2 Airport Express questions

[johnnyjibbs]

Hi there,

Got 2 niggly problems with the Airport Express, which I hope someone might be able to help.

1)

The wireless printing is neat and my dad has just added a 2nd Express to his setup for all his wireless printing needs. It works great, except his new printer is a printer-scanner (as most are these days). Unfortunately, while printing works great because it is handled through Mac OS X, we are struggling to get the Epson scanner software to recognise the Airport Express. We've tried setting it up as a network printer and typing in the IP address of the Express (which itself is not the primary Airport Express connected to the internet but a slave on the network) but it does not work.

Obviously we could hook up the cable each time we want to scan but that pretty much defeats the object of the wirelessness! I would have thought it's achievable through the driver even if Apple hadn't planned people to be using printer-scanners on Airport Expresses... anyone know any solution?

2)

I've moved into a new flat and connected to their wireless network. I'll be using my own Airport Express for airtunes and wireless printing, which itself will be connected to the main wireless network. Said Airport Express has been sitting in a cupboard for 6 months since its last use - and it has always worked perfectly.

Now I can't connect to the blasted thing. I plug it in (next to my computer - but have also tried other areas in the flat) and open the new Airport Utility that comes with Leopard (having upgraded OS since I last used this particular AE). No matter how many times I "rescan" I get nothing. Same nothing if I connect an ethernet cable. My trusty friend Airport Management Utility is still present on my computer but will not launch in Leopard.

I know that I need to connect to my AE to tell it the new wireless network password but what to do if I can't connect to it? I very much doubt it has developed a fault sitting in a cupboard for a few months (at room temperature) so anyone else had a similar issue and know of a fix? I've tried everything!

Thanks in advance.
John

 

[Batt]

1) You can only print wirelessly. Scanning has to be wired.
2) Sorry, no clue.

 

[jsw]

2)

Try resetting the AE.

Press that little recessed 'reset' button with a pen tip, toothpick, etc. when the AE is unplugged.

While keeping it pressed, plug in the AE. This is tricky, but seems to work more often than plugging it in and then pressing the reset button.

Keep the reset button pressed for about 15 seconds until the LED blinks several times.

The AE is now reset. You should be able to find it with a rescan.

 

[johnnyjibbs]

Thanks for your suggestions. It's a pity about the scanning but probably the answer I was expecting.

Unfotunately the hard reset didn't work (the LED lights still flashed as described - thanks for this tip; I learnt something today!) so I guess I'm going to have to take it down to the store on Regent Street and see if they can test it for me. Maybe it did go wrong while sitting in my drawer...!

 

[QuarterSwede]

It's a pity about the scanning but probably the answer I was expecting.

Until scanner manufacturers start dropping the archaic TWAIN interface you're stuck with wiring it for scanning unfortunately.