Scanrouter + Windows 8 = Very bad

[sandmanmac]

Remove Scanrouter before upgrading to Windows 8!

I know, I know....it's WAY out-dated, but I still have lots of smaller clients running older copiers and Scanrouter, not to mention...How many still have it installed, even though they may not use it anymore?

Anyway....I downloaded Windows 8 on my laptop this weekend to get an idea what headaches would be coming my way, as my clients begin to install it too, and thought I'd pass along some info that may save some others the hassle I had:
I first installed it as an "upgrade" from Windows 7 and instructed it to save settings and files. The install went fine until the first boot of the new OS, when I got nothing but a black screen, with a gray bar on the bottom, and cursor!

I spent hours booting into 'safe mode' (which the display was fine), trying to find a solution, figuring it must be something to do with the display adapter. NO LUCK.
I finally decided I really had nothing to lose, so did a fresh install and saved nothing. everything was fine until I decided to install Scanrouter, just to see if the workaround I use on Win 7 would still allow it to function on Win 8. Guess what ..BLACK screen after reboot!
Uninstalling it did nothing, only a system restore solved the issue.
Just to be sure, I installed it one more time with the same result.

I'll be interested to hear if anyone/everyone else has the same experience when they try to install it.
This is going to cause some serious headaches in the field when people start 'upgrading' their systems and experience this, because there is obviously no 'restore' option on a fresh install.
I haven't gotten around to trying to uninstall it, and running registry cleaner, etc. Maybe that would take care of it.

As far as SMB goes, I've not been able to get it to work - at least on the MP161 in my home office. If anyone finds different results, I'd love to hear them. Otherwise, I think I'll be spending a lot of time in the coming months switching to FTP

Oh the Joys of new Operating systems!

[rthonpm]

Re: Scanrouter + Windows 8 = Very bad

It's all quite new so there will probably be some firmware updates or other patches on the way from Microsoft. Overall though IT IS TIME FOR SCANROUTER TO DIE. You don't get people trying to run Windows 98 software and expect it to work on Windows 7 now do you?

As for installing Windows 8, I've only done a few virtual installs of the beta with the usual issues with installing virtual operating systems with no guest extensions. As it stands now, most of my customers will be staying with Windows 7 as it's tested with their applications and policies. I don't really foresee having to deal with it for another year at the very least.

[KenB]

Re: Scanrouter + Windows 8 = Very bad

I can't believe that anyone would seriously entertain actually running a piece of software that hasn't been supported in 6 years on a brand new OS - that just boggles my mind.

While not an ideal solution, one possibility would be to dredge up some old PC, put a clean copy XP on it, (along with anti virus software, of course), and ScanRouter. NOTHING ELSE. Then stash it in the back room or server room somewhere. You could then share the scans from it.

If the customers refuse to do that, possibly stating that they don't want XP on their network anymore (which I've had happen), then there is nothing else you can do for them. Any reasonable IT person should have no issue with that stance.

[sandmanmac]

Re: Scanrouter + Windows 8 = Very bad

I can't believe that anyone would seriously entertain actually running a piece of software that hasn't been supported in 6 years on a brand new OS - that just boggles my mind.

While not an ideal solution, one possibility would be to dredge up some old PC, put a clean copy XP on it, (along with anti virus software, of course), and ScanRouter. NOTHING ELSE. Then stash it in the back room or server room somewhere. You could then share the scans from it.

If the customers refuse to do that, possibly stating that they don't want XP on their network anymore (which I've had happen), then there is nothing else you can do for them. Any reasonable IT person should have no issue with that stance.

This post was merely for information purposes, and the main point being that if Scanrouter exists on the OS being upgraded to Win 8 (which it was in my case) a black screen of death might be the result, and some people might lose many hours troubleshooting the problem (Like I did). My apologies for passing it along.
I still need to possess a laptop with Scanrouter for testing, etc, so If I could make it work on Win 8 -all the better. Trial and error is what I do, and how I learn, as the one man operation that I am.

[ruben]

Re: Scanrouter + Windows 8 = Very bad

A temporary solution could be to run a virtual machine (called Hyper-V, apparently, in Windows 8: installed under 'Windows features') or see if you can get VirtualBox to run: https://www.virtualbox.org/ I don't use the application myself, but it would be nice to have some solution just in case.

[zed255]

Re: Scanrouter + Windows 8 = Very bad

A temporary solution could be to run a virtual machine (called Hyper-V, apparently, in Windows 8: installed under 'Windows features') or see if you can get VirtualBox to run: https://www.virtualbox.org/ I don't use the application myself, but it would be nice to have some solution just in case.

Now there's a solution that makes sense. Run a VM with W2K on it for legacy purposes. None of the BS workarounds, it should just work. I run some windows only apps on my iMac in a Windoze VM.

[KenB]

Re: Scanrouter + Windows 8 = Very bad

Sandman, please, don't be sorry that you mentioned it - I'm glad you did. Your post can serve as a heads up for anyone who finds themselves in that situation.

It's just that Scanrouter has become quite the sore subject over the past few years. It just won't go away.

I'm in favor of VMs as well, ( I use them all the time),but I do have one question: If VM sessions are more advanced than what the customer can handle, who is going to support them on it when the VM has an issue? It would depend on the customer's IT abilities as to whether a VM is a good solution or not.

[ruben]

Re: Scanrouter + Windows 8 = Very bad

Any reasonably sized company should have a compatent IT support, whether it is a "one-man band" or a dedicated first-second-third-etc team. Most VM solutions are pretty straight forward to manage, even for novice users. It can be difficult to determine the amount of support for this kind of solution, you may find you won't need to provide any (hopefully).

[nmfaxman]

Re: Scanrouter + Windows 8 = Very bad

Scanrouter is great for the small business that doesn't have the money to upgrade their whole network.
As a one man show that helps small businesses, scanrouter works very well with legacy equipment.

I am making more money making older equipment work with an OS that people trust, than wasting my time finding new solutions to older equipment work with newer OS with no support.

I plan on going into a computer store just to play with Win 8 before I buy it.

Our society can never go paperless until one device can be associated with one individual in court.
A paper signature is almost impossible to mimic.

[KenB]

Re: Scanrouter + Windows 8 = Very bad

Any reasonably sized company should have a compatent IT support, whether it is a "one-man band" or a dedicated first-second-third-etc team. Most VM solutions are pretty straight forward to manage, even for novice users. It can be difficult to determine the amount of support for this kind of solution, you may find you won't need to provide any (hopefully).

I totally agree, but my biggest nemesis is the mom-and-pop shop that goes out and buys their computers at an appliance store, then has the boss's nephew (the "expert") set them up during spring break.

Not only do their new PCs have the newer OS, but VMs still require a valid license for the legacy system. That is where the $169 refurbed "special" at the local computer store comes in handy; they typically come with a fully licensed copy of XP Pro.

I had a small home nursing office in almost this exact situation a few years ago. No IT support. Their small Ricoh machine couldn't scan to folder on their Windows 7 machines (pre-firmware update), and a used XP PC filled the bill perfectly. Not a Scanrouter customer, but the same idea.

[Polarbear]

Re: Scanrouter + Windows 8 = Very bad

Sandmanmac

Interesting to see that SR does not function on WIN8 when all the media reports said that it is built on WIN7?

Wonder if Ricoh will bother with a fix though ..... I somehow doubt it, as none of the current controllers support that software. It would be up to a third party developer to write a patch for it, I think.