Mustek scanner hanging

[#1]

Hi folks - I have a problem with my bearpaw scanner.  Up until today it worked fine.  Then after a couple of scans it hangs up.  I have tries re-installing the drivers but it doeas the same thing.  I am wondering if the scanner is on the way out.  Any ideas?

[#2]

Is this a proper flat bed scanner?

[#3]

It is a proper flat bed scanner made by Mustek

[#4]

I'd expect a scanner to fail mechanically or to get a light bulb etc failure.
My scanner came out of a skip 5+ years ago - and it's still working. 
Because it's plugged into a Linux machine, it doesn't need drivers (as such) to make it work.
Peculiar yours works for a couple of runs before seizing up.
What happens if you reboot  the scanner?