RE: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
Has SiverFast come out with a fix to the Upgrade Disaster? I have a Wintel system (PIV 1.4g, Win2k, lots of hard drive space). I held off upgrading when I heard of all the problems, be they installation, IT8 Calibration, etc. Thanks, John John Hayward Hopkins Company [EMAIL PROTECTED] 41 10.7N 073 23.2W
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
In a message dated 9/30/2001 11:40:31 AM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Has SiverFast come out with a fix to the ‘Upgrade Disaster’? I have a Wintel system (PIV 1.4g, Win2k, lots of hard drive space). I held off upgrading when I heard of all the problems, be they installation, IT8 Calibration, etc. Thanks, John By and large, I think they have solved the serial number problems they had when they first announced the 5.5 upgrade. It's still a problem every now and then, but not like it used to be. The IT8 calibration problem (software says you haven't cropped the IT8 slide properly, even though you have, and calibration stops) is still a problem for some people, but not for most people. My problem was cured with the 5.5 upgrade, but I don't know that that would work for everyone. It did for me. If you already are already using SilverFast, the 5.5 upgrade should work now worse than what you're using right now and would provide the NegaFix feature which really does help with scanning color negatives. However, SilverFast is still buggy and hard to use. For me, SilverFast Ai crashes with large files (500 mb). Also, the prescan crop box doesn't agree with what actually gets scanned. SilverFast is still a work in progress.
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
Roger, Let us know how the TWAIN version works. I'm having a similar problem with v5.5 and my SS4000. At least, after reading your posts, I'm thinking it might be Silverfast. I've also built a new computer and switched scanning OS's back to Win2000. The SS4000 locks up Photoshop upon selecting Scan in SF. In Insight, I get an unknown ASPI error suggesting that I check termination. I've done that. Also, my Epson 1200S on the same chain (behind the SS) works fine using their TWAIN driver. I haven't contacted Lasersoft on this latest headache yet. Lloyd - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2001 9:23 PM Subject: Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster In a message dated 8/12/2001 4:56:31 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Not wishing to sound to gloomy, but the advice sounds like a "we have no idea - but it might work if we re-install everything". The good news is that it often does - the bad news is IME it more often doesn't. When I had a problem they gave me all sorts of advice and blamed other software suppliers when I knew it was their problem from the tests I had done. I had also found a way round the problem which was an inconvenience rather than a showstopper. 3-6 months later an update fixed the problem but they didn't e-mail me to tell me. If I had paid the normal asking price (it was bundled) and my livlihood depended on it I would have been bloody livid. Depressingly Lasersoft support is actually better than many others. SteveYour comment about workarounds gave me an idea. After the reinstall of Photoshop, if SilverFast causes Photoshop to freeze again with a 500 MB file from my SS120, I'll try to install SilverFast as TWAIN rather than a Photoshop plug-in. I remember having a similar problem where my Microtek ScanMaker 5 flatbed scanner with ScanWizard software would cause Photoshop to freeze about every third scan. ScanWizard could be used either as a Photoshop plug-in or as a stand alone program, so I run it by itself now. You're right, it's not convenient, but right now I need to get some work done and the sooner the better, even if it's not convenient.
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
Lloyd That sounds a bit like dodgy ASPI drivers. Have you tried any other SCSI scanning software. You could try ASPICHK from : http://www.adaptec.com/worldwide/support/suppdetail.html?prodkey=EZ-SCSI_5.0 I notice that EZ-SCSI is having problems with 2000 so I don't know if this will work. It does rather suggest there can be problems with 2000 if Adaptec can't get it working - they are usually considered the SCSI experts. Steve - Original Message - From: Lloyd O'Daniel [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, August 13, 2001 8:48 AM Subject: Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster Roger, Let us know how the TWAIN version works. I'm having a similar problem with v5.5 and my SS4000. At least, after reading your posts, I'm thinking it might be Silverfast. I've also built a new computer and switched scanning OS's back to Win2000. The SS4000 locks up Photoshop upon selecting Scan in SF. In Insight, I get an unknown ASPI error suggesting that I check termination. I've done that. Also, my Epson 1200S on the same chain (behind the SS) works fine using their TWAIN driver. I haven't contacted Lasersoft on this latest headache yet. Lloyd - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2001 9:23 PM Subject: Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster In a message dated 8/12/2001 4:56:31 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Not wishing to sound to gloomy, but the advice sounds like a we have no idea - but it might work if we re-install everything. The good news is that it often does - the bad news is IME it more often doesn't. When I had a problem they gave me all sorts of advice and blamed other software suppliers when I knew it was their problem from the tests I had done. I had also found a way round the problem which was an inconvenience rather than a showstopper. 3-6 months later an update fixed the problem but they didn't e-mail me to tell me. If I had paid the normal asking price (it was bundled) and my livlihood depended on it I would have been bloody livid. Depressingly Lasersoft support is actually better than many others. Steve Your comment about workarounds gave me an idea. After the reinstall of Photoshop, if SilverFast causes Photoshop to freeze again with a 500 MB file from my SS120, I'll try to install SilverFast as TWAIN rather than a Photoshop plug-in. I remember having a similar problem where my Microtek ScanMaker 5 flatbed scanner with ScanWizard software would cause Photoshop to freeze about every third scan. ScanWizard could be used either as a Photoshop plug-in or as a stand alone program, so I run it by itself now. You're right, it's not convenient, but right now I need to get some work done and the sooner the better, even if it's not convenient.
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
Thanks, Ian. I reached the same conclusion over the weekend after reading one of my Photoshop books in which they also warned against using a single unpartitioned drive with Photoshop. You're right, I have an single 80 GB 5400 rpm drive and it is not partitioned. I plan to buy a second drive, probably 60 GB and 7200 rpm, and I'll set aside 20 GB on it for Photoshop and SilverFast scratch area. (I know how to use Photoshop's Preferences to assign the logical drive for scratch area, but didn't know that you could do the samething with SilverFast. I'll have to figure out how to do that.) The 7200 rpm should also speed up Photoshop's operaton with large files. For what it's worth, the error message I was getting was, Photoshp has caused an error in unknown. Photoshp will now close. If you continue to experience problems, try restarting your computer. It wasn't exactly a memory error, but I'm sure now that it was a drive partition problem. Also, my flatbed scanner, which is capable of generating large files (like my medium format SS120) has caused similar Photoshop errors from time to time. With the smaller files from my SS4000, I never had a problem. Guess I was lucky. Once again, thanks. In a message dated Mon, 13 Aug 2001 3:36:52 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Ian Lyons [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster I've been delaying doing a defrag because it takes at least 3 or 4 hours with an 80 GB hard drive that's half full. This simply forces the issue. Also, I'll try SilverFast after the defrag and maybe Photoshop will work and I won't have to do all of the reinstalls. If I'm reading you correctly you have one hard drive and only one partition on that drive. Like Windows Photoshop creates its on swap file (called the scratch disk - temporary work area). Usually when Photoshop throws up a memory error its because the scratch disk is full and not because of real memory issues. Unfortunately the message is erroneous - the Photoshop scratch disk REQUIRES contiguous hard disk space of approximately 5 times the actual amount of ram on your computer. Typically the memory error means that your hard disk doesn't have the required amount of contiguous space left. Normally this results from the way Windows throws files around the hard disk. Quite simply massive hard drives don't solve the problem if we don't properly manage the data. Having 50% spare capacity on your drive is meaningless if that 50% is made up of tiny chunks spread like pebbles on a beach. To solve your problem I would partition your 80Gig drive into at least four partitions. One of these should be dedicated to the Photoshop scratch disk. Given that you are working with pretty large files I would and have done on my own computer set aside 20Gig of space for the scratch disk - NOTHING else should have excess to this partition. Every time you close down Photoshop the scratch file will be cleared so defraging isn't an issue. SilverFast also has its own scratch file and again it should point to an area of contiguous hard disk space - I usually just pint to the same area as Photoshop - 20 gig is a pretty big beach when only Photoshop and its plugins use it. As for your other software and data (including the saved Photoshop images) put the on the remaining partitions. Ian Ian Lyons http://www.computer-darkroom.com
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
Lloyd, it looks like I won't have to use TWAIN as a possible workaround after all. Ian Lyons' post indicates that he thinks my problem is due to my using a single unpatitioned drive for everything. Photshop doesn't like that, it wants its own reserved area for a scratch disc. So I'm going to buy another hard drive and dedicate a part of it to Photoshop. I see in another post that Steve made a suggestion to solve your problem. I hope it works. But you should also make sure that you've partitioned your drive and set aside a part of it for the exclusive use of Photoshop for a catch area. In a message dated Mon, 13 Aug 2001 3:55:06 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Lloyd O'Daniel [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: !DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC -//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN Roger, Let us know how the TWAIN version works. I'm having a similar problem with v5.5 and my SS4000. At least, after reading your posts, I'm thinking it might be Silverfast. I've also built a new computer and switched scanning OS's back to Win2000. The SS4000 locks up Photoshop upon selecting Scan in SF. In Insight, I get an unknown ASPI error suggesting that I check termination. I've done that. Also, my Epson 1200S on the same chain (behind the SS) works fine using their TWAIN driver. I haven't contacted Lasersoft on this latest headache yet.Lloyd - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2001 9:23 PM Subject: Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster In a message dated 8/12/2001 4:56:31 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Not wishing to sound to gloomy, but the advice sounds like a we have no idea - but it might work if we re-install everything. The good news is that it often does - the bad news is IME it more often doesn't. When I had a problem they gave me all sorts of advice and blamed other software suppliers when I knew it was their problem from the tests I had done. I had also found a way round the problem which was an inconvenience rather than a showstopper. 3-6 months later an update fixed the problem but they didn't e-mail me to tell me. If I had paid the normal asking price (it was bundled) and my livlihood depended on it I would have been bloody livid. Depressingly Lasersoft support is actually better than many others. Steve Your comment about workarounds gave me an idea. After the reinstall of Photoshop, if SilverFast causes Photoshop to freeze again with a 500 MB file from my SS120, I'll try to install SilverFast as TWAIN rather than a Photoshop plug-in. I remember having a similar problem where my Microtek ScanMaker 5 flatbed scanner with ScanWizard software would cause Photoshop to freeze about every third scan. ScanWizard could be used either as a Photoshop plug-in or as a stand alone program, so I run it by itself now. You're right, it's not convenient, but right now I need to get some work done and the sooner the better, even if it's not convenient.
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
Title: Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster Roger, I'll need to rub the sleep from my eyes before typing next time. The sentence in my earlier post: Unfortunately the message is erroneous - the Photoshop scratch disk REQUIRES contiguous hard disk space of approximately 5 times the actual amount of ram on your computer. should read : Unfortunately the message is erroneous - the Photoshop scratch disk REQUIRES contiguous hard disk space of approximately 2 (two) times the actual amount of ram on your computer. Something not immediately obvious to many Photoshop users is the fact that it matters little how much ram you have if you don't have the required amount amount of contiguous hard disk space. I've seen occasions were a user with 1gig of ram gets the out of memory message when only working on 100meg file (layers brought it up to about 600meg). What they failed to realise was the scratch disk was being limited by lack of hard disk space and so at 600meg Photoshop simply ignored the presence of the remaining 400meg of ram and threw a tantrum. The more ram you add the more contiguous hard disk space that you must have available for PhotoShop's own personal use - 2 times is the absolute minimum for safe working. Prior to PS5 the scratch disk volume size was limited to 2Gig - no it is 200Gig in one volume (from memory you can have up to 4 200Gig volumes). The location of the SilverFast scratch disk configuration is in the OptionGeneral tab - see the little icon to the left of the Scratch Disk text. Photoshop and Windows - General Advice on Swap File and Scratch Disk Anyone else reading this message with Windows (any version) and a single hard disk would do well to configure Windows for a fixed swap file with maximum and minimum values being 1.5 times the total installed ram. Some folk suggest 2 times, but Microsoft are adamant that 1.5 is the default and that a higher value requires changes to be manually made within the registry (I'm not arguing g). Make sure you defrag the hard disk before doing this. Using this configuration means Windows gets its own swap file allocation in a fixed location and Photoshop gets to play on the rest of the available disk space. If Windows and Photoshop are allowed to do battle over the same area of hard disk space Windows will ALWAYS win! If I can track down the Microsoft and Adobe documentation that recommends this configuration I'll post the links. Ian Ian Lyons http://www.computer-darkroom.com
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
Steve, Thanks for the info. I had the same thought. I had previously used Win 2000 on the old machine as my scanning OS, then stupidly switched to ME. (Did that after getting exasperated at the $$$ Microsoft wants for tech support even for individuals using W2k.) I could have sworn that I previously had to download and install aspi32.exe from Adaptec's site for W2k. But the only version I can find there now warns against its use with 2000. Further evidence that you are right: I switched Insight from using ASPI to STI (possible with SS4000 and W2k). Problem resolved, albeit scanning a bit slower. Lloyd - Original Message - From: Steve Greenbank [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, August 13, 2001 3:19 AM Subject: Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster Lloyd That sounds a bit like dodgy ASPI drivers. Have you tried any other SCSI scanning software. You could try ASPICHK from : http://www.adaptec.com/worldwide/support/suppdetail.html?prodkey=EZ-SCSI_5.0 I notice that EZ-SCSI is having problems with 2000 so I don't know if this will work. It does rather suggest there can be problems with 2000 if Adaptec can't get it working - they are usually considered the SCSI experts. Steve - Original Message - From: Lloyd O'Daniel [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, August 13, 2001 8:48 AM Subject: Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster Roger, Let us know how the TWAIN version works. I'm having a similar problem with v5.5 and my SS4000. At least, after reading your posts, I'm thinking it might be Silverfast. I've also built a new computer and switched scanning OS's back to Win2000. The SS4000 locks up Photoshop upon selecting Scan in SF. In Insight, I get an unknown ASPI error suggesting that I check termination. I've done that. Also, my Epson 1200S on the same chain (behind the SS) works fine using their TWAIN driver. I haven't contacted Lasersoft on this latest headache yet. Lloyd - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2001 9:23 PM Subject: Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster In a message dated 8/12/2001 4:56:31 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Not wishing to sound to gloomy, but the advice sounds like a we have no idea - but it might work if we re-install everything. The good news is that it often does - the bad news is IME it more often doesn't. When I had a problem they gave me all sorts of advice and blamed other software suppliers when I knew it was their problem from the tests I had done. I had also found a way round the problem which was an inconvenience rather than a showstopper. 3-6 months later an update fixed the problem but they didn't e-mail me to tell me. If I had paid the normal asking price (it was bundled) and my livlihood depended on it I would have been bloody livid. Depressingly Lasersoft support is actually better than many others. Steve Your comment about workarounds gave me an idea. After the reinstall of Photoshop, if SilverFast causes Photoshop to freeze again with a 500 MB file from my SS120, I'll try to install SilverFast as TWAIN rather than a Photoshop plug-in. I remember having a similar problem where my Microtek ScanMaker 5 flatbed scanner with ScanWizard software would cause Photoshop to freeze about every third scan. ScanWizard could be used either as a Photoshop plug-in or as a stand alone program, so I run it by itself now. You're right, it's not convenient, but right now I need to get some work done and the sooner the better, even if it's not convenient.
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
[EMAIL PROTECTED] [[EMAIL PROTECTED]] wrote on Sun, 12 Aug 2001 22:15:22 -0400 SilverFast can't be uninstalled because it's a plug-in; you have to hunt for the files to be deleted. What's the problem? There's a folder called SilverFast (Polaroid) in Adobe Photoshop - Plug-Ins - Import/Export all you need to do is delete it! Or is this another PC problem? For some reason when I upgraded to 5.5, I was required to do the IT8 calibrations over again. Because the data for the calibration is the SilverFast folder which you replace when doing an upgrade -- David Gordon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
At 00:53 13-08-01 +0100, Steve Greenbank wrote: Not wishing to sound to gloomy, but the advice sounds like a we have no idea - but it might work if we re-install everything. The good news is that it often does - the bad news is IME it more often doesn't. Slightly OT but this brings to mind a piece that I just read on BBSpot, a humor site. Excerpt: Gator, an insidious, ubiquitous software program that helps users surf the Internet by storing passwords and popping up banner ads has come under fire for its annoying and allegedly deceptive features. Beyond the pop-up ads and difficult uninstalls, there have been reports of even more annoying features of the software. . . . [Gator marketing representative] continued, We also take exception to the reports that Gator is difficult to install. We list in our readme.txt file the simple steps required to remove the program. The first step requires a program called fdisk which every user has on their computer system. http://bbspot.com/News/2001/08/gator.html Seems like typical technical support these days, doesn't it? w Cary Enoch Reinstein aka Enoch's Vision, Inc., Peach County, Georgia http://www.enochsvision.com/, http://www.bahaivision.com/ -- Behind all these manifestations is the one radiance, which shines through all things. The function of art is to reveal this radiance through the created object. ~Joseph Campbell
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
Hi Roger A few things have occurred to me - please ignore the first 2 if you have a Mac: == 1) Are you using Win 9x/Me with more than 512MB ? If you are you may need to add a line to the file c:\windows\system.ini On the line immediately following [vcache] add the following MaxFileCache=131072 That will set the max file cache to 128Mb and prevent a known windows bug. You may like to try a larger value. === 2) Have you set the swap file to too small a fixed size. (People tend to set up a fixed size as this works best- as long as it's big enough). I don't quite remember where this is for NT/2000 but it's somewhere similar. Under start-control panel-system (you can press windows key and break key together as a short cut). Find the virtual memory setting under performance. Ensure this either set to something big (double your memory size is often recommended) but you also need to consider your scan size. Either setting Let windows manage my virtual memory or bearing in mind the size of your disk I'd set it to 4096 (too big) to see if this is your problem. === 3) Out of available disk space (I think this applies to a Mac too). PS uses scratch disk too as does printing if you are simultaneously doing some. A quick way to test this other than delete loads of files is to set your history states to 1 in PS. Edit-Preferences-General === 4) PS memory management. This is accessed under Edit-Preferences-MemoryImageCache . Here you can set memory usage by PS I think 50-75% is generally recommended but if you have a lot of memory you can go higher. I use 80%. You have to leave a little for the operating system and memory resident programs. Ensuring the minimum spec for OS is left for non PS should be sufficient. === You will need to restart Windows for the first 2 and PS for the last 2. Good luck Steve - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, August 13, 2001 3:23 AM Subject: Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster In a message dated 8/12/2001 4:56:31 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Not wishing to sound to gloomy, but the advice sounds like a we have no idea - but it might work if we re-install everything. The good news is that it often does - the bad news is IME it more often doesn't. When I had a problem they gave me all sorts of advice and blamed other software suppliers when I knew it was their problem from the tests I had done. I had also found a way round the problem which was an inconvenience rather than a showstopper. 3-6 months later an update fixed the problem but they didn't e-mail me to tell me. If I had paid the normal asking price (it was bundled) and my livlihood depended on it I would have been bloody livid. Depressingly Lasersoft support is actually better than many others. Your comment about workarounds gave me an idea. After the reinstall of Photoshop, if SilverFast causes Photoshop to freeze again with a 500 MB file from my SS120, I'll try to install SilverFast as TWAIN rather than a Photoshop plug-in. I remember having a similar problem where my Microtek ScanMaker 5 flatbed scanner with ScanWizard software would cause Photoshop to freeze about every third scan. ScanWizard could be used either as a Photoshop plug-in or as a stand alone program, so I run it by itself now. You're right, it's not convenient, but right now I need to get some work done and the sooner the better, even if it's not convenient.
RE: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
Easy SICSI wont work with W2k. Also note that if you use one of the latest Adaptec Ultra 160 cards you wont be able to intsall the ASPI layer, These cards are 29160, 39160. James Grove [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.jamesgrove.co.uk http://www.mountain-photos.co.uk ICQ 99737573 -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Steve Greenbank Sent: 13 August 2001 09:20 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster Lloyd That sounds a bit like dodgy ASPI drivers. Have you tried any other SCSI scanning software. You could try ASPICHK from : http://www.adaptec.com/worldwide/support/suppdetail.html?prodkey=EZ-SCSI _5.0 I notice that EZ-SCSI is having problems with 2000 so I don't know if this will work. It does rather suggest there can be problems with 2000 if Adaptec can't get it working - they are usually considered the SCSI experts. Steve - Original Message - From: Lloyd O'Daniel [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, August 13, 2001 8:48 AM Subject: Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster Roger, Let us know how the TWAIN version works. I'm having a similar problem with v5.5 and my SS4000. At least, after reading your posts, I'm thinking it might be Silverfast. I've also built a new computer and switched scanning OS's back to Win2000. The SS4000 locks up Photoshop upon selecting Scan in SF. In Insight, I get an unknown ASPI error suggesting that I check termination. I've done that. Also, my Epson 1200S on the same chain (behind the SS) works fine using their TWAIN driver. I haven't contacted Lasersoft on this latest headache yet. Lloyd - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2001 9:23 PM Subject: Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster In a message dated 8/12/2001 4:56:31 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Not wishing to sound to gloomy, but the advice sounds like a we have no idea - but it might work if we re-install everything. The good news is that it often does - the bad news is IME it more often doesn't. When I had a problem they gave me all sorts of advice and blamed other software suppliers when I knew it was their problem from the tests I had done. I had also found a way round the problem which was an inconvenience rather than a showstopper. 3-6 months later an update fixed the problem but they didn't e-mail me to tell me. If I had paid the normal asking price (it was bundled) and my livlihood depended on it I would have been bloody livid. Depressingly Lasersoft support is actually better than many others. Steve Your comment about workarounds gave me an idea. After the reinstall of Photoshop, if SilverFast causes Photoshop to freeze again with a 500 MB file from my SS120, I'll try to install SilverFast as TWAIN rather than a Photoshop plug-in. I remember having a similar problem where my Microtek ScanMaker 5 flatbed scanner with ScanWizard software would cause Photoshop to freeze about every third scan. ScanWizard could be used either as a Photoshop plug-in or as a stand alone program, so I run it by itself now. You're right, it's not convenient, but right now I need to get some work done and the sooner the better, even if it's not convenient.
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
Title: Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster Reference the Windows swap file: If I can track down the Microsoft and Adobe documentation that recommends this configuration I'll post the links. Some of the Microsoft links I promised. http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q197/3/79.ASP?LN=EN-USSD=gnFR=0qry=whta%20size%20should%20I%20make%20the%20swap%20filernk=44src="DHCS_MSPSS_gn_SRCHSPR=WIN2000<BR"> http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q237/7/40.ASP?LN=EN-USSD=gnFR=0qry=whta%20size%20should%20I%20make%20the%20swap%20filernk=80src="DHCS_MSPSS_gn_SRCHSPR=WIN2000<BR"> http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q259/1/51.ASP?LN=EN-USSD=gnFR=0qry=whta%20size%20should%20I%20make%20the%20swap%20filernk=162src="DHCS_MSPSS_gn_SRCHSPR=WIN2000<BR"> Ian Lyons http://www.computer-darkroom.com
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
Thanks, Steve. SilverFast also advised me to set the marching ants frame inside of where they were supposed to be. I tried it and it didn't work for me. But when I was finally able to get a new serial number for the 5.5 upgrade, I found that I was able do an IT8 calibration with no problem and with the frame set where it should be. I don't understand what's going on, but I'm sure the SilverFast software needs some calibration of its own. Now my problem is that I get an error from Photoshop when scanning with my medium format scanner. SilverFast people say I have a memory problem and I'm going to have to reinstall Photoshop to cure the problem. So first, I have to transfer 20 GB of data from my hard drive to CD to clean the hard drive up a bit. Then I have to defrag the hard drive. Then I have to figure out how to uninstall Photoshop. Then I have to install Photoshop. Then I have to download and install the 6.0.1 update for Photoshop. Then I have to figure out how to uninstall SilverFast again. Then I have to reinstall both SilverFast Ai and HDR, not from a CD disc, but as a download since I paid for the upgrade. Then I have 5 other plug-ins for Photoshop that also have to be reinstalled. And finally, I have to do four IT8 calibrations, one each for the two film scanners that use SilverFast and two more for a flatbed scanner that uses a different Photoshop plug-in. I sure hope that the SilverFast recommendation to reinstall Photoshop solves my problem. In a message dated 8/12/2001 3:29:23 AM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The trick is to leave about a 1 mm extra border inside the Silverfast recommended framing. I was incredibly frustrated with this until I accidentally figured it out. I have and use Silverfast on my Nikon LS4000 and Epson 1680 Professional Firewire scanner where it comes bundled. I have only calibrated the Epson for reflective scanning as I use the Nikon for slides. However a transparency target is provided for scanning 4x5 transparencies and that may some day be useful.
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
This appears to be making a mountain out of a molehill surely. Defragging should be done regularly anyway, uninstalling and reinstalling Photoshop is not difficult, likewise the plug-ins and all you need to do is back-up the profiles created by the previous IT8 calibrations. You shouldn't need to redo them.Think positive :-) Geoff - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, August 13, 2001 6:36 AM Subject: Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster Thanks, Steve. SilverFast also advised me to set the marching ants frame inside of where they were supposed to be. I tried it and it didn't work for me. But when I was finally able to get a new serial number for the 5.5 upgrade, I found that I was able do an IT8 calibration with no problem and with the frame set where it should be. I don't understand what's going on, but I'm sure the SilverFast software needs some calibration of its own. Now my problem is that I get an error from Photoshop when scanning with my medium format scanner. SilverFast people say I have a memory problem and I'm going to have to reinstall Photoshop to cure the problem. So first, I have to transfer 20 GB of data from my hard drive to CD to clean the hard drive up a bit. Then I have to defrag the hard drive. Then I have to figure out how to uninstall Photoshop. Then I have to install Photoshop. Then I have to download and install the 6.0.1 update for Photoshop. Then I have to figure out how to uninstall SilverFast again. Then I have to reinstall both SilverFast Ai and HDR, not from a CD disc, but as a download since I paid for the upgrade. Then I have 5 other plug-ins for Photoshop that also have to be reinstalled. And finally, I have to do four IT8 calibrations, one each for the two film scanners that use SilverFast and two more for a flatbed scanner that uses a different Photoshop plug-in. I sure hope that the SilverFast recommendation to reinstall Photoshop solves my problem.
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
In a message dated 8/12/2001 4:26:38 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: This appears to be making a mountain out of a molehill surely. Defragging should be done regularly anyway, uninstalling and reinstalling Photoshop is not difficult, likewise the plug-ins and all you need to do is back-up the profiles created by the previous IT8 calibrations. You shouldn't need to redo them. Think positive :-) Geoff I've been delaying doing a defrag because it takes at least 3 or 4 hours with an 80 GB hard drive that's half full. This simply forces the issue. Also, I'll try SilverFast after the defrag and maybe Photoshop will work and I won't have to do all of the reinstalls. (I can hope, can't I?) As I recall, I did have problems installing Photoshop 6 one time (still had Photoshop LE installed and there was a conflict.) I've never had an install take place without some kind of a problem. SilverFast can't be "uninstalled" because it's a plug-in; you have to hunt for the files to be deleted. (That's in spite of the fact that it has a folder labeled "uninstall.") For some reason when I upgraded to 5.5, I was required to do the IT8 calibrations over again. Actually, it's the time factor that I'm most concerned about because I'm a busy person. And when things don't go smoothly (I know they won't), it takes 4 or 5 times as long to get the job done and the support people aren't standing by the telephones on the weekend or at 3:00 a.m. when I need their help. Remember, I've already spent about 60 hours just getting my SS120 on-line and SilverFast loaded and kind of working. On top of that, the reinstalls probably won't even cure this last problem. Think positive, you say? Well, as a pessimist, I derive a great deal of satisfaction from being right in the end. And if I am wrong, well, a pessimist who's wrong is satisfied, too.
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
In a message dated 8/12/2001 4:56:31 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Not wishing to sound to gloomy, but the advice sounds like a "we have no idea - but it might work if we re-install everything". The good news is that it often does - the bad news is IME it more often doesn't. When I had a problem they gave me all sorts of advice and blamed other software suppliers when I knew it was their problem from the tests I had done. I had also found a way round the problem which was an inconvenience rather than a showstopper. 3-6 months later an update fixed the problem but they didn't e-mail me to tell me. If I had paid the normal asking price (it was bundled) and my livlihood depended on it I would have been bloody livid. Depressingly Lasersoft support is actually better than many others. Steve Your comment about workarounds gave me an idea. After the reinstall of Photoshop, if SilverFast causes Photoshop to freeze again with a 500 MB file from my SS120, I'll try to install SilverFast as TWAIN rather than a Photoshop plug-in. I remember having a similar problem where my Microtek ScanMaker 5 flatbed scanner with ScanWizard software would cause Photoshop to freeze about every third scan. ScanWizard could be used either as a Photoshop plug-in or as a stand alone program, so I run it by itself now. You're right, it's not convenient, but right now I need to get some work done and the sooner the better, even if it's not convenient.
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
[EMAIL PROTECTED] [[EMAIL PROTECTED]] wrote on Tue, 7 Aug 2001 18:53:05 -0400 Does anyone know if the $45US upgrade includes both SilverFast Ai and HDR? I think it does but I've always been confused about HDR. My Polaroid 5.5 upgrade allows me to save raw scans, that's HDR ain't it? (Scan Type: 48 Bit HDR Color) I'm confused because when I bought (note, bought, not bundled!) SilverFast I received two serial numbers, one for Ai and one for HDR. I seem to remember putting the HDR serial number in once, but never since I've used an update and 5.5 hasn't asked either. Of course as HDR is doing a raw scan the NegaFix will be of no importance. I don't want to go through the effort of another IT-8 calibration if the upgrade destroys the calibration. Remove your Polaroid (SilverFast) folder from your Photoshop Plugins folder and put it some where safe. Then install the 5.5 upgrade - which is a full version and does not update the old copy. You now have two copies, version 5.whatever and 5.5. You will need to calibrate for 5.5 but it will not have any effect on your old version. Come to think I had both versions in my Plugin folder at once, no problem. My recommendation would be that no one have anything to do with SilverFast until they get their house in order. They sorted my serial number/password problem within two hours of my calling. You need to speak to the Florida office. They are helpful, despite everything! -- David Gordon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
I, too, eventually gave up. I was wasting so much time and frustration trying (a) to get passwords out of them; (b) trying to make those passwords work and (c) trying to get any sensible help from Silverfast. Fortunately my software was bundled and so did not cause me any financial loss but it drove me into the Vuescan fold. Silverfast, when it works, has a hell of a learning curve. Why struggle with that as well as Photoshop? Raw scan into Photoshop in 16 bit and work from there. John Anne John Mahany New Forest U.K. please reply to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
John Anne Mahany [[EMAIL PROTECTED]] wrote on Wed, 8 Aug 2001 14:37:33 +0100 trying to get any sensible help from Silverfast This is their phone number, they are helpful, call after 2 pm UK time! 00 1 941 383 7496 Silverfast, when it works, has a hell of a learning curve. Why struggle with that as well as Photoshop? The same reason you'd buy fresh quality ingredients when cooking! -- David Gordon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: filmscanners: SilverFast Upgrade Disaster
I called the SilverFast U.S.A. office and got help. (They're slow with answering e-mail.) They said you have to pay $45 to upgrade Ai and another $45 to upgrade HDR. Also, they charge to upgrade each scanner you have. The exception is for Polaroid since they use one piece of software for both the SS4000 and the SS120. So a full SilverFast upgrade would cost me $90 and I could use it with both scanners. Of course, the smart thing to do (which is what I always try to do) is to upgrade only HDR and not Ai. Then you can make use of the negative profiles in the upgrade to HDR and not use Ai at all for image processing. (If you don't know what Ai and HDR are, see my last paragraph.) SilverFast is having problems with passwords and usernames for the upgrades. I was given a new one over the phone (don't know if it works yet) but they never answered my e-mail about it. SilverFast has a problem with doing an IT8 calibration, at least on a PC. It gives an error message that says you haven't aligned the frame correctly around the IT8 target. Ian Lyons says it works OK on his Mac. SilverFast is working on the problem and asked me to send them a screen grab just before the error message pops up. For those of you who don't know what Ai and HDR are, they are two components of SilverFast and can be purchased separately, thought they use basically the same coding. Ai talks to your scanner, gets the image, allows you to adjust levels and colors, and then stores it as a 24-bit file. It can also be used in "dumb mode" where it gets the image from the scanner and stores it as a 48-bit "raw" file without doing any modifications to the data at all. HDR doesn't talk to the scanner at all. The only thing it can do is get the data from a file (such as the one Ai created in "dumb mode"). Then you can adjust the image in 48-bit mode and, when done, store it as a 24-bit file for use in Photoshop or whatever. So an upgrade (which adds negative profiles) need only be done to either Ai or HDR, depending one which one you want to use for color correcting, etc. In a message dated 8/8/2001 12:39:52 AM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [[EMAIL PROTECTED]] wrote on Tue, 7 Aug 2001 18:53:05 -0400 Does anyone know if the $45US upgrade includes both SilverFast Ai and HDR? I think it does but I've always been confused about HDR. My Polaroid 5.5 upgrade allows me to save raw scans, that's HDR ain't it? (Scan Type: 48 Bit HDR Color) I'm confused because when I bought (note, bought, not bundled!) SilverFast I received two serial numbers, one for Ai and one for HDR. I seem to remember putting the HDR serial number in once, but never since I've used an update and 5.5 hasn't asked either. Of course as HDR is doing a raw scan the NegaFix will be of no importance. I don't want to go through the effort of another IT-8 calibration if the upgrade destroys the calibration. Remove your "Polaroid (SilverFast)" folder from your Photoshop Plugins folder and put it some where safe. Then install the 5.5 upgrade - which is a full version and does not update the old copy. You now have two copies, version 5.whatever and 5.5. You will need to calibrate for 5.5 but it will not have any effect on your old version. Come to think I had both versions in my Plugin folder at once, no problem. My recommendation would be that no one have anything to do with SilverFast until they get their house in order. They sorted my serial number/password problem within two hours of my calling. You need to speak to the Florida office. They are helpful, despite everything!
