hp scanjet 6200c ... long wait ... please help

I am using HP scanjet 6200c connected with the computer through a usb
port. And I use Pagekeeper scan as my scanning software. and my o/s
is win98se.

for the past year my scanner sometimes has to wait from 5-10 minutes
before scanning, but I just can't see why it does that. I have tried
unplugging and replugging the scanner, restarting windows. I have
tried
reinstalling hp scanning software, and even reinstalling win98se, but
nothing seems to help.

can somebody please tell how I can fix the problem? I would appreciate
your help.