Scanner / PC troubles

We have a Fujitsu M4097D scanner that we use to scan our work orders. The problem we have is if someone scans a lot of work orders in a sitting, like 90 or 100, things start to go wrong. It's like it's running out of memory. First the button icons disappear then fonts begin to look different and it continues to get worse. If I close and reopen the software I can continue with another 90 - 100 scans, but if I try to continue to keep scanning it will get to the point that only the mouse is working and I have to Ctrl-Alt-Del to restart the machine.

I've contacted the software company and they have not been able to reproduce this problem. I have tried other software, didn't help. I downloaded all latest drivers, utilities, etc... no help.

The Machine is running Win98 SE and has 512Ram. Is it possible that the memory could be bad, so even though it says it has 512RAM maybe it's not able to use all of it, if so is there a test for that...or are we on the wrong track and looking in the wrong direction.

Any insight as to the problem or what we can do next would be greatly appreciated.

JO

With the details you have specified... it's quite difficult to pin-point the exact source of the problem, although...

It could be a virtual memory problem (not RAM). Win98SE tends to struggle with virtual memory, and therefore is not recommended for business use.

I believe (don't quote me), the M4097D is SCSI-2 (50 Pin)... which may need patching directly. What's the SCSI card you are using? Is it onboard, or seperate PCI extension?

Also, check the resolution your scanning at, as the higher resolution, the more virtual memory required to cope with the demand.

Also, check the Hard drive speed. 5400 is not recommended for business, as the data transfer speed is not high enough. 7200RPM IDE or 10,000RPM SCSI is my standard for business systems. If the hard disk is not functioning correctly, the scanner software will force system in to a timeout loop, which will eventually crash the machine. It's NOT a fault with the scanner or the respective software, it's purely your current system state.

Feel free to give me a call, and i'll gladly help if i can. I'll be moving offices on monday (23 Dec UK), so the mobile number is probably easier for you.

Regards,

Paul.