18th September 2002

Question: I am running Microsoft Office XP and I get the following error message when I try to import an image from my scanner: "An error occurred while acquiring the image." I know the scanner works fine, because I can scan using other programs like Adobe Photoshop. Why am I getting this error and can I fix it?

Answer: Devices, like scanners and cameras, use something called a TWAIN driver and that, in a way, is what is causing this problem. The Insert command wants to use something called the Windows Imaging Acquisition (WIA) driver. This causes the problem, because your scanner's TWAIN drivers aren't being used. There is a way around this, though! Just choose Custom Insert instead of Insert and that will use your manufacturer-supplied or TWAIN drivers to obtain the image. (You can choose Custom Insert by navigating your menus in the following manner: Insert | Picture | >From scanner or camera | Insert picture from scanner or camera, then choose "Custom Insert" instead of "Insert.") When your scanner software opens, make sure you choose "Return to Microsoft Word" (or any other Office application). This error can also affect people using Office 2000. That's it, no more errors for this Gnomie.