How do I disable the hardware buttons on my CanoScan LiDE 600F scanner?
August 18, 2013 2:42 AM Subscribe
I'd like to completely disable the hardware buttons on my CanoScan LiDE 600F scanner. I never use them, and they are constantly getting pressed accidentally. May need a registry hack.
I'm talking about these buttons (different model, but you get the picture).
The CanoScan Toolbox Settings only lets me reassign their functions, not disable them completely. I've checked on Canon's website, and I have the most up to date software. Can I edit settings in the Registry to do this? E.g. I can see the button assignments in
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Canon\CanoScan Toolbox Ver5.0\Devices\CanoScan LiDE 600F
But I am not qualified to blindly fiddle with the Registry. I'm hoping someone who is more qualified, and ideally has a similar scanner, could advise.
I'm talking about these buttons (different model, but you get the picture).
The CanoScan Toolbox Settings only lets me reassign their functions, not disable them completely. I've checked on Canon's website, and I have the most up to date software. Can I edit settings in the Registry to do this? E.g. I can see the button assignments in
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Canon\CanoScan Toolbox Ver5.0\Devices\CanoScan LiDE 600F
But I am not qualified to blindly fiddle with the Registry. I'm hoping someone who is more qualified, and ideally has a similar scanner, could advise.
Came in to suggest cardboard as well, because I thought you would balk at opening the scanner and physically disabling the buttons.
Scanners are the tools of the devil, and their software and hardware UI is designed exclusively by idiots. Do not expect them behave in a sensible manner.
posted by Dr Dracator at 5:32 AM on August 18, 2013
Scanners are the tools of the devil, and their software and hardware UI is designed exclusively by idiots. Do not expect them behave in a sensible manner.
posted by Dr Dracator at 5:32 AM on August 18, 2013
There seems to be two ways of 'soft' disabling the buttons (that is just stopping them from making things pop up on your computer).
1. In Windows itself, where there is a 'Take No Action' option.
2. By assigning a program that does nothing in CanoScan Toolbox.
The first option seems to be cleanest, if it is available to you:
1. Click the [Start] menu, followed by [Control Panel], [Printers and Other Hardware] and the [Scanners and Cameras] icon. In Windows 7, this is [Devices and Printers], [Your Device].
2. Right-click the icon for your scanner and select [Properties] ([View Scanner Properties] in Windows 7).
3. Click the [Events] tab and select a scanner button in the menu on the right.
4. Check [Take No Action].
5. Click the [Apply] button.
6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 to switch off all other scanner buttons.
7. Click the [OK] button when the settings for each scanner button are complete.
Picture of this dialog box
If this doesn't work, then you can assign applications to run in the Toolbox when a button is pressed. Use the 'rundll32.exe' application (a part of Windows) with no arguments, which will do nothing. Unfortunately, it looks like this will still end up at least causing the scanner to start, even if it doesn't end up interfering with your use of the computer directly.
posted by NordyneDefenceDynamics at 5:46 AM on August 18, 2013
1. In Windows itself, where there is a 'Take No Action' option.
2. By assigning a program that does nothing in CanoScan Toolbox.
The first option seems to be cleanest, if it is available to you:
1. Click the [Start] menu, followed by [Control Panel], [Printers and Other Hardware] and the [Scanners and Cameras] icon. In Windows 7, this is [Devices and Printers], [Your Device].
2. Right-click the icon for your scanner and select [Properties] ([View Scanner Properties] in Windows 7).
3. Click the [Events] tab and select a scanner button in the menu on the right.
4. Check [Take No Action].
5. Click the [Apply] button.
6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 to switch off all other scanner buttons.
7. Click the [OK] button when the settings for each scanner button are complete.
Picture of this dialog box
If this doesn't work, then you can assign applications to run in the Toolbox when a button is pressed. Use the 'rundll32.exe' application (a part of Windows) with no arguments, which will do nothing. Unfortunately, it looks like this will still end up at least causing the scanner to start, even if it doesn't end up interfering with your use of the computer directly.
posted by NordyneDefenceDynamics at 5:46 AM on August 18, 2013
Response by poster: @NordyneDefenceDynamics - thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately, there's no [Events] tab in my scanner properties dialog - screenshot - only General and Hardware. Under Hardware there's another level of properties, offering only General, Driver and Details - screenshot. No settings for Events anywhere.
The CanoScan Toolbox itself is no help either. It only offers a limited array of choices for each button, and includes neither doing nothing nor run an arbitrary application - screenshot
It seems the cardboard solution will have to do. (And due to the scanner design, and button sensitivity, I doubt will be effective.)
posted by snarfois at 7:47 AM on August 18, 2013
The CanoScan Toolbox itself is no help either. It only offers a limited array of choices for each button, and includes neither doing nothing nor run an arbitrary application - screenshot
It seems the cardboard solution will have to do. (And due to the scanner design, and button sensitivity, I doubt will be effective.)
posted by snarfois at 7:47 AM on August 18, 2013
I have in the past disabled buttons by just covering them over with a small plastic box or a cut-out bit of soda bottle and then taping or gluing it in place, similar to the cardboard solution. It is not elegant, but it works. You could also mix up some epoxy and entomb the buttons in that, which would be sure to keep them from moving. That would be more permanent, though.
posted by Scientist at 10:50 AM on August 18, 2013
posted by Scientist at 10:50 AM on August 18, 2013
I have neither a Canon scanner nor a Windows computer handy to verify this, but I seem to recall that those scan buttons are actually managed by a little bit of Canon software that gets started when you log on to Windows and runs in the background.
If you look in the following four Registry keys
Before deleting values from those Run keys, you should export each of them to a .reg file (Regedit can do that - right-click on the key name to see the option). Double-clicking the exported file with Windows Explorer will put the keys it contains back to how they were before the deletions, should you accidentally disable something you didn't want to. Right-clicking an exported .reg file and choosing Edit will open it up in Notepad so you can make sure it contains only what you think it should.
But you can't really go wrong with deleting values from Run keys. The very worst thing that could possibly happen is that something formerly automatic might end up needing to be started by hand before it works (most of the time, that's actually an improvement) and if you didn't bother exporting a .reg file you might need to reinstall some software package or other. You won't break Windows itself.
posted by flabdablet at 11:21 AM on August 18, 2013
If you look in the following four Registry keys
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Runyou'll see the registry values responsible for auto-starting stuff. If there's anything Canon-related in there, try deleting it, then log off and on and see if the scanner buttons are now dead.
Before deleting values from those Run keys, you should export each of them to a .reg file (Regedit can do that - right-click on the key name to see the option). Double-clicking the exported file with Windows Explorer will put the keys it contains back to how they were before the deletions, should you accidentally disable something you didn't want to. Right-clicking an exported .reg file and choosing Edit will open it up in Notepad so you can make sure it contains only what you think it should.
But you can't really go wrong with deleting values from Run keys. The very worst thing that could possibly happen is that something formerly automatic might end up needing to be started by hand before it works (most of the time, that's actually an improvement) and if you didn't bother exporting a .reg file you might need to reinstall some software package or other. You won't break Windows itself.
posted by flabdablet at 11:21 AM on August 18, 2013
Best answer: Can you get by with just the TWAIN or WIA driver and scan using a different application? That would take the toolbox (and its background monitoring) out of the picture completely.
posted by Standard Orange at 8:03 PM on August 18, 2013
posted by Standard Orange at 8:03 PM on August 18, 2013
Response by poster: @flabdablet - thanks for the suggestion, but there wasn't anything Canon-related in any of those keys.
@Standard Orange - Bingo! I've always just used the TWAIN driver (via Irfanview or Photoshop), but I never realised I could uninstall the CanoScan Toolbox without uninstalling the driver. Tested: buttons no longer do anything, and scanning via other apps works as before. Thanks!
posted by snarfois at 2:05 PM on August 19, 2013
@Standard Orange - Bingo! I've always just used the TWAIN driver (via Irfanview or Photoshop), but I never realised I could uninstall the CanoScan Toolbox without uninstalling the driver. Tested: buttons no longer do anything, and scanning via other apps works as before. Thanks!
posted by snarfois at 2:05 PM on August 19, 2013
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posted by gregoreo at 3:18 AM on August 18, 2013