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Why does the fine reader not scan. Fixing scanning errors in ABBYY Finereader

Abbyy Finereader is a program for text recognition with images. The source of images is usually a scanner or MFP. Directly from the application window, you can scan, and then automatically translate the image into text. In addition, Fine Reader can convert images received from a scanner into PDF and FB2 format, which is useful when creating electronic books and documentation for subsequent printing.

How to fix the problem: ABBYY Finereader does not see the scanner.

For Abbyy Finereader 14 (latest version) to work correctly on your computer, the following requirements must be met:

  • processor with a frequency of 1 GHz and support for the SSE2 instruction set;
  • OS Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7;
  • RAM from 1 GB, recommended - 4 GB;
  • TWAIN- or WIA-compatible image input device;
  • Internet access for activation.

If your hardware does not meet these requirements, the program may not work correctly. But even if all conditions are met, Abbyy FineReader often produces various scanning errors, such as:

  • unable to open TWAIN source;
  • the parameter is set incorrectly;
  • internal software error;
  • source initialization error.

In the vast majority of cases, the problem is related to the application itself and its settings. But sometimes errors occur after updating the system or after connecting new equipment. Let's consider the most common recommendations on what to do if ABBYY FineReader does not see the scanner and displays error messages.

Error correction

There are a number of general tips for correcting incorrect work:

  1. Update your hardware drivers to the latest versions from the manufacturer's official website.
  2. Check the rights of the current user in the system, increase the access level if necessary.
  3. Sometimes it helps to install an older version of the application, especially if you are running on non-new hardware.
  4. Check if the system itself sees the scanner. If it doesn't show up in Device Manager or is shown with a yellow exclamation mark, then the problem is with the hardware, not the software. Refer to the instructions or the manufacturer's technical support.
  5. The official ABBYY website has good technical support https://www.abbyy.com/ru-ru/support. You can ask a question, describing your specific problem in detail, and get a first-hand professional solution absolutely free.

Troubleshooting "The parameter is incorrect" error

In the latest version of ABBYY FineReader, it may also be called "Source Initialization Error". Initialization is the process of connecting and recognizing the equipment by the system.

If Fine Reader does not see the scanner when you start the scan dialog box and gives such errors, then the following actions should help:

  1. Restart FineReader.
  2. Go to the "Tools" menu, select "OCR Editor".
  3. Click "Tools", then "Settings".
  4. Turn on the "Basic" section.
  5. Go to "Select Image Device", then "Select Device".
  6. Click on the drop down list of available drivers. Check the scanning performance one by one with each of the list. If you succeed with one of them, use it in the future.

ATTENTION. It is also possible that a scan could not be performed with any of the available drivers. Then click "Use scanner interface".

If this does not help, you will need the TWAIN_32 Twacker utility. It can be downloaded from the official ABBYY website at ftp://ftp.abbyy.com/TechSupport/twack_32.zip.

After that, follow the instructions:

  1. Exit Fine Reader.
  2. Unzip the twack_32.zip archive to any folder.
  3. Double click Twack_32.exe.
  4. After starting the program, go to the "File" menu, then "Acquire".
  5. Click "Scan" in the dialog that opens.
  6. If the document was successfully scanned, open the "File" menu and click "Select Source".
  7. The driver through which the utility successfully completed the scan will be displayed in blue.
  8. Select the same driver file in the finder.

If this failed again when launched in Abbyy Finereader, then the problem is with the program. Send a request to ABBYY technical support. If 32 Twacker was unable to execute the “Scan” command, then the device itself or its driver is probably not working correctly. Contact the scanner manufacturer's technical support.

Internal software error

It happens that when you start a scan, the application reports "Internal software error, code 142." It is usually associated with deletion or damage to the program's system files. To fix and prevent reoccurrence, do the following:

Sometimes FineReader may not see the scanner due to access restrictions. Run the program as an administrator or elevate the rights of the current user.

This solves the problem of connecting the Fine Reader program to the scanner. Sometimes the cause is a driver conflict or hardware incompatibility. And sometimes, scanning failure occurs due to internal software errors. If you have encountered similar problems in the finder, leave tips and solutions in the comments.

Choosing the topic for this article, I thought all day that I would write about how to disassemble and clean the HP ProBook 4545s laptop. But I thought so until they came to me and asked me to help figure out how to set up the scanner. Because, when you try to scan any document, an error appears on the screen with the following text: "".

Although, the user claimed that he did everything as before. Also, the user said that he had previously disconnected the MFP from the computer, and when he needed it, he connected it back, after which this problem appeared.

Going to the computer, first of all, I made sure that the device (MFP) was connected to the PC correctly. By the way, for those who do not know how to do this, I have specially prepared an article about:. In general, the device itself was connected correctly. Sitting down at the computer, I tried to run a scan in order to see at what stage the error occurs, as a result, only by clicking on the "Scan" button, literally at the same moment a message appeared: "The parameter is set incorrectly."

Going through all the parameters of the scan window, I did not notice anything strange. Everything was set correctly, although I still tried to change a couple of points, but this did not bring any result. Also, I want to focus on the fact that the program was used for scanning ABBYY Fine Reader 10. As I later found out, most often the error “The parameter is incorrect” appears on this particular version of the software.

How to remove the error "The parameter is incorrect"

Finally, having finished all the experiments with the scanning window, I moved on to the settings of the FineReader itself. Because, the appearance of this type of error is most often associated with an incorrectly selected driver for the scanner.

In fact, fixing such a mistake is very easy. First, open the ABBYY FineReader window and hover the mouse over the menu bar and click on " Service» -> « Options...". You can also use the keyboard shortcut " Cntr+Shift+O”, which is responsible for the express opening of the settings window.

Now, in the settings window, click on the tab " Scan\Open”, where, going down a little lower, we select the driver suitable for our device. As a rule, for the correct operation of the scanner, you need to select a driver of this type: [Model Name] (TWAIN). I have this: Canon MF4400 Series (TWAIN) . When finished with the settings, click on " OK» to save all changes.

If it is with this driver that the scanner does not recover and the error “The parameter is set incorrectly” appears again, be sure to try selecting another driver in the same way (Canon MF4400 Series (WIA)) and check the result.

In my case, everything was a little more complicated. I've tried all the drivers and nothing came up. Therefore, I decided to completely remove the device and any software associated with it from the system. And then, download from the manufacturer's website a new version of the software and again (Here you can find an example of how to do it on Windows XP). In general, after installing all the drivers and reconnecting the MFP, I did all the steps described above. And only after that, the scanner began to work as it should.

On what versions of ABBYY FineReader did you get the error "The parameter is incorrect"? And did the solution to the problem help you with a simple driver selection? Leave all the answers in the comments and with the help of them we will be able to determine exactly what is causing the error, the program or the driver.

If you often have to work with text for work or study, then you probably have specialized software for this. For example, many decide - a program that allows you to scan text and translate it into digital format, digitize documents, edit and much more.

This software is incredibly useful. And therefore, all sorts of problems associated with his work are very acutely felt. For example, the program does not see the scanner. Or only part of the text is scanned. Fortunately, all this is solvable.

Possible problems in Abbyy Finereader and their elimination

When working with the program, the following problems and errors may occur:

  • The software cannot connect to the scanner or other hardware;
  • the program does not see documents;
  • Abbyy Finereader only scans part of the page;
  • unable to open TWAIN source;
  • a source initialization error is detected.

What are they related to? First of all, you should check the available equipment. In particular, the condition of cables and other components. If everything is in order here, then the errors may be of a software nature. Remember that it is recommended to use only licensed software. Cracked versions may not work correctly due to changes in the code. It is also worth trying to update the program to the latest current version. This should also include updating the drivers of the equipment itself. If Abbyy Finereader does not scan, then in most cases this approach solves the problem. Fresh versions are downloaded from the official website of the manufacturer. Still very often problems arise in the absence of the required access level for the user (it is necessary to increase).

Some problems can be solved in the program settings. For example, an error indicating that the parameter is set incorrectly. When this occurs, do the following:

  • open the "Tools" menu, go to the "OCR editor" item;
  • go to settings - basic;
  • go to the section "Selecting a device for receiving images";
  • find a drop-down list with drivers;
  • check the operation of the program and the scanner with each of them in turn;
  • leave the driver with which there are no failures.

In most cases, this list of actions solves 90% of the problems. Including the situation with an error indicating that the image could not be opened ”(the latter may also be due to an incorrect file format or its damage).


Sometimes ABBYY FineReader 12 Professional.msi and other MSI system errors can be related to problems in the Windows registry. Several programs can use the ABBYY FineReader 12 Professional.msi file, but when those programs are uninstalled or changed, orphaned (invalid) MSI registry entries are sometimes left behind.

Basically, this means that while the actual path to the file may have been changed, its incorrect former location is still recorded in the Windows registry. When Windows tries to look up this incorrect file reference (file location on your computer), ABBYY FineReader 12 Professional.msi errors can occur. In addition, malware infection may have corrupted the registry entries associated with Professional ABBYY FineReader 12. As such, these invalid MSI registry entries need to be repaired to fix the root of the problem.

Manually editing the Windows registry to remove invalid ABBYY FineReader 12 Professional.msi keys is not recommended unless you are PC service professional. Mistakes made while editing the registry can render your PC unusable and cause irreparable damage to your operating system. In fact, even a single comma in the wrong place can prevent your computer from booting up!

Because of this risk, we highly recommend using reliable registry cleaners such as WinThruster(Developed by Microsoft Gold Certified Partner) to scan and repair any ABBYY FineReader 12 Professional.msi related issues. Using registry cleaning, you can automate the process of finding invalid registry entries, missing file references (like the one causing your ABBYY FineReader 12 Professional.msi error), and broken links within the registry. A backup copy is automatically created before each scan, allowing you to undo any changes with a single click and protecting you from possible damage to your computer. The nicest thing is troubleshooting registry errors can drastically improve system speed and performance.


Warning: Unless you are an advanced PC user, we do NOT recommend manually editing the Windows Registry. Incorrect use of the Registry Editor can lead to serious problems and require you to reinstall Windows. We do not guarantee that problems resulting from misuse of Registry Editor can be resolved. You use the Registry Editor at your own risk.

Before manually repairing the Windows registry, you need to create a backup by exporting a part of the registry related to ABBYY FineReader 12 Professional.msi (eg. Professional ABBYY FineReader 12):

  1. Click on the button To begin.
  2. Enter " command" in search bar... DO NOT PRESS YET ENTER!
  3. Holding keys CTRL-Shift on the keyboard, press ENTER.
  4. An access dialog will be displayed.
  5. Click Yes.
  6. The black box opens with a blinking cursor.
  7. Enter " regedit" and press ENTER.
  8. In the Registry Editor, select the ABBYY FineReader 12 Professional.msi-related key (eg. Professional ABBYY FineReader 12) you want to back up.
  9. On the menu File select Export.
  10. Listed Save to select the folder where you want to save the backup copy of the Professional ABBYY FineReader 12 key.
  11. In field File name enter a name for the backup file, for example "Professional ABBYY FineReader 12 Backup".
  12. Make sure the field Export range value selected Selected branch.
  13. Click Save.
  14. The file will be saved with .reg extension.
  15. You now have a backup of your ABBYY FineReader 12 Professional.msi-related registry entry.

The next steps for manually editing the registry will not be covered in this article, as they are likely to damage your system. If you would like more information on editing the registry manually, please see the links below.

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