Scanning issues and disappearing programs.

Today will be less random rambling and more of a rant.

I'm currently at work right now. As I mentioned in my introduction post, I work for Computing and Technology Services on my college's campus- more specifically, in the Instructional Technology Center. I scan documents, transver videos to DVD, print posters, scan tests, and do some general troubleshooting, since I used to work at the Helpdesk and have a basic knowledge of how to encourage a computer to behave.

Right now, however, I'm more inclined to send the computer flying out the window of the tallest building on campus and let it soar down to the pavement, to crash into thousands of itty bitty pieces.

A professor brought in an oversized book he wants a few things scanned out of. We have three scanners in the office, and only one of them is big enough to fit the book in (well, technically under, since it's a scanner that just sits in a nice stand, and can be taken off and laid on a book whenever it needs to scan something huge). And for some reason unbeknownst to me, the damned software just up and decided to stop working.

Oh. Heh. Except for when I push the scan button on the scanner. Geez. And here I was, trying to open the scanning program from the computer, like I've done hundreds of times when this scanner was hooked up to a different computer. Silly me, how was I supposed to read the scanner's mind and know it wanted me to push its button, rather than try and run the program from the computer? When I tried to run the program from the computer, either a double click on the icon did a whole lot of nothing, or it would tell me that the program I'm trying to run is missing, and Windows is looking for it, but if I'd like to speed up the process, I could browse for it.

I've reinstalled the software once today, and repaired it twice. If the HP Director program isn't there, and quite obviously it isn't, I'd like to know where it's hiding so I can kick it. Hard. For some reason whatever popped up to let me scan just now isn't giving me the option to preview what I've scanned, so I can make sure it looks okay.

Can I strangle the scanner now?

Some days I hate my job.