carl_a._mann Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Hi, I've bought a Minolta 5400 and I like it very much. HOWEVER, the software (Dimage Scan Utility) is a pain. It freezes on a regular basis, and scanning more than one or two slides can be a matter of hours. Are there any known problems with this software? I am running it on Windows XP, 1 GB RAM, and an Athlon XP 1800+. I have already installed the latest version from Minolta's homepage, but things haven't got better. What about exchanging it for Silverscan or VueScan? Thanks for any response. U. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
costas_lymbouris Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 You might want to check out your PC first Ulrich before spending money on different software, although there is a free download of VueScan you can try. You dont say how you have connected the 5400 to your PC, if it is through USB2 then, check you do not have any other devices connected to the same USB hub (ie the second USB connector of the pair) as the 5400, not even a mouse or keyboard, see if that improves stability and speed. Also try the 1394/firewire connection. I would also say that your processor is a little on the slow side, when using ICE you should be doing a scan in 6 to 12 minutes depending on the density. Compare the speed with and without ICE (keeping grain dissolver turned on), a lot of the difference is your CPU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arturo_de_la_fuente Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Hello. I don't the problem is lack of computer power. I use my Minolta 5400 in a Pentium III at 600 MHz with 384 Mb RAM (which is rather tight), and I don't experience those problems (it only gets awfully slow when scanning at 5400 dpi). Try the connextion USB2.0 or Firewire. That also gave me some headache when I installed my scanner (for some reason the Firewire doesn't work fine) Arturo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl_a._mann Posted September 14, 2004 Author Share Posted September 14, 2004 Thanks for your suggestions. I switched to Fire Wire and the problem was gone for the time being. I hope it also works tomorrow. Ulrich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopher_herman Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Ulrich - you should always use "primary" usb/ firewire ports with the 5400 software (ie not pc card ports). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl_a._mann Posted September 14, 2004 Author Share Posted September 14, 2004 Christopher -- as a matter of fact, I previously used the USB 2.0 port on the mainboard, and now switched to the firewire port on a pci-card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathanael_galler Posted September 15, 2004 Share Posted September 15, 2004 Ulrich, for negatives Silverfast is much better. Schau mal auf http://f27.parsimony.net/forum67102 vorbei... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahams Posted September 15, 2004 Share Posted September 15, 2004 Ulrich - the Minolta software driver for the 5400 is a pain! It is not custom written for the 5400, but is the same driver and software written for all of the Minolta scanners, just with a few tweaks to make it work with the 5400. It is "irritable" and very memory / page file sensitive. Get VueScan if you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jos_roost Posted September 15, 2004 Share Posted September 15, 2004 I'm sure it is not -only- the Minolta software that is at fault:<br> I also have the Minolta Elite 5400 attached via USB2.0 to my computer running under Windows XP Sp1 and using the Minolta scanning software (version 1.1.5), and I don't recall that it ever crashed. It is more likely a certain combination of hardware and/or software and/or drivers that causes the problems.<br> And I also get quite good scanning results with the Minolta software (mainly scanning slides). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl_a._mann Posted September 15, 2004 Author Share Posted September 15, 2004 Thank you all for your responses. As long as I do not bother the computer with other programs that demand a lot of RAM, the Minolta software now works. However, I noticed that when I leave the computer doing the scanning, and it switches to power-saving mode, the Minolta software aborts the scanning process.<br> So, Graham seems to be on the right track when he says the software is "irritable." It is. And it is irritating, too. At least for someone who has used the Nikon and Agfa softwares for years without problems.<br> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff_cuthbert Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 I have almost exactly the same problems. Turning of all power saving was a big help but problem persists. Would be interested in any similar problems solutions or hardware configurations that may narrow down the problem. Intel 875 P4 3g Hyperthreading ON. (tested with OFF) . Gigabyte MBoard . Radeon graphics . 2g RAM . Win XP SP2 (had same problems with SP1). RAID 0 2 SATA HD array . Firewire or USB nil difference. Norton AV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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