Struggling to get my Nikon Coolscan IV ED working

<p>I haven't used my Coolscan IV since moving to Windows 7 several years ago. Tried to use it with Silverfast on a windows 10 machine without success. I now have a Mac with OS X. After reading multiple threads here on photo.net I now know to try VueScan instead of SilverFast but I think my problem runs deeper than that. My computer does not recognize the scanner at all. It does not appear in the "printers/scanners" list. When turned on it runs it's normal POST test and the green light comes on steady like it always has. I have tried two different USB cables without success. Has anyone encountered this same problem? Any help would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>https://www.hamrick.com/vuescan/nikon_coolscan_iv_ed.html<br>

Silverfast 8 runs on windows 10 but earlier versions will not.<br>

I do not do mac. Read the info at the link above.</p>

Another vote for Vuescan. It can be a complex program to use but once you get the knack of it, it does a good job with

many different scanners. I use it on more than one Mac with a coolscan V and it works great. The scanner does not show

in printers and scanners because there aren't drivers installed. Vuescan doesn't need manufacturer provided drivers to

run the Nikon scanner so it should detect the scanner without problem. Just make sure to plug in and turn on the scanner

then launch Vuescan.

 

You can download a trial of Vuescan to make sure everything is working. If you're happy with the result, I believe you

would need to get the pro version, $80, to get the film scanning capabilities, but I may be mistaken. Anyway the pro

version is great because you get lifetime updates whereas the cheaper version doesn't.

<p>Dunno about Mac but Windows requires an updated driver. See http://axelriet.blogspot.nl/2009/10/nikon-ls-40-ls-50-ls-5000-scanners-on.html, maybe it helps. </p>

<p>Thank you guys. Will just install VueScan and give it a go. Phil, can you still use the Digital ROC and Digital ICE features when using Vuescan?</p>

<p>Vuescan isn't a driver as much as it is a separate program, like Silverfast, to run your scanner. Digital ICE and ROC aren't present in the same form, but Vuescan does offer infrared cleaning and color fading and restoration options. They aren't the same as NikonScan, but with Macs, the NikonScan software is very old PowerPC code and, while it can run under rosetta in Leopard and Snow Leopard, rosetta isn't available after Lion came out.<br>

Another option could be to run Windows in a virtual machine on your mac so you can run the Windows version of NikonScan and retain the Digital ICE and Digital ROC features. Honestly, I've never really used either of those features in NikonScan since my macs were intel based, and I already had a copy of Vuescan. <br>

The infrared cleaning, according to most people isn't as good as the ICE implementation in NikonScan, but it's definitely better than it used to be. With some faded prints I scanned with a flatbed, I was shocked how well the restore fading feature worked in the filters tab of Vuescan. Both those options may do well enough to suit you.<br>

With Silverfast, I wasn't very impressed with it's infrared cleaning artifacts. It did quite well detecting (once I had a properly working scanner - in another thread I noted my scanner wasn't picking up defects), but the artifacts it left were almost as ugly or worse than leaving the defects in place.</p>

<p>Running Windows XP in a virtual partition under Windows 7 has very limited access to physical I/O. USB might work (I use it with other devices in virtual XP), but not Firewire. I gave up trying to get my HP workstation to recognize the LS-8000, but it started right up for my Lenovo laptop. I use Silverfast directly under Win7 (64 bit). You might try installing Nikonscan. Even though it doesn't work completely, it may install some obscure drives that can be used by Silverfast or Vuescan. Don't buy either one until you know it works. Both have excellent trial versions.</p>

<p>My VM XP runs my Minolta Scan Elite software through USB through VMWare. I haven't tried NikonScan as Vuescan does what I need it to do (scan to raw, convert in ColorPerfect).</p>

<p>Steve --I have one as well - also not currently usable. My understanding is that I lack a Firewire card, which is apparently necessary. By no means knowledgeable in this area, so the thing has been sitting for a good while. I really don't want to buy another (old) computer with firewire as I don't have a place to put it, and am not certain at the end of the day it will be worth it. My results with a Canoscan 9000F have been reasonably good. I will be following your thread!</p>

<p>Thanks for the responses folks. Sandy, my Coolscan IV ED connects via USB cable but when/if I get it working I'll post the details.</p>

<p>Steve, so does mine, but if what I have been told is accurate the firewire card plugs into a tower setup (which I no longer have), and the usb plugs into that. <br>

Marc -- if you come up with a link...when I first got the machine I spent a good bit of time scouring the internet, and nada.</p>

<p>Marc, Many thanks -- link is still active, will dig in tomorrow. Sandy</p>

<p>Wow, very odd that connecting to a USB hub could RESOLVE issues as it usually creates issues but I'll try anything at this point. Thank you Marc, I'll try this when I get a chance and post the results.</p>

<p>In order to use FW for hardware in Windows 7, you need to use what is called a "legacy" driver. It's part of Windows, but not by default. Open the Device Manager aplet in the Control Panel, and "update" the driver. You will find a list of drivers under the "Browse my computer" heading.</p>

<p>I understand Microsoft intended for FW to be a communication tool between computers. The new Win7 drivers look for handshakes that never happen with hardware. Cool, eh?</p>

<p>Nikon scanners came with a primitive FW card which wasn't much useful for anything else. Even under XP, I had to shop around to find a compatible card (q.v., Texas Instruments 1394 OHCI Host Controller). Apple was devoted to Firewire, but later dropped it for USB and whatever their latest I/O is called.</p>

<p>Thank you Edward but I'm trying to connect to a Mac system.</p>

<p>I've downloaded VueScan and tried connecting with and without a USB hub with no success. Sandy, can you tell me in more detail about this firewire tower/card and why it would be needed if the scanner connects via USB? Thank you.</p>

<p>Are you looking in scanners on the mac for it to be available? Plug in and turn on the scanner. After the scanner completes it's POST, launch Vuescan. If the scanner is working properly, it should then show the scanner in the source combo box. If it says something about scan from file, try clicking the option to see if the scanner appears as another option. Vuescan will not make NikonScan work on an Intel Mac unfortunately.</p>

<p>Yes, that should work but it does not. I've tried both Silverfast and VueScan to no avail. The problem has to lie between the scanner and the computer. Even though the scanner passes its POST normally, the computer does not recognize it. VueScan recognizes my all-in-one printer and flatbed scanner in the source box without issue but does not see the Nikon. Nikon support tells me that if the scanner passes the POST it is not likely a problem with the scanner. </p>

<p>Maybe drop a line to Alex Ketzer, ABStudios _at_ live.com. He still services the Nikon scanners even after Nikon stopped. I just had mine to him in February. Off the top of his head he may have some ideas. </p>

<p>I'll do that immediately, thank you Phil!</p>

<p>Steve, have you tried different USB cables?<br>

It sounds like a connectivity or driver problem. Vuescan should install a driver for the scanner but the OS may not be recognizing it. What is the Mac equivalent of device manager in Windows? Look there for a problem device with the scanner connected and turned on. I just looked at the specifications which show data transfer as USB1.1, is your computer reverse compatible?</p>

<p>I had to dual boot my Dell XPS8500 running a clean install of Windows 10 with Windows 7 to run Silverfast and my Plustek 7600i. Buying a Win 7 pro disk off ebay was less expensive than purchasing an upgrade to Silverfast 8. The 7600i will run on Windows 10 on Vuescan. I have a Plustek 7200 that I will sell cheap as it does not run on Windows 10.</p>

<p>Update: I got my hands on a PC that is a little older(maybe 5 years), reformatted the hard drive, installed Windows XP pro, installed the Nikon Scan disk that came with the scanner(NikonScan 3) and the PC still refused to recognize the scanner. Plugged several different devices into the USB ports(printer, MP3 player) and the "Found New Hardware Wizard" opened each time as expected. I am now 99% sure the problem lies with the scanner itself. Sending the scanner to be fixed, will update with results.</p>

<p>I had a similar experience with trying to connect Minolta scanner via SF or Vuescan. On my PPC Mac both software couldn't initiate or recognise the scanner. In the end I returned to the Konica Minolta software, downgraded my OS X to 10.4.11 for which the scanner software was designed/updated, and now everything function flawlessly.</p>

<p>Sent the scanner to Alex and turns out it had a failed motherboard. Alex replaced it and the scanner is working as good as new again! Thank you to Phil and everyone else for your responses. Wouldn't have been able to do it without you. Just an FYI: after it was repaired I made test scans using both the Windows XP machine with NikonScan 3 and also on my Mac mini using VueScan software. The VueScan software was far better in dust removal and color restoration than NikonScan. After seeing the results I immediately purchased the Pro version of VueScan.</p>

I'm glad to hear that your scanner is up and going again!