More from the same ChatGPT dialog:
Here are plausible mechanics behind the bug, based on how scanner drivers + scan utilities tend to work:
When “Do not close ScanGear automatically” is selected, ScanGear remains active in a mode where it is waiting for user input or is in a persistent “session” mode, keeping certain internal handles open (file handles, driver contexts, WIA / TWAIN connections, etc.).
Over successive scans, some resource (internal buffer, handle, memory allocation, or state machine) is not properly reset or cleaned up, leading to a corruption or deadlock in the ScanGear internals. At that point, when you close the UI dialog, the driver or utility may no longer complete the transfer or finalize the scan job; the U Scan Utility is waiting (or hung) on the driver finishing, which never happens.
The failure persists until the driver process is restarted (i.e. via reboot), because the internal “bad state” cannot be cleared through the normal UI.
The “Close automatically” mode avoids this because after each scan, ScanGear closes itself (i.e. tears down that session) — the next scan is always a fresh new instance, so the buggy accumulation of state never occurs.
