HP Scanjet 5490 not recognized by computer

[Porfirioo]

I am facing a weird problem with my HP scanjet 5490 which is connected to my computer. I have a desktop computer which is installed with Windows 7 operating system. I recently bought a HP Scanjet 5490 scanner and connected it to the computer. But the HP Scanjet 5490 is not recognized by computer. Whenever the scanner is connected, it gives the error saying unknown device connected. I dont know how to solve the problem and hence need your help in solving the issue.

[Hardwareman]

I think the connecting cord which is used to connect the scanner to the computer must be faulty due to which the scanner is not recognized by the computer. The connecting cord which is used to connect the scanner to the computer, is a USB cable which has lines of conductors which can get damaged due to improper handling and storage. If the any of the conductors of the cable develops a fault then the communication between the computer and the device will not be proper and hence the device will not work properly. Therefore change the connecting cord and see if the scanner is getting detected.

[Maxforu]

The device which you are using is faulty according to me. As you are getting an error message saying "Unknown device connected" it means that the device is not working properly. Also the device is recently bought and will be under warranty period. Therefore I would suggest you to take the scanner to some authorized service center and get the scanner checked. If the scanner is faulty then it will be replaced as it is under warranty.

[Killen]

Windows 7 faces lot of issues with incompatibility with lot of devices. Due to this incompatibility issue, lot of devices do not work properly in Windows 7. The compatibility issue rises due to the unavailability of the appropriate drivers. Therefore go to the official website of the manufacturer of the scanner and download the latest driver for the model of scanner which you are using and which is supported by Windows 7. Once the appropriate drivers are installed, check if the scanner is working properly or not.

[T.J.]

Try resetting the scanner and then see if the scanner gets detected or not. Scanners have firmware installed in it. Firmware is like any other software which can get corrupt or can get stuck while executing certain instructions. If the firmware gets stuck then the device will not detected. To bring the scanner back to working state, you will have to reset the scanner. To reset the scanner, press the power and scan button together while powering on. Keep the buttons pressed till all the LED's on the scanner glow. Once all the LED's glow, release the button and let the scanner restart. Now see if the scanner gets detected.