LindaRead wrote:
Hi
I have not searched separately for W7 not working with wireless scanning, I confess. I might take a look at that.
I am only running NIS as an AV process. I uninstalled the MS one when I installed NIS 2011.
I also admit that I am reluctant to remove NIS via the web again, as it left my laptop exposed last time, and that was when it all locked up -just after when I had to go back online to use the link to download NIS 2012, if you recall, and that was the link failed first time.
I also have to be online to re-install the Lexmark 64 bit version, and at that point I will have no NIS at all.
Novatech suspected my laptop was attacked when I had no active AV, but they did not actually confirm exactly what it was, they just helped me restore to prior to the keyboard lock episode. They did confirm it was not a hardware issue-touchpad or keyboard.
So, bottom line, Lexmark are aware I still have a scanning problem relating to wireless scanning and I await further feedback on that.
Novatech were very helpful but are not involved any more as it is classified as a viral attack from the internet, and not hardware.
I do not want to execute a step process that leaves my PC unprotected when it is connected to the internet, so your step by step testing routine is not something I want to do like that.
I am also now getting a collection (3)of NIS icons on my desktop two of those I do not fully understand but am worried about deleting! One says NIS-ESD-19-1-1-28-EN.exe, then I have the "proper" NIS icon, and then one that says Norton installation files target:downloads\norton\NIS 19113-shpd-fsd21017, but which installation!?
I am patient, but don't want to invite another round of major issues!
Let me know what you think. Thanks.
Hi, LindaRead. Traditionally, Lexbces.exe (Lexmark Bidirectional Communications Extension Server) is used for bidirectional communication between Computers and Lexmark Printers. When you set your Lexebcoms.exe to "allow" - you set up NIS so that it allows two-way communication through the Lexebcoms.exe utility. Thus, your print functions started to work properly because you opened the firewall to this Program and permitted two-way (bidirectional) communication between the Print Server in the Printer and the Print Service on your Computer.
What you need to do now is go back to Lexmark and find out if they use a different utility, with a different filename - for their network scanning function. I seem to remember this being the case. Once you "allow" the Lexmark network scanning utility to "receive" incoming communications (which is why you change to "allow") then the scanner can initiate communications through the NIS firewall back to your computer and the Scanner Utility will be able to "hear" that signal.
Background info that will help when you Talk to Lexmark:
NIS learns from Programs that "talk" to something by initiating communication from your machine. However, by default, NIS refuses to "listen" to communications from anything it does not understand. Thus, NIS needs to understand that when it sees the Lexmark Printer Drivers "talking" to the Printer - that it must also change its configuration to allow it to "listen" to the Printer as well.
Under normal circumstances, NIS "understands" Lexbces.exe - which has been the traditional name for the Lexmark Bidirectional Printing Service. However, it looks like Lexmark has recently changed the name of its Print Server Service to Lexebcoms.exe - and thus the NIS Database of "things NIS Understands and knows what to do about" may not yet recognize the new filename of Lexebcoms.exe. Thus, your problem. However, because Lexebcoms.exe "talked" to your Printer - NIS learned from that situation and that's why Lexebcoms.exe was added to the Norton "Program Control" feature in NIS.
The problem you had initially was that NIS only learned the "talk" part of the equation - not the "listen" part of the equation. By going in and changing to "allow" - you told NIS that it was OK for NIS to "listen" to communications from that Program as well. Bada-bing, Bada-boom - Printing works. 
The problem with Scanning is that everything starts from the Printer/Scanner Unit. Thus, there has to be an entry in the NIS Database that corresponds to whatever the filename is for scanning. If Lexmark have changed the default filename they use for scanning - in the same way that they have changed the default filename used for Bidirectional Printer Communications - then the NIS Database may have no idea what to do when confronted with the new filename - and therefore it does not know what to do to automatically reconfigure itself so you have Scanner Communication capability.
The way you fix this is to find out from Lexmark exactly what is required for the Scanner to communicate properly back to the Computer - using Lexmark's latest software. You need the filename, the port-numbers, and whether communication on each port is one-way (scanner->computer), one-way (computer->scanner) or two-way (scanner<->computer) for each of the TCP/IP Ports used to communicate to/from the Scanner/Computer.
With that info, you can add the necessary "smarts" to NIS - which will allow your Scanner to "talk" to the Scanner Program on your Computer - even though the communication initiates from the Scanner. With that in place, you should get another Bada-bing, Bada-boom, the ducks should line up - and all will become sweetness and light in the Lexmark Scanner Universe.
The other thing that needs to happen:
Symantec needs to be informed of the changes Lexmark has made in their default filenames for their new Printer and Scanner drivers - along with complete info as to port numbers and protocols used by TCP/IP to allow the Printer and Scanner functions to "talk/listen" between the Printer/Scanner and Computers with Lexmark's Printer/Scanner software installed.
With this new info added to the NIS Database - NIS will be able to "Discover" the Printer or the Printer/Scanner combo unit - and set the firewall rules in NIS correctly - all on "automatic". But this only happens if Lexmark and Symantec talk to each other. Furthermore, because it is Lexmark who are "changing the roadmap" - it is Lexmark's job to contact Symantec and bring them up-to-date as to the new "rules of the road". Otherwise, the very situation you are having occurs.
Once you get the required info from Lexmark - and you confirm that manually adding that stuff into the NIS Firewall Rules allows the Scanner and Computer to communicate properly - we can inform Symantec of the new "rules of the road" .
Then NIS can be updated so all the hassle you are experiencing will go away - because the NIS Database has been updated to "understand" your Printer or Printer/Scanner combo unit. Once the housekeeping for this has been done - a Live Update can easily add the new "smarts" to NIS - and you will never have to worry about the problem again. But until that happy day - you are going to have to manually do Lexmark's homework for them in NIS - on every machine that has the problem.
Hope this helps your understanding.