HP Printing problems with XP

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jennifer
  • Start date Start date
J

Jennifer

It seems that I am not the only one who is having
problems with printing after upgrading or installing XP.
I have an HP Deskjet 940c and it worked perfectly with
Win 98 so I know it isn't broken. I upgraded to XP 4 days
ago and I it took 2 days with the HP techs to have the
computer recoqnize the printer at all. It is set up on
LPT3 because LPT1 or 2 don't exist. It now prints but
stops about 2 inches from the bottom, I print again and
it only prints 2 inches of the top, I print once more and
it prints a cm and finishes. I know it is Driver related
and it has to do with XP, but in what way has most of us
stumped. I am so annoyed that I don't even want to do any
work on my computer (and I work out of my home using my
computer). Does anyone know why this is happening or how
to fix it??? Yes I downloaded the new drivers for XP
from the net and that didn't work, and I have the
installation disk for XP and it didn't work either.

Any help would be a god send.
Thanks in advance - Jennifer.
 
Would you please give us information about what you did to try to fix the
problem and what the results were. Also, were there any error messages and,
if so, what were they?


In the meantime, let's go back to fundamentals.

There is something quite odd in the fact that there is no Lpt1 nor 2 but
there is a Lpt3. I assume, dangerously, that Lpt3 was created following some
procedure suggested by a HP support tech.

First, delete the present printer driver. Navigate to Control Panel
printers and faxes. Highlight the printer in the list. Select delete
printer from the list in the upper left pane. Navigate to Control Panel
Add remove programs and delete any software listed for the printer. Quit
Windows in the usual way. Power-off the computer and printer. Remove one end
of the parallel printer cable.

Turn the power back on for the computer. As it starts, enter the BIOS setup
routine. This is usually done be pressing the Delete key at the
appropriate moment. Check your computer user manual or computer makes web
site for the exact procedure for your machine. Navigate to the setting for
the lpt ports. Assure that the port is set on and not disabled in any way.
Check the setting for it (ECP, EPP, ECP&EPP, SPP, bi-directional parallel
port [not every setting is present in every BIOS and the wording might
differ]). For now, set it to SPP or bi-directional. Later, when the printer
is working, you can change it to whatever HP recommends for that printer.
Save settings and exit. Allow the computer to start normally.

When the desktop is loaded and the hourglass has gone away, navigate to
Control Panel System Hardware Device Manager. Ports. Left mouse click
on the + in front of Ports. Check to make sure Lpt1 is now listed. (Also,
check for the continued presence of Lpt3 and let us know.

If Lpt1 is listed, exit out. Check the driver install instructions on the
HP site and install the drivers accordingly. Take particular note of when
the printer is to be attached to the computer.

Let us know.
--

Tom
MSMVP PS-D
 
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