[Freddy]

Just wondering how much hassle it is to set up and if it will work with XP hardware drivers.

Basically at the moment I have XP dual boot with 7.  But now I have a CPU that can do virtualisation or whatever it is called...I have a scanner that only works with XP and so whenever I want to use it I have to boot up in XP.

Just wondering if I could install XP mode and then install the drivers for the scanner and access it via W7.  It would be so much easier.

Thanks for any guidance 

[Data]

I have virtual XP in windows 7 and have played around with it quite a lot, basically Freddy your scanner has very little chance of running in it, it’s a little complicated but XP has to work through windows 7, so if the scanner doesn’t work in 7 it cant go through to XP.

I installed XP mode in win 7 to run Sony Acid Music Studio 5, doesn’t install in 7, it did install in XP mode but the program runs badly. Graphics run sluggish in it too, I wasn’t very impressed with it. Over all a dual boot is the better way.

Freddy have you tried a vista driver for the scanner, quite often they work fine, or is the scanner XP only?

[Freddy]

Tried the Vista drivers but they only have 32 bit drivers and they don't work.  Oh well, nevermind, thanks for letting me know.

[Data]

I had a few run-ins with scanners and windows drivers over the years and sometimes I’ve had to recommend getting new ones for customers.

Canon make a range they call LiDE,
http://www.dabs.com/category/print--office-and-conferencing,printers-and-scanners,scanners-and-barcode-readers/11114?q=Canon%20LiDE

I like them because they don’t need a power supply, they get their power from the USB and they are super slim, easy to store away, just thought I would mention that.

[Freddy]

Hehe, yes that's what I have, I have the Lide20 which is the one that won't work any more with 7.

I will probably get the Lide100, but am annoyed I have to cough up £50 for something I already have.

[Freddy]

Well surprise, surprise I managed to get it to work in XP Mode.   I just installed the XP drivers into XPMode, attached my scanner from the USB button at the top and it works

I found someone tried it and it worked, so I thought I have nothing to lose except £50.00...

Details here for any one else : http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itprohardware/thread/87751cbd-c58f-490e-844a-4d426d7cee9e

This message in particular :

I use Win 7 XP Mode. Now my LiDE 600F works fine.

IF you have Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate you can run Windows XP Mode. Get it here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx

Once XP Mode is installed, add the Canon drivers and software to XP Mode.  I recommend you config the Canon application to save scans somewhere on your hard drive other than the default XPMUser location, like maybe Public or your own folder = makes it easier to find your scans later. Grab the path from a Win7 directory window and paste that into the application, e.g., C:\Users\Public\Pictures

Config the Canon application to start as XP Mode, which will add an icon: "CanoScan Toolbox 5.0 (Windows XP Mode)" to Win7 start menu. The application will start as XP Mode in Win7. Right click its tab on the Win7 taskbar and click "Manage USB devices", find your scanner in the list and click "Attach". You're good to go. The buttons on my scanner don't respond with this solution, so I scan using the on-screen buttons. Works fine.

I have to send the scans to my USB drive then from there to W7.  Works fine, but now I am wondering if you can set up a shared folder for XP Mode and w7 ?

[Data]

For some reason I wrongly assumed you had an old parallel port scanner Freddy, they are the ones Ive had problems with, but the Lide 20 is a USB scanner and as long as the USB is getting through to XP mode in Win7 then all you need is a software driver.

In short Virtual XP is for software compatibility in windows 7 and not really made for hardware. Like I said it’s a little complicated, but glad you stuck with it and got it sorted.

[Freddy]

No problem my friend.  Yes I used to have an older scanner with the old serial lead but that gave up working after windows 2000.  Since then I have only had this faithful USB scanner that my sister gave me.  It's a shame to dump stuff when it still could work perfectly well, and this is a really good scanner, so I am pleased too that I stuck with it.

Any idea on shared folders between XPMode and W7.  So far it looks to me like there is only a disc image of around 1Gb and I can't really see how to access it.  It's no biggy though.

[Data]

Hmm, for me I can see all the drives in my PC in XP mode, they come in as shared network drives and I can access most of them except the windows 7 drive which is un-available to XP.

When I installed XP mode I made a partition of 125GB just for XP, so I have plenty of space to use should I need it and I think that’s what you should do when you install XP into 7, make a partition and install it to that.

You could remove, uninstall, XP mode make a partition in windows 7 and then install XP mode to the new drive (partition).

That’s all I can think of right now.

[Data]

Alternatively plug another drive into your PC and 7 will pass it through to XP as a shared network drive. 

[DaveMorton]

I think it's only fair that Microsoft should have a "7 mode" for XP now. Don't you?

[Freddy]

Ahhh, that's what all those drives are then... I tried clciking on one before and nothing happened.  I've now clicked on C and D drives and they are my hard drives.  I didn't put two and two together !

Excellent, so now I can scan and send the files to a shared folder.

Sorted  

btw, I was able to access the W7 drive too via XPMode...

@GCC, you may be in for a long wait