fixing HP Officejet 4500 scanner failure

The printer is out of warranty. On turning it on, it reads "Scanner failure. unable to scan, copy or send a fax. Press OK to continue". On pressing OK, the message disappears. The computer can print without any issues.

I ran the diagnostics at
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/w...86399#N447
and http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/w...=en&dlc=en
but it did not fix the issue.

Followed steps at
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/w...=ot_search
but that too did not help.

The scanner was working fine till last week. Connected the Officejet 4500 to another computer(running Windows 7), directly to the socket in wall, but still the scanner does not work.

The Officejet 4500 is connected to a desktop running Windows XP. Glanced the manual at
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Man...051571.pdf but did not find steps to resolve this error.

1. Do I have to replace the bulb as
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb_ZkjG3mrU Since it is in another language, I cannot understand the video but have to follow the steps shown in the video.

2. Is the scanner bulb generally available at a local Best Buy/Staples store?

3. What else can I try?

If I had to guess it would be the lamp or mirrors check out this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq...ure=fvwrel

does the lamp not come on or does it move

So can you scan from the printer itself through the panel on the printer? Or are you merely unable to print through the software?

I presume the error is coming from the software correct?

Your first 2 HP links don't work.

Are you sure its the bulb? If so How?

I have repaired a couple of HP printers and I found the Repair/Service Manual to be very valuable.

No, you won't find the bulb locally at a big box store since consumers don't replace it. If it is the bulb, finding one might be the challenge. This looks to be a $100 unit (http://www.amazon.com/HP-Officeje...B0036TGGJ6) and honestly these are not designed like the enterprise printers that can be repaired, they are designed to be replaced. It's probably not worth your time spending hours searching on line for a bulb, especially when your not even sure it will fix the problem. Spend the time instead searching for a deal on a new one. If it gets heavy duty use, a larger class machine will be worth it.

Quote from komondor : If I had to guess it would be the lamp or mirrors check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq...ure=fvwrel does the lamp not come on or does it move

Thanks, I will try opening and cleaning the mirror as shown in the video.

Quote from menace33 : So can you scan from the printer itself through the panel on the printer?

No, I cannot scan at all.

Quote from menace33 : Or are you merely unable to print through the software?

Printing is fine, but scanning cannot be done through the panel or the HP software.

Quote from menace33 : I presume the error is coming from the software correct?

No, on the display which shows the date/time on the scanner(when it starts)

Quote from p_s_92 : No, I cannot scan at all. Printing is fine, but scanning cannot be done through the panel or the HP software. No, on the display which shows the date/time on the scanner(when it starts)

Oh well not good as this printer is far out of warranty.

It very well could be this:

Quote : There is an internal or external electrical malfunction.

It may not be recoverable if that bulb thing doesn't work and you may be in the market for a new AIO.