None of the companies are the same: Hp and their equivalents, Tek, Keithley. At one time fixing their stuff was pretty easy and most repairs were mechanical.
But fixing ANYTHING these days is down right impossible. I have to try to delve into an Epson all in one printer repair. The repair manual needs to be in color, but seems to be very good, but still not component level. One part has to be thrown away and replaced when it;s taken apart. Replacing the printer means the ink isn;t available locally. The "test and reset program" is available with a lot of contortions to get it. Reality says, I have to replace the image sensors. I "COULD" replace the waste tank reservoirs. The ink is so expensive - 5 cartridges for like $80, but it has a ADF and flatbed scanner, CD printing. Letter and Legal and FAX, but won't do duplex copying or duplex faxing.
Talking to Epson is like talking to a rock though. They liked my suggestion, but that's it. It's nearly impossible to scan a duplex page and all they would really have to do is allow a suffix. e.g. Name +number+suffix instead of Name+3 digit number and nothing. It would be so easy to scan as two jobs: filexxxA and filexxxB so the results are:
File000a.pdf - sude 1, sheet 1 front
File000b.pdf - side 2, sheet 1 back
File001a.pdf - side 1, Sheet 2 front
etc.
Then it's so easy to combine. Instead you have to go through all sorts of contortions to modify the filenames automagically.
It's also a shame that their software doesn't work. A mix of landscape and portrait changes the page size and orientation, It's a real mess.
It really would be cool to use the copy mode, but print to a laser printer.
I still like old stuff although I wish I had access to a machine shop.
Sorry for the digression.
As for ghost towns, two auto plants closed. One is a University research campus. The other, who knows., but the state has been paying it's utilities while mothbolled. it has an owner now, but the future is undecided. One idea someone came up with is to use it as a port to rail to distribution center since it has the rail stuff in place, Another area, pat of a well known company was sold and it is mostly as office park. No tenants because the owner/developer wants to do something else with it.: A shopping center. It may turn into a school, though. K-12. Ghosttown shopping centers are wierd.