Zugg Software :: View topic

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2001 7:07 pm

(In case anyone is still reading these threads...)
I've done it! I've vanquished the evil Microsoft spirits from Chiara's computer!

Today, I was *determined* to get this printer working. I had successfully set up the color printer as a Generic printer so I knew it wasn't a communication problem. People on DejaNews were claiming that they could get it to work, so I figured it was just a matter of fighting with it.

And what a fight it was. Actually, it was quite easy. Really. Anyone could have done this. Here is the simple method I used to get the HP2000C color printer working on Chiara's new XP system:

1) Since trying to add a new printer wasn't even adding icons to the Printer control panel, I figured the system was totally messed up. So, I ran REGEDIT and searched for any registry entry that contained the "2000C" or "2500C" string (for the HP 2500C or 2000C color printer entries). I carefully deleted or edited the values I found. By "carefully" I mean that sometimes I deleted the key, sometimes the entire key folder, and sometimes had to edit other values like MRUList and Order to match what I had deleted. You know, all of that trivial stuff that you learn in first grade. (NOTE: This is SARCASM! I cannot recommend that ANYONE edit their system registry unless they know what they are doing!!) Beside, in the worst case scenario I'd hose the registry and just have to reinstall anyway, and reinstalling was the next step if this didn't work.

2) Once the registry is cleaned, reboot the system. Now, when I go into the Printer control panel and click "Add Printer", it says "Operation cannot be completed". Hmm, that's useful. Try again. "Operation cannot be completed". While I ponder this new error, wondering if I have messed up the registry, lo and behold, like magic, a new printer icon appears on the screen. "AUTO HP 2000C on ZUGGSOFT" it says. Hmm, it automatically went out and searched the workgroup for printers and added it! Cool. I suppose it would have done this during the initial install if only the network card had been supported.

3) Go to the printer Properties and change the driver from HP2000C to HP2500C. That's obvious, right? If not, go consult DejaNews and you'll learn that apparently the HP2000C driver included in WinXP doesn't work. You need to use the 2500C driver instead. Of course.

4) So I go to the Properties of this new Auto-printer and look at it. Very interesting! Before, when I was adding a "Networked Printer", it was set up so that the Properties being viewed were the properties of the remote printer. For example, yesterday if I examined the Port settings of the printer, it showed LPT1: because it was showing the *server* settings. If I tried to modify a setting, it would either change the setting on the remote machine, or tell me that I couldn't change that setting.

But this new Auto-printer is different! Instead of a true network printer, it is set up as a Local printer, with a Local port that points to //ZUGGSOFT/HP2000C. Wierd.

5) Of course, trying a test page *still* doesn't work, so I don't get too excited yet. However, while trying a test page, I notice that the test page now gets queued up on the *local* spooling queue instead of on the server. I check the Properties again and notice that it is set to "Print directly to Printer". So, if it's printing directly to the printer, why is it still queuing it? Perhaps I can *only* queue it. So I change the property to tell it to spool jobs to the printer.

6) Test page still doesn't work. I go check the server. The server printer is also set to Print Directly to Printer. Seems like this was required a while back in order for Win98 systems to use the printer. So, to be consistent, I change the server so that it is spooling jobs instead. Back on Chiara's computer, I try a test page. It works!!!

WOOHOO! Chiara can now print! (I get excited over the smallest things). It was simply a matter of: clean registry, let XP auto-install printer, change driver, set both client and server to Spool.

See, easy! Anyone could have done this. Of couse, the printer troubleshooter is no help and a waste of disk space. Nobody on DejaNews gives useful info. So, you heard it here first! Try this if you are having trouble with your printer. Just be sure you are willing to start from scratch and reinstall if you mess up :)

So, now Chiara's computer is working. I'm not going to touch it anymore. I'm done. I'm not installing XP anywhere else. I'm not giving any more money to Microsoft. I did this upgrade under protest just so I could test zMUD and AC Explorer myself on XP. It's going to be a *long* time before I do any more Microsoft upgrades.