Nikon has updated their software for this scanner to v4.0.2 for PC's and for Macs.  You can view the ReadMe file with the download for changes in each version. If you are upgrading from v3.1.2 Please follow the upgrade instructions EXACTLY as ALL remnants of v3.xx software must be removed before installing v4.xx. You should Uninstall v3.xx completely, then run the RegEdit program to remove all traces of v3.xx. The RedEdit file that will do this, is within the v4 zip file. Software & firmware upgrade for the ED 4000 scanner files can be found here Nikon Tech's Site .  I do not have any experience with the Mac software nor Mac computers.

For important batch scans that are unmonitored, say overnight, I scan using Nikon Scan software & not through Photoshop & I do not have any other programs running.  However, v3.1.2 & v4.xx seem extremely stable but I have not changed my settings from the above.  I have had no software crashing problems during any type or quantity of scanning when using the SF 200 bulk feeder with high res scans & also using several other programs during the scanning. The SF 200 will also fit the new ED 5000 model.

One other note regarding the Nikon Scan software, is that I suggest that you play with its various controls to see what works best for you. For me, my monitor, scanner & system profiles allow me to not use Nikon Scan's Auto Exposure mode. The AE Mode works fine for images of average tones, but with my snow scenes & scenics with heavy shadows I find that I am not getting consistent enough scan exposures in AE mode. This is the same with any Auto Exposure mode of cameras or One Hour Lab print machines & is not a fault of the Nikon Scanner. Experiment with & then set your black & white point settings to suit your tastes in the curves area & save those settings in the Prefs > Advanced Color > Master settings for black & white points. Mine are at 8 & 248.  My scan exposures are extremely consistent now no matter what the subject tonality is on the film. I normally scan my High Res images at the following settings.  Nikon Scan Color Management ON, Adobe 1998 RGB Colour Space (ColorMatch RGB fits a print gamma more closely though & I at times convert from aRGB to cmRGB when printing) ICE on Normal, GEM on 1, ROC OFF, AE OFF, AF ON.  I choose: "Use Custom Monitor Profile" under preferences & choose the location of my system colour profile created with my colour calibration software & sensor.

I normally scan Fujichrome Velvia & Provia slide films as well as some Kodachrome films.  I do not yet have any experience with scanning Black & White films and limited experience with colour neg films. I have often read that ICE does not work with the Black & White film base. ICE does work for me on "some" Kodachrome images & that ROC works pretty well with older film types like Kodachrome.  ICE with "some" Kodachrome emulsions seems to produce a double image along hard edges. Other areas of the image are fine. Not all Kodachromes seem to react the same to the ICE process. For this film type I always use the Kodachrome film type setting with ICE & GEM off and thoroughly clean the slide by hand before scanning, using canned air and a soft brush and remounting the film into a Loresch mount.

These are my system specs. Windows 2000 Pro SP4 OS, Dual Intel 800 MHz CPU's, Tyan Tiger 133 Motherboard, 1.04 GB of PC 133 Micron SDRAM using 4 x 256 MB chips, IBM 7500 10 GB Hard Drive & 120 GB Western Digital HD, Matrox 450 DH video card, LaCie Electron 19 Blue IV monitor, calibrated weekly with the Blue Eye sensor & software using Gamma 2.2.