Home > Consumer Reviews > Compaq S200 Flatbed USB Scanner

Got this model with an all new system but it never worked. The first one only produced a greenish pixel page regardless of what was scanned. After fighting with Compaq they sent a replacement which only produces barcodes regardless of what was scanned. Tried their updated drivers but those worked worse than the originals which froze my system six times during install alone. I was forced to do a system restore in the end after working through a crippled OS to try and remove the drivers. Actually the number two worst experience I've ever had with any computer system or component. Still trying to get Compaq to honor their warranty.

Bought a new Compaq PC and S200, took many tries to get it loaded. It worked for about 10 uses, then all I got was a multicolored page. I did all the things advised. Wrote to tech support, got information that did not help. Saw on Compaq opinions MANY with the same complaint. 6 months old and it is worthless at 3 months

I purchased the S200 feeling the price was acceptable considering the brand recognition and scanning resolution. It is my first scanner so comparisons are difficult but the scanned results are probably better than what my monitor and printer can reproduce - so no complaints there. I do have an irritating USB cable connection at the scanner that tends to connect/disconnect with slight movement of the cable. My main irritation however came with the absence of documentation and help menus for the scanner application software. Some of the menu choices that modify color, etc. are not really intuitive- at least not to me, and there is no help menu to explain them. A getting started manual was included but that is pretty much just for connectivity, etc. Trying to wade through the Compaq website for info was really frustrating. After 3 (of what seemed like automated) email responses to inquiries for help I finally gave up. I was directed to their technical chat page and it happened to be offline. I suppose trial and error will have to do. I saw other complaints on their posting board implying that documentation is scarce on their other product lines as well.

I just purchased this scanner not too long ago. This is my first scanner purchase. The USB interface makes it very simple to install. The one-touch scanning buttons on the front make scanning quick and easy. The software that ships with the scanner can be a little tricky to learn to use, however it seems to have all the tools to edit a photo the way want it. Overall this is a good scanner for home use.

The set-up on this system is easy but I feel the scanner itself is a little clunky and actually quite slow, taking at least 4 minutes to scan at a 1200 settings. The quality of the scans is also not great as compared to my previous HP at the 600 setting. I think this is a good first scanner for student's purposes but as a professional the quality is really not there.