If you regularly use a printer or scanner connected to your computer, you have the possibility of facing a problem related to the WIA driver. In this article, we are going to explain to you, what exactly is the WIA driver error, what are the WIA error codes and what are the solutions to all the errors that this printer and scanner driver can show us.
The error of controlling WIA it's a scanner or printer error, an error that in most cases invites us to physically interact with the printer in order to solve it. At other times, it invites us to reinstall the printer drivers or directly restart the WI driver
What is the WIA driver
WIA stands for Windows Image Acquisition, the driver created by Microsoft that allows communication with a printer or scanner that we have installed on our computer or on the network, check that it does not always work hand in hand with the printer software. The most common message related to this driver shows the following message:
You need a WIA driver to use this device. Please install it from the installation CD or the manufacturer's website and try again.
This message informs us that there is a communication problem with printerEither because the Windows driver has been corrupted and / or the drivers offered by the printer manufacturer do not work as they should. The simplest solution would be to reinstall the printer program, however, this is not always the case.
WIA error codes and their solutions
Below we show you a list with all types of errors that Windows can show us When you have a communication problem with the printer or scanner. Next to the error code, the solution to the problem and the code that is displayed when the error code does not appear is displayed.
| Error code | Meaning | Custom code |
|---|---|---|
| WIA ERROR _ _ BUSY | The device is busy. Close the applications that are using the device or wait for it to finish and try again. | 0x80210006 |
| WIA_ERROR_COVER_OPEN | One or more of the device covers are open. | 0x80210016 |
| COMMUNICATION OF _ DEVICE WITH ERRORS _ FROM WIA _ | Communication error with WIA device. Make sure the device is turned on and connected to the computer. If the problem persists disconnect and reconnect the device to the computer. | 0x8021000A |
| WIA ERROR DEVICE _ _ _ LOCKED | The device is locked. Please close the applications that use this device or wait for it to finish and try again. | 0x8021000D |
| WIA _ _ ERROR EXCEPTION IN THE _ _ DRIVER | The device driver has thrown an exception. | 0x8021000E |
| ERROR _ GENERAL WIA _ _ | An unknown error has occurred with the WIA device. | 0x80210001 |
| WIA ERROR _ _ HARDWARE CONFIGURATION _ _ INCORRECT | There is an incorrect setting on the WIA device. | 0x8021000C |
| COMMAND NO _ VALID ERROR _ FROM WIA _ | The device does not support this command. | 0x8021000B |
| WIA ERROR _ CONTROLLER RESPONSE NOT _ _ _ VALID | The controller's response is invalid. | 0x8021000F |
| WIA ERROR ITEM _ _ _ REMOVED | The WIA device has been removed. It's no longer available. | 0x80210009 |
| WIA_ERROR_LAMP_OFF | The analyzer light is off. | 0x80210017 |
| MAXIMUM PRINTER APPROVER COUNTER OF _ _ ERRORS _ _ FROM _ WIA | A scan job was interrupted because an Imprinter / Endorser element reached the maximum valid value for the WIA IPS PRINTER ENDORSER COUNTER and _ _ was reset to _ _ 0. This feature is available starting with Windows 8. | 0x80210021 |
| MULTIPLE SOURCE _ OF ERRORS _ FROM WIA _ | A browse error occurred due to a multi-page font condition. This feature is available starting with Windows 8. | 0x80210020 |
| WIA ERROR _ NO _ CONNECTION | The device is offline. Make sure the device is turned on and connected to the computer. | 0x80210005 |
| WIA ERROR DOCUMENT _ _ _ EMPTY | There is no document in the document sheet feeder / tray. | 0x80210003 |
| WIA_ERROR_PAPER_JAM | Paper is jammed in the analyzer's document sheet feeder / tray. | 0x80210002 |
| PAPER PROBLEM _ ERROR _ FROM WIA _ | An unspecified problem has occurred with the analyzer document sheet feeder / tray. | 0x80210004 |
| _ WIA _ WARMING _ UP ERROR | The device is turning on. | 0x80210007 |
| WIA ERROR _ _ USER INTERVENTION | There is a problem with the WIA device. Make sure the device is turned on; online and that the cables are connected correctly. | 0x80210008 |
| WIA _ S NO DEVICE _ _ _ AVAILABLE | No scanner device found. Make sure the device is online; connected to the computer and that you have the correct driver installed on the computer. | 0x80210015 |
Other solutions to the WIA driver error
If you have reached this section, it is because in the error codes that I have shown you in the previous section, the one that appears is not displayed. If so, then we are going to show you several methods that require access to Windows Services, so we must beware at the time of making the modifications that we indicate.
Restart WIA Driver Operation
As I always say, a restart on time is worth two. Regularly restarting our mobile device and our PC is one of the best methods for our device to continue working as the first day.
Sometimes the WIA driver may be misinterpreting certain operating orders and, no matter how much we restart the computer, it will continue to malfunction.
The first method we should try is a directly restart the controller operation through Windows Services. To carry out this process, we must carry out the steps that I detail below:
- First of all, access the Windows search box and type "services.msc" without the quotation marks to access Windows Services.
- Once the window showing the Windows Services that are running at that moment has been opened, we go to Windows Image Acquisition (WIA by its initials in English).
- Next, we place the mouse over the service Windows Image Acquisition, we press the right mouse button and select the option Restart.
Change WIA driver operation
This method is only valid when we have malfunction problems with the WIA controller, that is, when it is not about any other problem mentioned above, problems that are solved by interacting with the printer (turning it on, removing the jammed paper, checking for paper ...)
- The first thing we must do is access the Windows search box and type "services.msc" without the quotes to access Windows Services.
- Once the window showing the Windows Services that are running at that moment has been opened, we go to Windows Image Acquisition.
- Next, we click on the right mouse button and we select Properties.
- In the Log In, Select Local system account also checking the box Allow the service to interact with the desktop.
- Finally we click on Accept and we restarted our equipment.
Once we have restarted our computer, this error already should have been fixed.
Reinstall the printer software
As I have mentioned, this control usually works, not always, hand in hand with the printer software. Although Windows is able to recognize most printers that connect to a Windows 10 computer, only install the basic drivers to be able to print and to scan.
If it is a scanner with printer, will not always install both drivers. Due to this, we will be forced to install the heavy software of the printer manufacturers, software that fills our team with useless applications that we will never use. This type of application is usually found in the laptops that are sold and is called Bloatware.
Reinstall Windows
If we cannot find the problem of controlling WIA, the only solution that remains is reinstall windows from scratch. Although it is true that Windows offers us the possibility of restoring Windows by deleting all the content and leaving the system as just installed, it is possible that the printer problem will not be solved.
When reinstalling Windows from scratch, we will remove all the garbage that we have accumulated since the last time we formatted it, so it will also allow us to recover a performance that we have been losing over the years.
We must bear in mind that first of all we must back up all content that we have stored on our computer, either in a cloud storage unit or making use of the backup system than Windows puts at our disposal and that allows us to make a copy of all the most important data of our equipment, including the configuration.