Ix500 - Fujitsu Software - Alternatives?

DEVONthink
1

Hi,

for the last 11 years my ix500 is working (mostly) fine on my systems. Now that macOS Tahoe is just a klick away and the Scansnap software remains on the Intel-version 2.23.1 because the ix500 is discontinued from Fujitsu and newer versions resist to install … I am getting nervous.

  • Are there alternative setups - software side preferred bc the ix500 works flawlessly - for my DT setup? WLAN scanning a plus, though not a must. M4 Mac mini is my base.
  • Which scanner would you recommend as a replacement of the ix500? Same specs.

Maybe someone has (had) the same thoughts.

TIA

Dirk

1 Like
2
2 Likes
3

Tried Vuescan this morning. Recognized my ix500 via USB but I wasn’t able to scan something. Maybe needs further investigations.

4

Perhaps the folks at Vuescan can give advice about that failure?

2 Likes
5

Doesn’t work for me either.

1 Like
6

A common issue is some other scanner software already active, so with me I had to go and force-quit ScanSnap for example, then restart VueScan. But as @rmschne said, the folks at Hamrick software are very supportive. Being such a common scanner (esp. Mac users), surely they can help.

1 Like
7

Actively stopping all scansnap processes and powering the ix500 off and on worked. Will give it a try.

8

I hope you realize even if you need to replace it sooner than you’d like, that’s a pretty awesome ROI on the hardware :slight_smile:

1 Like
9

I rebooted, tried again and it worked. And yes, a heck of a return on investment. Will definitely replace mine when it no longer works.

2 Likes
10

I am grateful for mine. Kudos to Fujitsu, always made good machines. And cleaning it is straightforward. I don’t much like ScanSnap, which I find very antiquated and confusing. VueScan is much better, and a brave team of 2 people.

2 Likes
11

I hope you realize even if you need to replace it sooner than you’d like, that’s a pretty awesome ROI on the hardware :slight_smile:

Oh yes. Absolutely fantastic. The only problem I ever had was with the software. 360€ in 2014 … a lot of money for me back then but well invested.

1 Like
12

Does the ix500 run on ScanSnap Manager? I am curious because I was not thinking about my own ScanSnap! I am not in front of it but as I recall it’s the S510. They stopped supporting ScanSnap Manager and I don’t think ScanSnap Home (or whatever it’s called) is compatible with my hardware, if I remember correctly. My scanner is old as hell but still works perfectly fine. I’d hate to break the setup. Perhaps VueScan would be an option for me as well.

13

It’s called Scansnap Home, you are right.

14

I switched to USB and use ExactScan. A keyboard maestro macro activates the software when the scanner is turned on/attached and quits the app when the scanner is disconnected.

15

I tested and bought VueScan as a one-time purchase. Looks good for me. Since I have the scanner near my Mac I disabled WiFi scanning and it works fine.

Thanks to everybody for helping me find it and sharing your experiences.

1 Like
16

Hi, I’ve been using the ix500 since August 2013 (even better ROI :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: )
and although ScanSnap is not particularly elegant or user-friendly, it just works without any issues, even under Tahoe. I scanned documents as recently as five minutes ago. I use WiFi even though the scanner is right next to my computer, simply because it means fewer cables and fewer USB ports used.
My last ix500 started to become less reliable, but after a quick YouTube tutorial, I cleaned it and now it works perfectly. Honestly, this has probably been the best investment I’ve made in hardware.
I can’t imagine giving up the ix500/ScanSnap/DT.

3 Likes
17

Welcome @clazz and thanks for sharing. ScanSnaps have never been in the bargain bin but the longevity of the hardware certainly makes them a good investment from what we’ve seen from all of you.

1 Like
18

FWIW, I too have an ix500 (for almost as long as you have) and recently updated ScanSnapHome to the latest version (3.1.1) and everything is working fine. The ScanSnapHome installer recognizes the ix500 even though the web site says it is not supported.

I haven’t upgraded to Tahoe yet, but I will do that soon, now that I know my ScanSnap still works

1 Like
19

I think WiFi is the fix. I set that up today after reading about it on another forum and now it works again.

20

Why?
We don’t recommend moving to Tahoe (or other .0 release).