CanoScan 8800F Trouble installing drivers and software

[brucewilkinson]

On Canon's support page for the 8800F scanner, there are downloads for the Navigator and the driver and menu.  However, downloading those on W-11 and installing them just gives a message that the driver needs to be installed.  So, the installer is apparently not registering the software items so that they work together.

I have one computer that was upgraded from W-7 to W-10 and then to W-11 (all pro versions of the OS).  And the scanner software continued to work just fine with MP Navigator.

However, I no longer have the original install media (CD-ROM).  So, I ran the following search in the browser:

"install disc for canoscan 8800f"

Thinking I might be able to find a used original install disc.  However, what I found about 4 or 5 items down in the results was an entry for an archive page with the 8800F install cd-rom.  I am being careful here not to include a website address although it is an org domain, so not a competing commercial site.  In any case, you will have to do the search for yourself so that this post is in compliance with the policies of the community.

On that page, there was an iso of the original installation disc.  I downloaded that on a newly configured Windows 11 Pro computer and the software installed just fine and works fine to scan images and pdfs.  As many of you know, you don't have to burn the iso to a disc.  You simply have to right click in File Explorer and mount it.  Then you can run the installer .exe just as if it were already in the download folder.  The iso is 399 MB which is consistent with a CD disc capacity (full image).

Caveat, I had first already downloaded the Navigator and driver from the Canon Support site.  However, when the installer found those, it simply canceled the install for those "newer" items but continued on and installed the rest of the software.  After a restart, I tested the scanner with the newly installed software and it works as before.

I also gave feedback on one of the Canon pages that they could improve their support by making the original ISO available.  So, maybe this will help someone who has this issue...  Hopefully Canon won't jump in and disable this workaround as the original installed software appears to be forward compatible with later versions of Windows Pro.

[HelpDesk180]

First off, ALWAYS use the OEM software IF it is Current and ACTIVELY updated.  Hate Windows monthly updates?  So do I, but they do not do the security updates for fun or programming practice.  If that is not an option, another excellent approach is to type "generic scanner software for all OS's and scanners" and at least in Chrome, you will get a suggestion to try a program that starts with a "V".  If you are into scanning much, it makes life much simpler because you install ONE small program that simply lists your collection of scanners and then runs what you select.  Very Well.  It supports over 6000 scanners.  I use it with my Canon and four other brands of scanners running in age from 35mm slide scanners from the 80's to current models.  It works under old Windows versions that should never be exposed to the internet all the way up to Win 11, Mac, Linux and with a few extra hoop-jumps, even Win 11 on ARM. Since this solves so many issues for so many use cases, even though it is NOT free, it is a heck of a good deal, is updated at least monthly, and just works.  Whenever I have had a question for them, I get an email reply usually the same or next day.  I DO have the original CD that comes with the CanoScan 8800F, but I also run a variety of OS's in VM's and want to use a variety of scanners in each. Having one piece of software to configure is handy.  There will always be some feature in OEM software that is tricky to implement but overall I would rather have stability and all the key features work well vs. one tweak I will probably do in photoshop or lightroom or ...  The only downside is there is no OEM support, but given that many OEM's will drop support when Microsoft or others do, and keeping an even well-loved but niche product's software secure and feature-competetive is a tough business decision to make, so even great hardware gets sunsetted. I'd rather have good software that is current on my OS than great software that has not had an update in 5,10, or more years.  Just like my Canon cameras, I plan to do whatever I can to keep my Canoscan 8800F productive.

[brucewilkinson]

Yes, I finally had to use that other application that starts with a V.

[normadel]

I have an 8800F. It works beautifully on my Win 11 computers with the the Win 7 software. You do have to install it properly. Install software BEFORE connecting scanner to computer, as the instructions say.  If you connect then install, it won't work.

[brucewilkinson]

Yes.  That worked on my Wife's new computer.  But I must have done things out of sequence on mine and never could get it to clear and recognize the driver--probably because I fiddled with the updated driver on the Canon support page.  So, I downloaded the other application that starts with a "V" and promises compatibility with hundreds of devices and it works beautifully, if differently, and also has incentive to keep the drivers up to date with Windows which Canon despicably/regrettably does not do as they are in the business of selling new hardware and not gaining customer loyalty.  That is the only Canon product I will likely ever buy in the future.  I had one of their cameras but switched to Sony mirrorless before Canon even had mirrorless.  I have one of their high end inkjet printers but it wastes about half of $700 worth of ink every time I turn it on to clean the jets--which is almost as much as buying a new printer.  As usual, beautiful images from Canon, but terrible cost/benefit equations.