Visioneer OneTouch 8900 USB Scanner

I dont know what the heck everyone else is complaining about. Ive had this scanner for more than two years and the only problem Ive had is that I now have to jiggle the cord to get the power supply to stay on. Thats probably because Ive used the thing so darn much. Ive scanned hundreds of pictures that came out extremely crisp and sharp and have used the TextBridge (OCR) software to scan chapters of books into Word. The software that comes with this Visioneer 8900 is definitely not intuitive but thats okay with me because I use Corel to do all my photo editing. All it takes is a little patience the first time to learn how to adjust the scanning quality and color. After that, it should be a breeze. One the downside - this scanner first came out three years ago so its a bit bulky and there are slimmer, sleeker models now available. But, if you can purchase one used for about $30-$40, its definitely worth it.

One star is too good for this product.. ive had a visioneer 8700 USB about a year.. it just died..the scanner keeps telling me to unlock the scan head.. i physically removed the lock.. despite restarting the pc, reinstalling etc etc.. the fault persists.. The online help is useless, there are no specific references to the fault though i have found a large number of references ( but no solutions to it) on the web.. I cant reccomend the scanner.. there are equal and better second hand scanners on the market.. that dont suffer this fault. I cant recommend the visioneer online support.. i still have a dead scanner.. I cant really think of anything good to say about visioneer.. i wish i had never wasted money on it...

After installing the factory CD for this scanner I kept getting the error that the optical module is locked when it isnt. I tried everything I could find on the internet and nothing worked. Their Tech support is wothless and all in all the scanner is a piece of junk.

This scanner is a few models up from the best scanner I ever had. Easy to use, good quality, and long lasting thus far. Even if it breaks in a year, dont be silly... 35 bucks? Throw it out and get the latest model. Keep the USB cable and sell it for 5 bucks... to anyone who has recently bought a USB Printer... they almost never come with the cable. hahah.. Whatver, I have the Visioneer 8100 and its almost exactly the same as this one and it rocks. PEACE OUT.

First of all, if youre a Mac user, dont even bother. Move on. This is not a Mac (OSX or 9) friendly scanner. When I tried it just out of the box, I was very happy with its performance. Now, however, I cant even get it to scan--this machine will only operate with its original power supply (although Visioneer will happily send you a new one for only [more money). This product is not for those with a tendency to lose things! It boils down to this: Decent hardware. Software is lacking. Very bulky scanner. Tech support is a bargain at $2 per minute (on this model).

I was leery of purchasing this scanner because of these reviews. But I thought the price was right. The scanner was basically dead on arrival. After it was installed I kept getting an error message that the scanner was locked. It was not locked. Visioneers automated support web site brought this issue up with the first search, so it must be a common problem for this model. Their only recommendation is to ensure you have the right drivers ( I did) and to plug the unit directly to the wall outlet and not a power strip. Tried that. Their next solution is to return it to the dealer for exchange. I would say definitely do not buy this model.

I bought it from a reseller and was easy to install and worked great for about 6 months and one day for no apparent reason I started getting The scanner optical module is locked error. Since then I have tried reinstalling drivers as well as software with no results. People I have read recommeding reisntalling OS. But to me if you have to reinstall the OS to make a scanner work, the piece is not worth having. I will just look for another scanner.

This is a great scanner for the money. Unfortunately the design engineers made one little mistake which I corrected. It took care of the scanner locked problem. Now I love it. The software is great, the ergonomics are great, and it is FAST! To fix it is very simple, and requires no electronic skills. Added 9-12-04 So many people have emailed me re the fix I decided to add it here. Unfortunately the fix did not work with most of those who emailed me. My Scanner works very well with Win98SE. I suspect many of those with problems are having trouble with some aspect of their software/OS. I frequently Format and reinstall my OS when my machines get sluggish. Re formatting is absolutely necessary in my humble opinion, especially when you are connected. Its like the garage, you have to clean it out once in a while. I pressure wash mine. :-) My Repair, given freely, so dont sue me: Remove two screws on left side under rubber plugs. #1 Phillips, thin screw driver needed. 2. Rotate cover with glass up and to the right and pull hooks out of loops. Lay to the side. 3. Remove lock button from base by squeezing hooked ends together, and push out of hole. 4. Grind or sand down protrusions that stick up from bottom of case. They are what the scanner carriage gets wedged on. 5. Check to make sure wire leads to front controls are not pinched to the point of being severed. 6. Clean glass, lube rails with molylube and Re-assemble without lock. This is what I did. It worked great. Jim A

Out of the box it had an intermittant problem. You get an error box that says the optical module is locked. Only it isnt. Go to the web site and they have a virtual troubleshooter that is absolutely of no use. Call the company customer service and they tell you to call tech support,(at $2.00 per minute on a 900 line. Because this is out of production, they dont care. Definitely dont buy this for a quarter. It would be a waste of a good quarter

I bought this refurbished and its a good thing too because I missed the locking problem a lot of people have been mentioning. The scanner worked decently in the beginning when I was using it in Windows 98, sometimes Id have to fight with it to get it to work right, but it usually did. Then when I upgraded to XP Pro SP2, it installed fairly easy. But intermittantly, and with increasing frequency, their XP driver crashes (usually in mid-scan), and I constantly have to reinstall the driver to keep working on my scans. The scans I have made with this were all beautiful, and when its working, its a pleasure to use. But Visioneer writes really crappy drivers. Theres no way their XP driver got a real Designed for XP rating from Windows Hardware Quality Labs, no designed-for-xp software would work so poorly and place all the blame on SP2. I have been wondering whether to go to the hassle to dual-boot to Windows 98 whenever I want to use the scanner, or to buy a new scanner. I think Im going to buy a different brand, and you probably should too.