>I note there are many others who have this problem and even HP has a (rather lame) stab at a fix on their site for several models.< I've had this same problem with 2 HP scanners (4200c & 5370c) and a friend's Lexmark on a Dell, all in WinXP SP2 and SP3. HP's install software seemed to work but on reboot, ZIPPO! The scanner shows in "Control Panel > Scanners..." and in Device Manager without any "!" or "?". Even more interesting, my PC is a recent HP build! The USB ports and cables are good (tried several just in case). Then I noted that Precision Scan isn't the only way to scan. Windows has a util that pops up in "My Computer" (usually at the bottom of the window) when it detects any external imaging device attached. Click it and the scan helper window opens. There will be a list of programs that may scan. Scroll past the HP option to "Windows Scan and Camera Wizard" and click it. Follow instrux and you're probably set except for some of the features that go beyond the optical scan limits of the scanner. You can make a short cut of the Scanner icon on the Desktop. Right click on it and go to "Create Shortcut". Select "Yes" in the box that appears. Go back to the Desktop and test it. You will see an "Always use this program" check box in the window that appears. Select the box and click the wizard. You will now go to it every time (Notes: 1. A crash before restart will erase your preference. 2. Leave the pref box unchecked if there are other programs you want to scan with listed. 3. When I uninstalled the HP-ware, the HP scan options stayed in the scan helper program list. You may have to edit the registry to remove them. COME ON, HP!!!) Other good options: in "Start > All Programs > Accessories", find Paint and start it. On the File menu go down to "From Scanner or Camera...". Click it and the scan wizard starts. This worked for all 3 of the scanners above. I use Irfanview (excellent freeware from Irfanview.com, get the plug-ins add-on when you download the main program) mostly and Photo Shop occasionally. In both of them, the file menu has an "Acquire image" or "Select import source" type option or two. Your scanner should be on the acquire list if you click for a source. Use the acquire option and the scan window comes up. The image will be sent right to the edit window ready to hack and slash. Both HP's worked this way, but not the Lexmark. There are many other image editors that do this as well so long as the HP software isn't the preferred software. (See above wizard to change) Finally, there's a Control Panel applet to set some control options of the scan wizard and scans in general in nearly all vers of Windoze since Win95b or 95c. That should give you reasonable functionality that HP failed to sort out. Finally I note that flatbeds have all but disappeared from stores. Since HP is the main maker and REALLY wants to sell us all-in-one monsters with expensive inks, they have little need to make decent software. Most competitors have followed suit. My true opinion of this practice is unprintable. There are millions of good 300mhz+ PC's scrapped daily when half the world has none. Do something about it!