Weird problem with scanner

I've got a scanner which upon plugging in causes the computer to shut itself down automatically and immediately. I've ruled out other causes and this is definitely the problem. Does anyone know have a solution for it (apart from not using the scanner, which I figure is plan Z). My operating system is Windows XP and the scanner is Canoscan Lide 20 (although I doubt it's a problem with the scanner itself). Thanks!

 

If you plug in the scanner while the computer is off, and then you turn the computer on, will the computer boot?

 

Often that can be an electrical instability feeding back to the computer. Does it happen no matter which port is used? If the drivers have become corrupt then a similar device plugged into the same port should trigger the same response. You can try pulling all USB-attached devices, delete the USB drivers and buses (the works) from device manager and reboot and allow them to install again which may help if its not self preservation by the computer to prevent catastrophy from stray voltage.

 

Also, is the computer a laptop or a desktop? If a desktop, are you plugging into the front or back USBs?

The LiDE 20 is a USB-powered scanner - it came with a special USB cable, and even though it doesn't actually need this cable, they do tend to work better with it (special shielding and such). Also, if this is a desktop, make sure that you are plugging it into the BACK USBs over the front, as they guarantee to provide power to the unit. It can bee this power issue that can cause problems with LiDEs.

Also, again, if this is a desktop, if the USBs are 1.0 and not 2.0, this can also cause problems.

A-N