That scanner requires proprietary firmware in order to work, which is why it doesn't work out of the box. On the positive side, once you do set it up, it is 100% functional. See http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=24087 for details.
Apart from that, did xsane actually crash or did it just pop up that error and then quit (which, although it may confusing, is not a crash)? ** Changed in: Ubuntu Sourcepackagename: None => xsane Status: Unconfirmed => Needs Info -- Mustek 1200UB Plus causes Xsane Image scanner to crash https://launchpad.net/bugs/65824 -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs