Scanning software with Epson Perfection 1670

So with RC2 32 bit I managed to get the xp drivers installed for this
scanner. The problem is the epson provided twain scanning utility will not
load....it starts to load then the window disappears without any error
message. I tried running the program in all types of compatibility modes with
no luck.

I then tried various 3rd party scanning programs with support for this
scanner and none work correctly for various reasons. However, vista's built
in scanning utility in the media gallery does work correctly, and the scanner
also passes the xp diagnostic test. Not ideal though.

Ive heard of problems with the epson drivers in vista, but not anything
about the actual scanning software not functioning, or any scanning software
for that matter. Anyone had similiar experiences?