Aligning print heads w/o HP toolkit?

[450125]

I've got an admittedly archaic printer - HP Deskjet 920c (10 years old) that has served me well, see no reason to replace it.

Except the ink is starting to run low and I'm only now realizing that the "toolkit" utility that came with it doesn't work in Windows 7.

HP's own web site - How to Get Your Printer Working with Windows 7 HP Deskjet 920c Printer - HP Customer Care (United States - English) - as much as says "tough luck."

So what am I supposed to do when I replace the print cartridge, to get the print heads aligned? I assume the printer will print legibly, but I know the toolkit utility was something I always ran after changing the cartridges in the past.

Suggestions?

 

[James Colbert]

If there is no way to manually align the printheads via the printer controls, I can think of 2 possibilities (create a System Restore point first):


1) Try installing the software in compatibility mode and set the install program to run as an admin.
You would right click on the install file, & choose properties. The screenshot should guide you through the rest:



If at first it doesn't work, try different compat modes (i.e., XP SP2, SP1, etc.)

If that doesn't work:

2) Install the printer to an XP machine, align the printheads, move printer to Win 7 machine. Win 7 will likely have a driver for it, even if generic. As a rule, I generally don't install HP printer software, as it seems bloated. I never miss it.

I'm not sure if a virtual machine will support a printer install, but if it does, an XP V.M. is a possible solution as well.

James