Kodak Pakon F-135 & F-135+
Use a Pakon without Windows XP or a virtual machine
OpenPakon is free software that runs the scanner on the computer you already have: a Mac, Windows 10 or 11, or Linux.
Free forever. Also for Mac (Apple silicon)Mac (Intel)Windows 10 & 11Linux (.deb) · all versions
The old way
The Pakon's software only runs on Windows XP. So for years, owners have had two choices: keep an old XP laptop alive just for the scanner, or set up a Windows XP "virtual machine" (a pretend old PC running inside a new one). Both work, but both are slow, fragile and hard to set up, and finding a working copy of XP gets harder every year.
The new way
Install OpenPakon like any other app, plug in the scanner, and scan. That's it.
| Old XP laptop or virtual machine | OpenPakon | |
|---|---|---|
| Computer | A PC from the 2000s, or XP inside a virtual machine | Your own Mac, Windows 10/11 or Linux PC |
| Setup | Find XP, install drivers, pass the USB through | Install one app |
| Colours | Kodak's | Kodak's |
| Moving files | Copy them off the old machine | Saved straight into a folder on your computer |
| Price | Free, plus the old hardware | Free |
Pick your computer: Mac · Windows 10 & 11 · Linux
Questions
Why did the Pakon need Windows XP?
The scanner came out in the early 2000s for photo labs. Its software and its driver were made for Windows XP and were never updated for newer systems.
Can I throw away my XP laptop?
Once OpenPakon is working on your new computer, you don't need it for scanning. Before you do, copy any old scans off it.
Do I lose Kodak's colours without the old software?
No. OpenPakon uses Kodak's own colour processing, so scans look the way a Pakon scan should.
Is there anything the old software does that this doesn't?
The everyday things are all there: scanning colour, black & white and slides, checking frames, and saving JPEGs, TIFFs and raw files. See where everything is.