There are a  lot of older multifunction centers and scanners that will not scan across a network to a windows 8.1 pc. Upon migration to 8.1 many of us are losing our ability to scan across our networks.  I have a lot of Brother DCP8040 machines out there.  Brother refuses to rewrite and support network scanning capabilities under win 8.1 for its older machines.  The drivers we now have support network scanning under XP, Vista and win 7... but not under win 8.1.  Win 8.1 cannot find the scanner on the network.  I can connect a DCP8040 directly to a win 8.1 pc, load the drivers and both print and scan.  I can print across the network, but cannot scan.  Again, windows 8.1 cannot find the scanner on the network.  Anyone know of any 3rd party solution where the older scanner drivers can be used under win 8.1?  My clients refuse to migrate to win 8.1 as it means they have to trash the older MFC's and make considerable investments in new equipment.  I am reading that the same problems are being experienced with older HP, Epson, and Cannon scanners.  Someone has to come up with a generic solution.

• Changed type ZigZag3143xMVP, Moderator 16 hours 22 minutes ago Not a question

Hi Budk,

Have you tried to work with the built-in driver ?

I tried to search the driver of the Brother DCP8040 for Windows 8.1 and it referred me to install the built-in driver.

http://support.brother.com/g/b/downloadlist.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=dcp8040_all&os=135

NOTE: This response contains a reference to a third party World Wide Web site. Microsoft is providing this information as a convenience to you. Microsoft does not control these sites and has not tested any software or information found on these sites.

Best regards  

• Edited by MeipoXu Friday, January 16, 2015 5:53 AM

Hi BudK,

From my experience, network scanners (those having IP address) do not have and do not need drivers.

They scan documents into format of your choosing (pdf, jpeg etc) and then either e-mail that content, or send it to a network share. The communication with the user is usually done thru contol panel on the device.

Perhaps you just need to point your scanner to a network share or mail server.

If you read the stream this has been my contention all along.  Brother flat out told me in an email that they will not write a win 8.1 network driver for the scanner.  They have used Win 8.1 to draw a line in the sand which states "we will force our buyers/users to make new purchases."  By not supporting with a driver, they render the product instantly obsolete... end of life cycle.  Not because the product is failing and has no more useful life, but because they want to sell more product.

So going back to the beginning, my whole intent in starting this conversation was a hope that someone out there, who makes a living writing drivers, would take a look at this and note it is an opportunity to make some money by coming up with a third party solution... not only for the Brother line, but also HP, Cannon, Epson etc who have all decided collectively (as such manufacturers do) not to support certain devices under Win 8.1.

You see, I've been at this a long time (since 1984), since the beginning, and that history gives a unique perspective.  I've seen this cycle over and over as MS comes out with new operating systems.  Certain manufacturers continue to use the version releases as excuses not to support older equipment in an effort to push sales of new equipment.  But there always seems to be some third party that comes to the rescue and provides a solution.  WHERE IS THAT GUY NOW?  We all know you are out there.  Get on the stick and give us something that works...please.

Bud

Like you I have been at this a long long time.  If I were a driver developer what do you think I would be spending my time on, a legacy driver that neither the MFR nor MS, will support, or a new driver for a new product?  Sad to say but I too have retired far too many products because it is simply expedient to replace rather than repair.  Do I wish it were not so, of course, but I have other windmills to tilt at.  Pardon me while I go shoot my dead car.

there always seems to be some third party that comes to the rescue and provides a solution.  WHERE IS THAT GUY NOW? 

Is there any possibility of a virtualized solution?  E.g. use Hyper-V to run an OS that does support what you have?

Maybe you've been at it too long.  That is an answer/comment in typical MS big business mentality.  You are dramatizing the whole thing to suit your premise.  You are overestimating the time necessary to write the driver and you are understating the significance/size of the problem and the potential return. Stocks of the Brother DCP8040 are still being sold new and refurnished.  Literally millions of other brands and models are being affected.  So it is not like these machines wont be around tomorrow.  Its not like the problem is not significant enough to draw attention.

If you've really been around that long, go back and think about when you started.  If I had a dime for every solution that was sold as freeware "as is"  with no support and the condition "if it works, if works, if not, sorry".  But so many have worked and have provided a solution.

I am not suggesting that anyone should jeopardize their personal or corporate well being or devote their entire work week to solve the problem. There are many out there who will write the thing and put it out there as freeware, collecting donations, just to see if they can do it or help the situation.  There are those who even relax buy doing such things, "solving the problem."  I mean, if it takes 5-40 hours work, I would be surprised. I myself can write, but I just don't understand enough about the workings of a printer driver across a network to do the job.

Again, WHERE ARE YOU?  And the proof in my words would be for someone to take the task and do it. Again, HEY, WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?

Bud

Robert is a volunteer like most of us.  I cannot be assume you want something that most/ all cannot provide.