1200 III EP FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

1.  Mustek is not among the list of scanner brands to choose from when installing TextBridge Classic.

2. "UI caused a general protection fault in module UI.exe."

3. "Flatbed scanner not ready."

4. Error messages: "IplugTW an error has occurred in your application" or "Twunk_16 an error has occurred in your application."

5. "Floating Point Error -- invalid page area."

6. "Integer divide by Zero" or "C runtime error."

7. Printer Problems or trouble using Defrag and ScanDisk.

8. Scans and prescans are solid colors or stripes of color.

9. Lines running through scanned images.

10. Scanner light stays on all the time.

11. A Fatal Exception Error 06 occurs when using TextBridge Classic or an image editing program like iPhoto Plus.

12. The TWAIN Dialog Box appears to be in a foreign language or written in jumbled characters.

1. Mustek is not among the scanners listed when installing TextBridge Classic.

    Cause: The list of scanner names you are seeing is a list of ISIS drivers. ISIS is a type of scanner driver used mainly for OCR programs. Your Mustek scanner does not use the ISIS driver type, but instead uses the TWAIN driver interface for image and OCR scanning, and therefore does not appear on the list.

    Solution: Follow these steps to move out of the ISIS selection screen and back to the TWAIN selection screen:

  1. Click on the "Cancel" button.
  2. A gray dialog box will appear listing several choices. Click on "Setup."
  3. You will see a familiar dialog box and be prompted to "Choose the Type of Scanner Driver You Wish To Install."
  4. Choose TWAIN from the list of driver types.
  5. A box will display showing your TWAIN sources. Choose Mustek 1200 III EP from the list and click on "Select."
  6. TextBridge will now prompt you to test the scanner interface. This is unnecessary. Click on "Exit" to finish the installation.
  7. When the "Electronic Registration" window appears, you can choose to fill in the information, or click "Cancel" to finish installation.


2. Problem: After clicking acquire, you get an illegal operation or GPF message stating "UI caused a general protection fault in module UI.EXE."

    Cause: Setting the resolution too high during the installation of TextBridge usually causes this problem.

    Solution: This has been linked to the WIN.INI file. The specific line is under the [Slim New UI] section and is:

    ResIndex=8

    The problem can be fixed by changing the line to: ResIndex=1.

    Windows 3.1x users follow these steps to change this line:
    Windows 95/98/NT users click here.

  1. From the Program Manager click on "File" and then "Run."
  2. Type "sysedit" and click "Okay." This will bring up a series of windows in the System Configuration Editor.
  3. Close the first window, which is AUTOEXEC.BAT.
  4. Close the next window, CONFIG.SYS. The third window is the WIN.INI. Scroll down to the [Slim New UI] section. (If you have trouble finding it, click on "Search" at the top of the window. Click "Find" in the dialog box and type the word Slim then click the "Next" button. This will take you to the [Slim New UI] section.)
  5. Go to the line ResIndex=.
  6. Change the line to ResIndex=1.
  7. From the File menu, click "Save."
  8. Close the WIN.INI
  9. Click on File and choose "Exit."
  10. Shut down and restart the computer.
  1. Click on "Start."
  2. Click on "Run."
  3. Type "sysedit" and click "Okay." This will bring up a series of windows in the System Configuration Editor.
  4. Close the first window, which is AUTOEXEC.BAT.
  5. Close the next window, CONFIG.SYS. The third window is the WIN.INI. Scroll down to the [Slim New UI] section. (If you have trouble finding it, click on "Search" at the top of the window. Click "Find" in the dialog box and type the word Slim then click the "Next" button. This will take you to the [Slim New UI] section.)
  6. Go to the line ResIndex=.
  7. Change the line to ResIndex=1.
  8. From the File menu, click "Save."
  9. Close the WIN.INI
  10. Click on File and choose "Exit."
  11. Click on "Start" and choose "Shut Down."
  12. Check the radio button next to "Restart the Computer."
  13. Click on "Yes."

3. Problem: When you try operating the scanner you get an error message stating "Scanner Not Ready."

    Cause: This error message occurs if the driver is unable to communicate with the scanner, or if the scanner is not powered on.

    Solution: It is very important that you make sure that the connections are right, that the scanner is getting power, and that the parallel port is set to the proper mode for the scanner.

  1. Disconnect any printers or other parallel port devices from the scanner and connect the scanner directly to the parallel port by itself. This will determine if the error is coming from the scanner, or from a conflict with another device.
  2. Make sure the power adapter is plugged in and the outlet is working. The AC adapter will be warm if it is plugged into a good outlet.
  3. Check the cable connections in the back of the scanner and the computer to make certain they are tight. Verify that you are using the IEEE 1284 cable that came with the scanner and that it is connected from the port labeled "Computer" on the rear of the scanner to your computer's parallel port.
  4. Set the parallel port mode to EPP in the computer's BIOS. This solves many problems with parallel port scanners. For more information on the EPP mode,
    click here.
  5. It is possible to have a "Scanner Not Ready" message caused by a software conflict. Try operating the scanner in Safe Mode in a program like iPhoto Plus 1.2. If the scanner operates in Safe Mode, you are most likely experiencing a conflict with a software program loading in Windows. For information on booting into Safe Mode (Windows 95/98 only) click here.
  6. If the computer does not have an EPP mode (some old 486s don't), we suggest that you do one of the following:
  1. (Easy) Exchange the 1200 III EP for a 1200 III SP which attaches to a 16-bit ISA SCSI card that comes with the scanner.
  2. (Difficult -- Only for users familiar with IRQ/DMA Issues) Purchase an enhanced parallel port interface card such as the SIIG Parallel Pro Enhanced Parallel Port.
    Note: If you choose to buy a second parallel port and experience difficulty installing it, you must contact the manufacturer of the card if you need help with installation or configuration.

4. Problem 1: When a scan is initiated an error occurs stating "IplugTW an error has occurred in your application." This problem occurs in the iPhoto Plus program.

Problem 2: When a scan is initiated an error occurs stating "Twunk_16 an error has occurred in your application." This error occurs in iPhoto 4.0, Picture Publisher or TextBridge.

    Cause: These errors are both caused by a software conflict. In most cases this problem has been linked to a driver loaded by the SYSTEM.INI file. In some cases, the driver conflicts with certain STB Vision video cards.

    Solution 1: The first thing that needs to be done is to check the SYSTEM.INI file and correct it if necessary.

  1. In Windows 3.1x, Click on "File" then click on "Run." In Windows 95/98, click on "Start" and select "Run."
  2. Type "sysedit" Click OK. This will bring up a series of windows in the System Configuration Editor.
  3. Close the first three windows: AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, and WIN.INI.
  4. The fourth window is the SYSTEM.INI. Scroll to the [BOOT] section. (Note: Do not go to the [BOOT DESCRIPTION] section.) Look for the line that says "system.drv=." Be sure that the line says "system.drv=system.drv." If the line says "system.drv=atmsys.drv," change it to read "system.drv=system.drv."
  5. Close the SYSTEM.INI. When it prompts to save the changes click "Yes." Click on File and choose Exit.
  6. Shut down and restart the computer.
  7. After the computer restarts, try another scan.

    Solution 2: Another possible solution is to change the video driver if you have an STB Vision video card. IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not attempt this step unless you have the video driver disks that came with your video card. You will not be able to undo this process without those disks.

  1. Click on the "Start" button.
  2. Click on "Settings."
  3. Click on "Control Panel."
  4. Click on "Display."
  5. Click on the "Settings" tab.
  6. Click on the "Advanced Settings" button or "Change Settings" button depending on your version of Windows 95/98.
  7. Click on the "Adapter" tab. This will bring up the adapter properties of the computer. If the adapter reads STB Powergraph or Powergraph 64, with STB Vision 95, the STB Vision 95 must be disabled.
  8. Click on the "Change" button.
  9. Put a dot next to "Show All Devices."
  10. Scroll Down the Manufacturer side to OEM STB.
  11. This will bring up models available for the manufacturer. Click on the STB Powergraph or STB Powergraph 64, depending on the model that was displayed above, WITHOUT STB VISION.
  12. Click on "OK."
  13. Click on "Close."
  14. Click on "Close" again.
  15. Windows will ask you to restart the computer. Click on "Yes."
  16. When the computer has restarted, try operating the scanner again.

5. Problem: Initiating a scan causes the error message: "Floating Point Error -- invalid page area."

    Cause: This error occurs if the scanner sends an all black image to the computer. If the page size is set to Custom (or Auto in Direct Scan), the scanner driver will attempt to automatically set the cropping frame around your picture or document after a prescan. If the image is all black, a floating point error occurs.

    Solution 1: Make sure you have something in the scanner to scan. If the glass has nothing on it, there will be no image for the crop frame to find except the black lid. This will cause a floating point error. If you did not have anything in the scanner, place something on the glass and try again.

    Solution 2: Check your settings. A black scan could be produced by having certain settings chosen in the driver.

  1. Make sure that the Scan Mode is set to Color or Gray for color photographs. Scanning a color picture in Line Art mode could produce a black scan.
  2. It is possible that you may have made changes in the brightness or contrast settings that will render the image all black. To correct this, click the "Enhancements" tab on the scanner driver and then click the "Reset" button at the bottom of the driver window.

    Solution 2: If you had a document or photo on the glass, you've checked your settings and a floating point error has reoccurred, you may have a defective scanner. To test for this, do the following:

  1. Set the page size to "Letter" in the driver window. This disables the auto-crop feature that may be producing the error.
  2. Prescan a document or photo. If the prescan image is all black, you may have a defective scanner.
  3. Check all the connections for the scanner, making sure they are all tight. The power adapter needs to be plugged into a power outlet that works. Make sure the data cable is plugged into the port on the rear of the scanner labeled "Computer."
  4. Check to see if the scanner light is on during a prescan. If the light carriage in the scanner travels down the bed, and the light is not on, you have a defective unit. Test the scanner on another computer to make sure.
  5. Check the parallel port mode in the BIOS to make sure it is in EPP mode. If it isn't, set it to the EPP mode.
  6. Check to see if the scanner works in Safe Mode. If it works in Safe Mode, you are probably having a software conflict. Call Mustek Technical Support for assistance.
  7. If you have checked all of these points and you are still getting a Floating Point Error, your parallel port mode may be incompatible with the scanner. If the port is incompatible, or does not have an EPP mode (some old 486s don't), we suggest that you do one of the following:
  1. (Easy) Exchange the 1200 III EP for a 1200 III SP which attaches to a 16-bit ISA SCSI card that comes with the scanner.
  2. (Difficult -- Only for users familiar with IRQ/DMA Issues) Purchase an enhanced parallel port interface card such as the SIIG Parallel Pro Enhanced Parallel Port.
    Note: If you choose to buy a second parallel port and experience difficulty installing it, you must contact the manufacturer of the card if you need help with installation or configuration.

6. Problem: When trying to operate the scanner using TextBridge, you get an error stating "Integer Divide by Zero" or "C runtime error." (This can also happen when using Direct Scan or any other image editing software.)

    Cause: This error usually occurs if the Descreen option is checked during a high resolution scan and is most likely to occur when trying to scan in the Line Art mode. (Descreen automatically removes moir� patterns from the image. Moir� patterns occur when scanning images that were printed with the four-color process method or other print methods, which use halftone screens. This is common with images scanned out of books or magazines.)

    Solution: To solve this problem, follow these steps.

    Window 95/NT Users

  1. Open the iPhoto Plus program version 1.2. (You can find this program by clicking on your "Start" button, going to the Programs menu, selecting the Mustek 1200 III EP group, and choosing the iPhoto Plus v.1.2 icon.)
  2. Click on the File menu in the upper left corner, and choose Acquire from the pull down menu.
  3. This should bring up the TWAIN dialog box. If you get a UI.EXE error message, follow the steps in Problem 2, then return here and continue.
  4. In the lower left-hand corner of the TWAIN dialog box you will see the Descreen button. Click on the check mark in the radio button to toggle off Descreen.

    Windows 3.1 Users

  1. Start the iPhoto Plus program.
  2. Click on the File menu in the upper left of the program and choose Acquire.
  3. This should bring up the TWAIN dialog box. If you get a UI.EXE error message, follow the steps in Problem 2, then return here and continue.
  4. In the lower left-hand corner of the TWAIN dialog box you will see the Descreen button. Click on the check mark in the radio button to toggle off Descreen.

7. Problem: The printer does not operate normally when plugged into the back of the scanner, but does work correctly when attached directly to the computer's parallel port. Possible error messages are "out of paper" and "check your connections," or it appears that the print job is sent but nothing prints out.

The Defrag and ScanDisk utilities will not run through a complete cycle and continue to restart during operation.

    Cause: There could be a conflict between the scanner's cover sensor program and the printer, or there could be a connection issue between the scanner and printer.

    The Cover Sensor program is running and preventing the Defrag and ScanDisk utilities from completing their tasks. Use Solution 1 to turn off the Cover Sensor.

    Solution 1: Disable the scanner's cover sensor. (Windows 95/98 only.)

  1. In the lower right-hand corner of the Taskbar (the gray strip where the "Start" button and time live), you will see a green icon that looks like a sleeping scanner (little Zs coming from it) next to the time. Use your right mouse button to click on this icon.

  1. A menu will display on which you will see the "Cover Driven" option.

  1. Click on "Cover Driven" to toggle the cover sensor feature off.

    Solution 2: If you have tried Solution 1, and the printer is still not responding, you may have a connection issue.

  1. What is the length of your printer cable? The longer your cable is the more likely it is that the signal is getting weak before it reaches the printer. Try to have the shortest length of cable possible. Measure the distance from your scanner to where your printer will be located. Use a cable that is as close as possible to that length.
  2. Make sure that your printer cable is a high quality cable. It should have the IEEE 1284 rating printed on the side of the cable.
  3. Count the pins coming from the ends of the printer cable. Make sure you have 25 pins. If you have any less your cable may be incompatible or sub-standard.

    Note: If you have a problem after checking all of these trouble shooting steps, we suggest contacting Mustek Technical Support.

8. Problem: When I try to scan no image appears, an image with horizontal lines appears or a solid color scan (white, black, blue, or green) appears.

    Cause: Solid color images usually occur because the parallel port mode is not set to EPP in your computer's BIOS or there is a bad connection.

    Solution: Check for proper connections and set the parallel port to EPP mode in the BIOS.

  1. Disconnect any printers or other parallel port devices from the scanner and connect the scanner directly to the parallel port by itself.
  2. Check the cable connections in the back of the scanner and the computer to make certain they are tight. Verify that you are using the IEEE 1284 cable that came with the scanner and that it is connected from the port labeled "Computer" on the rear of the scanner to your computer's parallel port.
  3. Set the parallel port mode to EPP in the computer's BIOS. This solves many problems with parallel port scanners. For more information on the EPP mode,
    click here.
  4. Try operating the scanner in Safe Mode in a program like iPhoto Plus 1.2. If the scanner operates in Safe Mode, you are most likely experiencing a conflict with a software program loading in Windows. For information on booting into Safe Mode, click here.

9. Problem: Scanned images have vertical or horizontal lines running through them.

    Cause: Lines running through images are usually caused by bad connections or not having the parallel port set to EPP mode.

    Solution: Check for proper connections and set the parallel port to EPP mode in the BIOS.

  1. Disconnect any printers or other parallel port devices from the scanner and connect the scanner directly to the parallel port by itself.
  2. Check the cable connections in the back of the scanner and the computer to make certain they are tight. Verify that you are using the IEEE 1284 cable that came with the scanner and that it is connected from the port labeled "Computer" on the rear of the scanner to your computer's parallel port.
  3. Set the parallel port mode to EPP in the computer's BIOS. This solves many problems with parallel port scanners. For more information on the EPP mode,
    click here.
  4. Try operating the scanner in Safe Mode in a program like iPhoto Plus 1.2. If the scanner operates in Safe Mode, you are most likely experiencing a conflict with a software program loading in Windows. For information on booting into Safe Mode, click here.

10. Scanner light stays on all the time.

    Cause: The scanner does not have an on/off switch. The light is activated by a program that can control the light in Windows 95/98.

    Solutions for Windows 95/98 users:

  1. Verify that the Watch program is running by pressing the CTRL+ALT+DEL keys on your keyboard once simultaneously. (Pressing these keys twice will cause your computer to reboot.) In the Close Program window, you should see an item called Watch. If it is not there, try rebooting the computer and check again. If it is still not there, reload your scanner driver.
  2. Make sure the computer has shut down properly. If the Watch program is shut down after a scan, either on purpose or by the computer being shut off without going through the Shut Down procedure, then it will not have the chance to turn off the light. It will not harm the light to be on, and a normal Shut Down procedure will reset the Watch program so that it may turn off the light.

    Solutions for Windows 3.1x users:

  1. There is no Watch program for the light in Windows 3.1x. On these systems, the light will remain on unless the power adapter is unplugged or turned off by a power strip. The light has been designed to remain on indefinitely, and it will not harm the scanner or the light if it is left on.

11. A Fatal Exception Error 06 occurs when using TextBridge Classic or an image editing program like iPhoto Plus.

Cause: Fatal Exception Errors are usually caused by a software conflict. In the case of TextBridge Classic or an image editing program like iPhoto Plus, it is possible to get a Fatal Exception Error if the TWAIN driver wasn't correctly identified during setup of TextBridge Classic.

Solution: Correctly choose the TWAIN driver in TextBridge Classic. Use the steps below:

  1. Start the TextBridge program by clicking on its under the TextBridge Classic program group.
  2. In the TextBridge program, click on File and Select "Setup Scanner Source."
  3. You will see a dialog box and be prompted to "Choose the Type of Scanner Driver You Wish To Install."
  4. Choose TWAIN from the list of driver types.
  5. A box will display showing your TWAIN sources. Choose Mustek 1200 III EP from the list and click on "Select."
  6. TextBridge will now prompt you to test the scanner interface. This is unnecessary. Click on "Exit" to return to the program.
  7. You may now scan in TextBridge without a Fatal Exception Error.

12. The TWAIN Dialog Box appears to be in a foreign language or written in jumbled characters.

Cause: The wrong INI file was loaded or it was loaded by accident.

Solution: Follow the steps below to change the screen back to the English TWAIN Dialog Box:

  1. Click on the Start button.
  2. Click on Find and select Files or Folders.
  3. Type in MTWM.INI and then click OK.
  4. When the file is displayed, highlight and double-click on it to open it up in Notepad.
  5. Click on Search, then Find and type in the word "language" (without quotes) in the command line. Tap the F3 key to Find Next.
  6. Verify that the Language line is equal to zero (language=0 ) under the [Slim New UI] category. If it is not, click the mouse behind the number and use the Backspace key to replace it with a 0.
  7. Click on File and then Save to save the changes.
  8. Close all running applications and restart the computer.
  9. Start your host application (i.e. iPhoto Plus 4.0).
  10. Select the scanner source for the application.
  11. Acquire the source that was selected for the application.
  12. In the top right-hand corner of the TWAIN dialog window, click on Main.
  13. The first button to the left of the TWAIN dialog window should be the "Load the Setting" option.
  14. Click on "Load the Setting."
  15. Double-click on the C:\ folder in the right-hand box underneath Folders in the Open dialog window.
  16. Scroll down to Windows and double-click it.
  17. Scroll down within the Windows directory to the folder TWAIN_32 and double-click it.
  18. In the TWAIN_32 folder there should be a subdirectory called A4S2_600. Double-click on this directory.
  19. In the A4S2_600 folder will be a file called MTWM.INI.
  20. Click on MTWM.INI to highlight it, and then click on OK to accept the file.
  21. The language setting should now be set back to the English default.

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