Did the scanner ever work plugged into a different outlet...as I do not know of
any scanner that uses 110 but uses a transformer so there could be a chance he
has the wrong transformer for the scanner and there's where you have the wrong
polarity with the wall wart....that being DC...if he did try it in another
outlet and it worked ...did he try a different outlet on the power strip I have
seen power strip outlet go bad....