VMs for beginners

[johnieutah]

Hello all.

 

I would like to start tinkering around with the new (to me) VM functionality in Unraid 6.  Why do I want to do this?  I have an old scanner (Canon Lide 20) that only has Windows 7 drivers.  I have a spare copy of Windows 7 and figure I can run this through a VM and plug the scanner in to the server right?  Sure I could buy a new scanner but where is the fun in that?!?

 

Problem, I have no experience at all at setting these things up.  Can someone help me or point me to a straight-forward guide?

 

My set-up is a HP Gen.8 with only 2 gigs of RAM.  I literally just need the VM for scanning a few docs in and then will spin it down.

 

Thanks for any advice.

[Hoopster]

Or you or someone else could create a docker for Vuescan (www.hamrick.com) which has Linux, Windows and Mac drivers for over 2500 scanners including many older ones.

 

From the website:

 

¨VueScan works on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It supports older scanners that don't work on newer operating systems, including most Canon LiDE, Epson Perfection, Nikon CoolScan and HP OfficeJet scanners.¨

 

I have been using Vuescan for years (on Windows) and it is, in my opinion, better than most OEM scanner drivers.  If you only have a temporary need, I believe you can download the full product with a 30-day trial. 

 

Personally, if I ever try my hand at Docker creation, Vuescan is a great candidate.

In your situation, perhaps it is easier just to create a Windows VM; however, you may still wish to consider Vuescan as an alternative to the Canon OEM drivers.  Vuescan is usually much more flexible and functional.

[johnieutah]

Thanks for the tip, but I'll need to use the scanner regularly and don't want to pay for 3rd party drivers (if going down that route I'd probably just buy a new scanner).

 

I really want to try this VM functionality out, and thought this was a good exercise.  Anybody have a "getting started guide" or something similar?

[theone]

You can also try virtualbox and paththrough the scanner as a usb device through the phpvirtualbox UI.

[Aric]

I don't use it in a docker image but vuscan is highly recommended by me. You will get an easier and better scan. It has drivers in it for older scanners. I haven't used it on windows 8 or 10 but I don't see why it will not work.

 

To put it succinctly it is far superior than the canon drivers and it doesn't need unraid.