Scanning Docs in Ubuntu Hardy

[fred the great]

Had forgotten that I need to sometimes scan documents.

I have an el cheapo but reliable Brother USB connection combined scanner, printer and copier. As usual I am a bit unsure how to install this machine with Hardy. I read up about Linux last night but that  made me more confused when talking about front end and back end. It seems that my Printer/Scanner is compatible with the latter but not the former

Hopefully one of our experts can shed some light on what I should do preferably advising each step to success.

Incidentally when I try the sudo-apt get install route, Ubuntu asks for my password which I start to input and then it tells me my password is wrong. This is impossible 'cos my password is a good one which I have used for at least 15 years.

Perhaps also you could recommend a photo storage Programme?

All assistance greatly appreciated.

[border-rider]

The password wrong thing sounds like it's the same bug ^^

What does the user name in the terminal look like ?

For scanning, just install Xsane which is a scanning program.  It should pick up your scanner - if it is installed OK - and you can use it from there just like a win scanning program.  No need to fuss about front ends and back ends.

Photo storage ? Use flickr or whatever.  If it's online it'll be OS-independent

[bobajobrob]

Xsane should be installed already. It was for me anyway. Applications -> Graphics -> Xsane. It may be worth checking if your scanner is supported. Search for your scanner here.

Photo management software - F-Spot? Should be installed already. Right-click on an image and choose open with F-Spot.

[fred the great]

Regret my Scanner isn't supported. However it is a popular model so I will check with the Forum. I'm sure someone else has had this problem. Of course as a last resort I can use XP as before but I want to go forward, not backward

Also my new bug isn't the same one as reported previously so I need to sort that one out.

[border-rider]

OK, good luck with the scanner

If you are having a sudo password issue though, it does sound like it may be a related bug.

What does your username show as in the terminal, and what's the error message when you sudo ?

[rae]

Linux and scanners.  Ah-hah.   Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...

Been there.   

Seriously, fire up XP and plug the thing in.

[bobajobrob]

Linux and scanners.

Works for me.

[border-rider]

And me.  I have a stand-alone Canon scanner that just works, plug'n'play.  As it were.

I suspect that combined printers/faxes/scanners may be more problematic; the Canon one of those I had wouldn't even work properly with XP.  They often seem to need dedicated software suites to drive them.

[bobajobrob]

I have a canon too, n650u.

[rae]

Well a Fujitsu double sided sheetfeed machine didn't play for me at all.  I quite liked the idea of putting the scanner on the server, thus making it accessible to any machine in the house.   After dicking with it for days, I give up and plugged it in to the desktop, worked instantly.

Best advice?   If you have a fully supported scanner with loads of people on the interweb say "it's great", then fine.  Non-supported or buggy scanner?  Forget it, unless you like pain.   Try gouging your eyes out with a teaspoon as a warm up.

[epa611]

I have Kubuntu and my HP all in one works no problems at all.  I even have support, but then HP and very good for Linux users.

[Woofage]

I have Kubuntu and my HP all in one works no problems at all.  I even have support, but then HP and very good for Linux users.

Not always. I think I own the only HP scanner model NOT supported in Linux . I can, however, use it in a windoze xp virtual machine

[border-rider]

That's interesting

I always thought that it had to have hardware support in the native OS to be usable in a virtual machine

You live and learn

[Woofage]

That's interesting

I always thought that it had to have hardware support in the native OS to be usable in a virtual machine

You live and learn

That's what I had read also. I'm assuming it must only apply to the important internal bits (graphics card, hdd interface etc) and not to what's plugged into a supported (ie USB) interface.

[rae]

I always thought that it had to have hardware support in the native OS to be usable in a virtual machine 

Not at all.  The commands would have to have support on the base hardware, but the device doesn't have to be supported.   Device support is software.