PPT97: Errors Inserting Picture from Scanner (165424)

SYMPTOMS

If you click Picture on the Insert menu and then click From Scanner, you receive one of the following error messages:

The server application, source file, or item cannot be found. You should reinstall the server application.

-or-

Unable to open selected TWAIN Source. If your scanner is a TWAIN compliant scanner, please reinstall the software for that scanner.

CAUSE

Unless you customize the PowerPoint menus, this command is always present. However, it only works if you have both of the following components installed on your computer:

Microsoft Photo Editor
A scanner with a TWAIN-compliant driver

If Microsoft Photo Editor is not installed, or if it is not registered properly, you receive the first error message. If you do not have a scanner installed, or if your scanner does not have a TWAIN-compliant driver, you receive the second error message.

RESOLUTION

If Microsoft Photo Editor is not installed on your computer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

120802 Office: How to Add/Remove a Single Office Program or Component

If Microsoft Photo Editor is installed on your computer, try starting it from the Start menu, and then switch back to PowerPoint and try starting the program from there.

You can tell if you have a TWAIN-compliant scanner driver installed by doing the following:

From Windows Explorer, open your \Windows folder. If it contains another folder called \TWAIN or \TWAIN32, open that folder. If there is no folder called \TWAIN or \TWAIN32, you do not have a TWAIN driver installed on your computer.
Look in the \TWAIN or \TWAIN32 folder for a file that has a .ds file extension. If you do not have a .ds file, you do not have a TWAIN driver installed.

If you do not have a TWAIN driver installed for your scanner, see if your scanner came with a disk labelled something similar to "TWAIN Source".

If it did, try installing the software on that disk.

NOTE: TWAIN drivers are scanner-specific. They are only availble from the manufacturer of your scanner. Microsoft does not write TWAIN drivers for scanners.

MORE INFORMATION

TWAIN stands for Technology Without An Interesting Name. This technology is currently developed and maintained by Hewlett-Packard Corporation. If a scanner is specifically designed to support TWAIN, you can control that scanner from any graphics program that is also written to support TWAIN. Microsoft Photo Editor supports TWAIN.

When you click Picture on the Insert Menu and then click From Scanner, PowerPoint tries to start Microsoft Photo Editor. This command is equivalent to clicking Object on the Insert menu and then clicking Microsoft Photo Editor 3.0 Scan from the Object Type list.