Printer Anomalies

[tonybee808]

I have three printers.
1. Samsung ML-2010 (B&W),
2. Epson Stylus Photo PX650,
3. HP Color Laserjet 1600.
When trying to Print a Spreadsheet from Excel
The Samsung prints without any problem.
The Epson takes Four and a Half Minutes to produce a print.
The HP tells me "Current Printer is unavailable, Select another Printer"
Each of the Printers will print a Windows Printer Test Page from my PC.

I just don't know what to do.
Can anyone help please?
Tony B

 

[linnemeyerhere]

tonybee808,
Welcome to SF. First off make sure you go to the manufactures website and get all updated drivers and look for any down-loadable updates/fixes and read them and if they sound like they couldn't hurt and you have room then download them. Do this and do a re-boot and let us know how it goes.

 

[robdun]

I have three printers.
1. Samsung ML-2010 (B&W),
2. Epson Stylus Photo PX650,
3. HP Color Laserjet 1600.
When trying to Print a Spreadsheet from Excel
The Samsung prints without any problem.
The Epson takes Four and a Half Minutes to produce a print.
The HP tells me "Current Printer is unavailable, Select another Printer"
Each of the Printers will print a Windows Printer Test Page from my PC.

I just don't know what to do.
Can anyone help please?
Tony B

How are these printers connected?

 

[tonybee808]

Thank you for your reply Robdun
The Printers are connected by USB.
I have disconnected the Epson and the Samsung as I thought that it would be easier to concentrate on the Hp
Since I last wrote I have re-installed the software and downloaded the latest Drivers from Hp.
The error message when I try to print still reads..."Current Printer is unavailable, Select another Printer"
Is there anything else that I can try?

 

[linnemeyerhere]

What are the chances you have a bad usb cable, swap this cable out for another and see. If still acting up I would uninstall the drivers and the printer then re-install the printer only powering it and connecting it when the software driver installation tells you to and maybe that will cure the situation. I've found that these newer HP's want you to only connect them at a certain time during the install. I hope this helps and you will be able to view a quick start or full install manual online as well at the HP site.

 

[tonybee808]

Hi Guys.
I have changed the USB lead but this didn't make any difference.
I have also downloaded and installed the latest Printer Drivers from Hp website and that hasn't made any difference either.
Anything else that I can try?

 

[linnemeyerhere]

tonybee808,

These printers are connected directly to the rear io usb ports? Could your mobo have 1.0 and 2.0 usb ports ...doubtful?

 

[alphanumeric]

If you go to Devices and Printers and right click the ICON for the printer there is a Troubleshoot option. Selecting the ICON will also display status info at the bottom of the page. Double clicking the ICON will show you if there are any documents in the queue waiting to be printed. I've had printers act funny if a document failed to print. You may have to power cycle the printer to clear a failed print job. Unplug the power cord if you have to. Reboot the PC too. I like HP printers but the bundled software/drivers can be a pain to install if you don't follow the instructions. The big thing is don't plug the USB cable in until prompted to, even if the printer is turned off. I've done it and had to start over again.

 

[tonybee808]

Hi linnemeyerhere
The PC is a Medion, about 12mths old has 4 USB ports at the back and one at the front.
I have tried various ports and had no success with any of them.
Hi alphanumeric
I have already tried the Troubleshooter.
After thinking about it for a long time the PC finds no problems and refers me to this website!
There are no Prints waiting.
Has anyone a "step by step" method to uninstall the Printer and its Drivers so that I can start from scratch?

 

[alphanumeric]

My HP Deskjet All In One has an uninstall option in the start menu. I'd start there if possible, otherwise you will likely have to uninstall each of the 3 or 4 HP apps one at a time though Control Panel > Programs and Features. When I do the install I leave my printer turned on but don't plug the USB cable in until prompted to by the installer.

Being able to print a test page indicates the printer works so that would tell me its a software/Windows problem. What does the HP Digital Imaging Monitor show for that printer when its turned on?

 

[tonybee808]

Hi alphanumeric
I tried to uninstall the Epson Software using Control Panel but it wouldn't accept the command.
Said that the program was being used by Internet Explorer,which is not in use!
I then went into "All Programs" and I selected everything that I could find with an Epson name and deleted them manually. Then I re-installed the software with the Printer disconnected before connecting the USB lead and switching the Printer on. All seemed to go well but when I tried to print, it took 5 minutes for the print to arrive.
Since I last wrote, I have managed to fix my Hp Colour Laserjet 1600 by deleting the Printer and then re-insatalling the software and Drivers. The Hp now works perfectly so it's not going to be a fault on the PC end.
Do you think that the Epson may have developed a Fault?

 

[linnemeyerhere]

tonybee808,
I've never owned or used a Epson printer. I would go to Epson's website and review the installation manual and fish around to see if there are any critical updates available for it that could solve these issue. Worst case is remove all Epson drivers and re-install using the installation guide much as you've done with the HP with success.

 

[alphanumeric]

Its been a long time since I've owned or used an Epson printer. I only ever owned one and there was a reason why I never bought another one, I just don't remember what my problems were. It was the first ink-jet I ever owned. I know HP offers a Printer Diagnostics Utility in their downloads for my HP Printers. I'd have a look and see if Epson offers something similar. Look though the Epson installed programs too, to see if something similar isn't already installed.

 

[tonybee808]

Hi Guys
As today is a Bank Holiday here in the UK I am going to talk to an "Epson Online Adviser" tomorrow.
I'll keep you posted.
Thanks for your advice so far.
It's very kind of you both and much appreciated.

 

[tonybee808]

Hi Guys
First thing this morning I was onto the Epson Online Adviser.
Throughout the day I have spoken to 3 of them but I am still no nearer to solving the problem.
The last adviser that tried to fix it, clearly exasperated and probably more than a little fed up with me, finally admitted "you need to talk to Microsoft"
They all thought that there was nothing wrong with the Epson Printer because it will print a "Copy" and a Test Page but if the problem lies with my PC how come I can print normally using my Samsung B&W and my Hp Laser?
Could it be a compatibility problem between MS/Office and Epson?
Who knows?
Not me.

 

[alphanumeric]

What type of document are you trying to print when it stalls? What version of office is it?

 

[tonybee808]

I am trying to print a Word or an Excel document from a genuine Office Home and Student 2007 programme.
Don't know if this helps but when I have my Samsung set as Default Printer, there is no problem with printing.
However, when I set my Epson as Default Printer and click on the drop down menu for "Print", the Print Window doesn't come up on the screen.

 

[alphanumeric]

OK, I was just wondering if it was one particular type of document and maybe it was getting hung up converting it to be printed or something. The reason I asked about office is that over the years Microsoft has changed the format of files saved in office. So much so that you need to download a compatibility pack to read the files saved by newer versions in an older version of office. Thinking about it more now though, since its only the one printer having issues its probably not a Microsoft Office issue.
How long have you owned this Epson printer?
Has it always had this problem or is it something that just cropped up?

 

[tonybee808]

Hi Alphanumeric
When I first got the Printer, about a year ago everything worked fine.
I have been talking to Epson "chat" here is a transcript of the latest conversation...
05/09/2012 11:48:29AM Tony B: "Can I possibly continue my conversation from yesterday with Gillian Owen?" 05/09/2012 11:48:36AM Agent (Gillian Owen): "Thank you for contacting Epson's UK Customer Interaction Centre. My name is Gillian Owen" 05/09/2012 11:48:46AM Agent (Gillian Owen): "Hi Tony, how did you get on with the article I sent yesterday?" 05/09/2012 11:49:01AM Tony B: "Good morning Gillian, how are you today?" 05/09/2012 11:49:10AM Agent (Gillian Owen): "Hi Tony, how did you get on with the article I sent yesterday?" 05/09/2012 11:50:42AM Tony B: "Not very well, I spent all day yesterday wrestling with this Printer Problem and spoke to two other colleagues of yours only to be told finally..."You need to speak to Microsoft"" 05/09/2012 11:51:47AM Agent (Gillian Owen): "Do you have a previous session number so I can read your history please?" 05/09/2012 11:52:15AM Tony B: "I'll check for you." 05/09/2012 11:52:26AM Agent (Gillian Owen): "Thank you." 05/09/2012 11:54:45AM Tony B: "I spoke with Andrew Nicholls (1272120 and then with Daniel Lewis (1272319). You may be a few minutes, LOL I'll wait." 05/09/2012 11:55:36AM Agent (Gillian Owen): "One moment please while I check your session history." 05/09/2012 11:57:12AM Agent (Gillian Owen): "Have you tried disconnecting all other printers and trying the Epson from a different USB port on the computer please Tony?" 05/09/2012 11:58:33AM Tony B: "I think that I tried that before but I'll try again to be sure. It won't take a minute." 05/09/2012 11:58:42AM Agent (Gillian Owen): "Thank you." 05/09/2012 11:58:56AM Agent (Gillian Owen): "Try the printer on the port the HP is connected to please Tony?" 05/09/2012 12:01:31PM Agent (Gillian Owen): "How are you getting on with that please Tony?" 05/09/2012 12:03:14PM Tony B: "I changed the USB port with no difference. What happens is... I open the document, I click on the dropdown menu and select "Print". Nothing happens for a while and then the Hourglass is displayed for anything between 5 and 10 minutes. If I change the Default Printer to my Samsung Printer, everything works just fine

05/09/2012 12:04:27PM Agent (Gillian Owen): "Ok this will be due to processing speed of the PC or the print spool system in windows. Unfortunately my colleague Daniel was correct. You will need to contact your PC vendor to resolve the issue." 05/09/2012 12:07:57PM Agent (Gillian Owen): "We have had no response from you; if you still require assistance, please respond to continue the chat session." 05/09/2012 12:07:59PM Tony B: "I am using a genuine Office Home & Student software. Is there a different Print Spool system in windows for each printer? Just can't understand why the print process works for two other Printers but not for the Epson. As you will have gathered, I'm not very good with PCs and stuff. Any ideas what i can say to them?

05/09/2012 12:09:03PM Agent (Gillian Owen): "Just because the other prints work does not mean that there is not an issue - unfortunately different brands of printer are not manufactured the same and will react differently." 05/09/2012 12:09:13PM Agent (Gillian Owen): "There is only one spool system built into windows." 05/09/2012 12:10:00PM Tony B: "OK, Thanks for that and for all the time that you have been so patient with me." 05/09/2012 12:10:13PM Agent (Gillian Owen): "You're welcome. Is there anything else I may help with please Tony?" 05/09/2012 12:11:45PM Tony B: "No, thanks but I have had an idea. a friend of mine has the same Printer and I think I'll ask him if he can bring it round to see if that one works on my system." 05/09/2012 12:12:40PM Agent (Gillian Owen): "Alternatively you could try your machine on his computer to see if the same issue occurs on another computer," 05/09/2012 12:13:20PM Tony B: "Good idea! thanks."

 

[alphanumeric]

When was the last time you did a clean install or a factory restore? If its a windows problem that should restore the printer to a working condition. Then keep track of any programs you install and any Windows updates you do. Then if it misfires again you'll have a good idea of what caused it. If you reinstall Windows and it still doesn't work then I would say its a printer or printer software problem. If you do decide to reinstall Windows don't forget to backup your data to external media. It sucks to have to reinstall Windows but sometimes its the only way. If you have an actual Windows 7 DVD you could try doing a repair instead.