VueScan, I'm sure the standard version won't work for me because I need control over gamma and descreening in my scanning program.

 

[McBie]

I understand that missing the scanner functionality can cause you grief.
Is it an option to go back to Snow Leopard on that machine and continue using the scanner ?
Other option , like you said , is a new scanner or the software VueScan.

Cheers ... McBie

 

[dather]

No, not an option to go back to Snow Leopard. It won't run Adobe CC 2014. That's why I "had" to upgrade. Had clients sending files in CC that I couldn't open. I do have a MacBook Pro with Snow Leopard on it that I am trying to make work right now. It will recognize the scanner but when I try to use ScanWizard it keeps crashing, so I will continue to "try". Thank you for your comments!

 

[chscag]

I can understand his anguish. The VueScan software is not exactly inexpensive and a large company like Microtech is thumbing their nose at Mac users. I know it's not easy for hardware manufacturers to keep up with the latest version of Windows and now Mac OS X but you would think they'd make a good effort. After all it's their sales that keep them in business.

 

[ferdia]

I bought VueScan years ago and it was well worth the investment. Have been able to use my scanners through numerous upgrades.

 

[dather]

"Her" anguish, lol. Thanks chscag, I completely agree with your statement about Microtec!

 

[chscag]

My apology for the "gender swap"! Always good to hear from the ladies in our forums.

 

[dather]

Thank you all for your input, but I'm not giving up yet! I was told by Microtec that I wouldn't be able to use that scanner in anything but Standard Mode in Snow Leopard and I never gave up and finally found a work-around to get it to work in Advanced Mode. I am going to hound them until they are sick of me whether it does any good or not. I will find a way to get it working, and my last resort will be purchasing Vue Scan as I did download the demo and it worked fine. I run a freelance design business and I don't think my clients would be very happy with the scans off my Brother MFC! I will share if I figure anything else but in the meantime, thank you all for your time!

 

[johnodd4]

????? If you have a good all in one and not a piece of junk one why not just upgrade to a epson all in one you can control everything from there scanners just fine.

And if you think your scanner company is bad for not supporting your device your in for a shock when brother decides to stop making ink for the all in one you already own and they don't tell there customers there doing it why do you think you get brother printers at goodwill and value village for because brother stopped production of the ink carts i had a brother and never again do i want one it was sad my brother i bought brand new from staples all in one fully loaded out the door and what happened 1 week later we are no longer making carts for your new printer ha ha !!!

 

[chscag]

John:

The info about Brother printers is not true. You can buy Brother toner cartridges and ink cartridges from about a dozen resellers on the net. I don't like Brother printers because they're more difficult to setup for wireless but there's plenty of ink and toner supplies for them available.

 

[dather]

Haha, I actually did have that happen to me with the Brother Printer Ink. A couple weeks ago I went to Best Buy to get printer cartridges and was told they no longer carried them but I could buy them online at bestbuy.com. Well, that was half a truth, you can buy generic replacements for them. So I did, actually at a fraction of the cost, $28 got you 2Cyan, 2Magenta,2Yellow and 4Black. I've never been one to use generic ink but they work good. This is another reason I am reluctant to buy a new scanner. What is the best brand to buy that keeps up to date with Apple's yearly system change?

 

[chscag]

I've been buying generic ink and toner cartridges for years from on line resellers. The only generic ink cartridges I've had a problem with are the ones for my Epson. The Epson gets real finicky about generic cartridges and complains when I use them. But if finally says (on the display panel) "Use it anyway?" I just press OK and then everything works. The toner cartridges for my HP Laser Jet cost $53.00 each from Staples for the genuine HP brand. I buy them on line for $18.00 each (batch of 3) and the toner lasts just as long as the HP one.

What is the best brand to buy that keeps up to date with Apple's yearly system change?

Usually Epson, Canon, and HP seem to keep up fairly well.

 

[dather]

Not to get off the scanner compatibility issue but in your expert opinion what is the best brand of scanner to purchase that keeps up with Apple's constant OS changes? (And no, I haven't given up yet, haha).
dj

 

[chscag]

I'm not up to date on Scanners since I no longer use one as often as I did before. If I really need something scanned quick, I use our business account at Staples and have them do it.

But I did find a review of all the latest Scanners that you can look over. You'll have to click on them to get an idea of how well or if they work with Macs. And of course you'll want to know if they'll work with Yosemite.

2015 Scanner Review

 

[harryb2448]

Charlie I buse the generic cartridges with my EpsonTX550W, which has worked a treat from Snow Leopard and on and upwards. There is secret. Run Clean Nozzles four or five times and it will start to flow!

 

[chscag]

Thanks Harry. The problem with the generic cartridges is that they don't contain the "chip" that tells the Epson "brain" that this is a genuine cartridge. The printer LCD screen will complain about the cartridge and refuse to load it. I generally have to do a one or two recycle of the printer before the LCD screen finally asks if I want to use it anyway. It's just a manufacturer's ploy to get you to buy their expensive cartridges. HP is even worse about that with their color printers. LaserJets no problem though.

 

[harryb2448]

Indeed. The Clean print Nozzles always works and get that message too, cheeky devils. No wonder they practicularly give the printer away!