printer not printing

Thank you, pjp! I had been trying to put the test message on the same line
as the copy con command. When I did it right, it was fine. However, the
document wouldn't print. It showed up in the print queue and stayed there
until I deleted it. The printer port is definitely lpt1, according to
Printer Properties.

Jo-Anne

"pjp" wrote in message
news:3at6o.10694$Z6.7981@edtnps82...
I assume you can open a command prompt window. Mine by default is a black
windows with a blinking cursor after the following text

C:\Documents and Settings\'my username'

Note 'my username' is edited and is really what my login name is so yours
would be different.

At the blinking cursor type the following line

copy con lpt1

and hit enter. If there's an error it's likely the system doesn't even see
an lpt1 port so you could try lpt2 and lpt3 just to be sure buts it's
unlikely. An error indicates a hardware problem and again cheaper just buy
a cheap usb inkjet. Assuming no error the cursor goes down to beginning of
next line, type almost an gibberish you feel like and hit enter, do a
second line or more if inclined then use Ctrl-Z (hold down ctrl key and
press z) to exit the "copy" command. You should get a message "1 file(s)
copied." even if there's no printer hooked up which is my test scenario
here. If the printer does act up in any manner would indicate some type of
communications exists, hopefully it would actually print what you typed in
which case hardware is basically working so it's something in software in
Windows acting up.

For educational purposes. The OS has some reserved names it uses to
indicate hardware devices, con (for console), lpt'x' (old style printer
port 'x') and com 'x' (for serial ports). The above is simply copying what
you type at the keyboard to the lpt port, you could instead choose to copy
a file, preferably some small text file in which case you use the
following command

copy 'filename' lpt1

and the system should respond '1 file(s) copied.' same as if you had
copied it to another folder or drive and hopefully the printer would spit
it out.




"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"pjp" wrote in message
news:Hsq6o.10637$z%6.6465@edtnps83...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"John Dulak" wrote in message
...
Jo-Anne wrote:
"LVTravel" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
I'm using WinXP and an HPLaserJet4100 on my desktop computer.
Suddenly, my printer won't print. It's on, it's connected, and
until yesterday it was printing just fine.

I don't know if it's coincidence, but yesterday we had major
thunderstorms (with one lightning strike that went through the roof
of a house across the alley), and I lost my landline. It was just
restored this afternoon, along with my internet service (I have
DSL). The repairman said the line between the alley and my house
had to be replaced.

The error message is "This document failed to print." It goes on to
name the job, the printer, etc.

I turned the printer and the computer off and then back on. I also
tried printing from my laptop, which is networked to my desktop
computer. It appears to send the order to the desktop computer, but
it just lands in a queue and doesn't print.

My husband checked all the physical connections, and they seem
fine.

Any idea of what I should do next?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne




Look in the printer manual and see if it will run a self test. Hook
the computer directly to the laptop and install the drivers in that
computer and see if it will print. If not then the printer is fried.
As this printer was put into original service some time near the
beginning of the decade it probably has no value for an insurance
claim. If it proves to be dead it probably isn't worth have repairs
made either.

I had a strike near my house one time, no power or telephone lines
were struck and power to house wasn't lost. Everything that was
damaged was turned off at the time of the strike. I lost the
internal modems in two computers, one TV and an Epson wide carriage
ink jet printer. What was unusual is that the printer self-tested
fine but the Parallel interface circuitry was cooked. Other than
that everything else worked fine. Lightening can do weird things to
electrical components even when they are turned off and don't get
struck directly.



Thank you very much, LVTravel! I did a self-test, and it was fine, so
the printer is functional. I'm not sure, however, how to connect it
to my laptop. It's a parallel printer, and the laptop has only serial
and USB ports. Is there a cable I can buy to do this? If not, I'll
need to take the printer to a shop or maybe to a friend who has an
old desktop computer like mine.

I forgot to mention earlier that my husband's electronic weather
station was fried the same night that we lost the landline and, quite
possibly, my printer. No direct strike...

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne

Jo-Anne:

USb to Parallel converters DO exist:

http://www.cablestogo.com/product_list.asp?cat_id=1537

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...el%20A dapter

http://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-SBT-UP.../dp/B0007UVRVO

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...&condition=new

whether they are worth the price just to test is up to you. A friend
or neighbor with a Parallel port machine is more cost effective IMHO.

John


Thank you, John! They are expensive, certainly. But I have no one
nearby with a parallel port machine--and if I have to take it to a
local shop, it'll be even more expensive.

Jo-Anne


I know I'm butting in late here but if it's so old a printer it uses the
old parallel port then it likely would print directly from the command
line, e.g. open a command prompt, type 'copy con lpt1', type some text
and hit enter, then (from memory) it's Ctrl-Z to exit out of the copy
command. The printer should react in some manner or my guess is it's
some hardware connection problem (as it self tests) and if that isn't a
cable (possibly some mode in printer's own onboard setup?) issue I'd be
looking for a new USB whatever I could afford.

Thank you, pjp! I tried that and got "The syntax of the command is
incorrect." What did I do wrong?

Jo-Anne

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
I'm using WinXP and an HPLaserJet4100 on my desktop computer. Suddenly,
my printer won't print. It's on, it's connected, and until yesterday it
was printing just fine.

I don't know if it's coincidence, but yesterday we had major
thunderstorms (with one lightning strike that went through the roof of a
house across the alley), and I lost my landline. It was just restored
this afternoon, along with my internet service (I have DSL). The
repairman said the line between the alley and my house had to be
replaced.

The error message is "This document failed to print." It goes on to name
the job, the printer, etc.

I turned the printer and the computer off and then back on. I also tried
printing from my laptop, which is networked to my desktop computer. It
appears to send the order to the desktop computer, but it just lands in
a queue and doesn't print.

My husband checked all the physical connections, and they seem fine.

Any idea of what I should do next?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne


Does the printer show up in Printers and Faxes? If so, right-click on it,
pick Properties, then click on Print Test Page. Do you get an error
message, or does it try to print? Is there a document showing in queue
after clicking on Test Page, and does it eventually go away (with or
without printing), or do you have to manually clear the queue?
Also, is your Print Spooler service running?
--
SC Tom


Hi, SC Tom,

Here are the answers:

I clicked on Print Test Page and didn't get an error message. The document
showed up in the queue but didn't go away until I manually cleared it.
(That's the way it's been happening since the problem started; I've had to
manually clear it each time--and, for what it's worth, the status is
always "offline" when I look at it.) As far as I can tell in Properties,
the Print Spooler is running--or at least is set to do so.

Per pjp, I used the right syntax today to print from the command line, but
the same thing happened--the document ended up in the queue and stayed
there.

Last night, my husband dug out a new parallel printer cable and plugged it
into the computer and the printer. No change.

I did some troubleshooting through HP Help, and at this point it suggests
using another printer port if there is one (I don't think there's another
parallel port on this computer) or uninstalling the port and letting
Windows reinstall it. Is that worth trying?

The only other thing I've been able to think to do (per LVTravel above) is
to connect my laptop (not the desktop computer currently connected)
directly to the printer. For that, however, I'd have to buy a parallel/USB
cable (almost $40 locally). Of course, if I do that, I can probably
connect the printer to a USB port on the desktop computer to see if the
parallel port is the problem.

Any further advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne


If you don't mind waiting, you can get it a lot cheaper on-line:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If you buy it locally, will they allow you to return it if it doesn't work?
If Yes, then at least you can find out if it's the printer or the PC.

If it's the PC, then there may be other things wrong with it, or ready to go
wrong, and you may be ready for a new PC. I know no one wants to hear that,
or fork out the bucks for one, but lightning is hell on electronics (we lost
two fax machines at work the week I retired). If you think that maybe just
the parallel port is gone on the motherboard, you could get a PCI card with
a parallel interface to hook the printer to:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If it turns out to be the printer, well, it's a lot cheaper to buy one of
them than a PC :-)
--
SC Tom

"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
I'm using WinXP and an HPLaserJet4100 on my desktop computer. Suddenly,
my printer won't print. It's on, it's connected, and until yesterday it
was printing just fine.

I don't know if it's coincidence, but yesterday we had major
thunderstorms (with one lightning strike that went through the roof of
a house across the alley), and I lost my landline. It was just restored
this afternoon, along with my internet service (I have DSL). The
repairman said the line between the alley and my house had to be
replaced.

The error message is "This document failed to print." It goes on to
name the job, the printer, etc.

I turned the printer and the computer off and then back on. I also
tried printing from my laptop, which is networked to my desktop
computer. It appears to send the order to the desktop computer, but it
just lands in a queue and doesn't print.

My husband checked all the physical connections, and they seem fine.

Any idea of what I should do next?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne


Does the printer show up in Printers and Faxes? If so, right-click on
it, pick Properties, then click on Print Test Page. Do you get an error
message, or does it try to print? Is there a document showing in queue
after clicking on Test Page, and does it eventually go away (with or
without printing), or do you have to manually clear the queue?
Also, is your Print Spooler service running?
--
SC Tom


Hi, SC Tom,

Here are the answers:

I clicked on Print Test Page and didn't get an error message. The
document showed up in the queue but didn't go away until I manually
cleared it. (That's the way it's been happening since the problem
started; I've had to manually clear it each time--and, for what it's
worth, the status is always "offline" when I look at it.) As far as I can
tell in Properties, the Print Spooler is running--or at least is set to
do so.

Per pjp, I used the right syntax today to print from the command line,
but the same thing happened--the document ended up in the queue and
stayed there.

Last night, my husband dug out a new parallel printer cable and plugged
it into the computer and the printer. No change.

I did some troubleshooting through HP Help, and at this point it suggests
using another printer port if there is one (I don't think there's another
parallel port on this computer) or uninstalling the port and letting
Windows reinstall it. Is that worth trying?

The only other thing I've been able to think to do (per LVTravel above)
is to connect my laptop (not the desktop computer currently connected)
directly to the printer. For that, however, I'd have to buy a
parallel/USB cable (almost $40 locally). Of course, if I do that, I can
probably connect the printer to a USB port on the desktop computer to see
if the parallel port is the problem.

Any further advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne


If you don't mind waiting, you can get it a lot cheaper on-line:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If you buy it locally, will they allow you to return it if it doesn't
work? If Yes, then at least you can find out if it's the printer or the
PC.

If it's the PC, then there may be other things wrong with it, or ready to
go wrong, and you may be ready for a new PC. I know no one wants to hear
that, or fork out the bucks for one, but lightning is hell on electronics
(we lost two fax machines at work the week I retired). If you think that
maybe just the parallel port is gone on the motherboard, you could get a
PCI card with a parallel interface to hook the printer to:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If it turns out to be the printer, well, it's a lot cheaper to buy one of
them than a PC :-)
--
SC Tom


Thank you, SC Tom! Actually, I think the computer is on its last legs (it's
a 7-year-old Dell). It's been slowing down lately, and I've had trouble with
the hard drive (had to use chkdsk with repair before I could image the drive
recently) and in fact have a new one ready to install once I get up the
nerve to do it--but I'm beginning to think I'd better look into a new
computer instead if indeed the printer port has gone. I have a laptop and a
netbook I can use, but I'm more comfortable with a desktop for my real work.

One more question: If it IS the parallel port on this old computer, couldn't
I use one of its USB ports to print from--if I get a parallel/USB cable?

Thank you very much!

Jo-Anne

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
I'm using WinXP and an HPLaserJet4100 on my desktop computer.
Suddenly, my printer won't print. It's on, it's connected, and until
yesterday it was printing just fine.

I don't know if it's coincidence, but yesterday we had major
thunderstorms (with one lightning strike that went through the roof of
a house across the alley), and I lost my landline. It was just
restored this afternoon, along with my internet service (I have DSL).
The repairman said the line between the alley and my house had to be
replaced.

The error message is "This document failed to print." It goes on to
name the job, the printer, etc.

I turned the printer and the computer off and then back on. I also
tried printing from my laptop, which is networked to my desktop
computer. It appears to send the order to the desktop computer, but it
just lands in a queue and doesn't print.

My husband checked all the physical connections, and they seem fine.

Any idea of what I should do next?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne


Does the printer show up in Printers and Faxes? If so, right-click on
it, pick Properties, then click on Print Test Page. Do you get an error
message, or does it try to print? Is there a document showing in queue
after clicking on Test Page, and does it eventually go away (with or
without printing), or do you have to manually clear the queue?
Also, is your Print Spooler service running?
--
SC Tom


Hi, SC Tom,

Here are the answers:

I clicked on Print Test Page and didn't get an error message. The
document showed up in the queue but didn't go away until I manually
cleared it. (That's the way it's been happening since the problem
started; I've had to manually clear it each time--and, for what it's
worth, the status is always "offline" when I look at it.) As far as I
can tell in Properties, the Print Spooler is running--or at least is set
to do so.

Per pjp, I used the right syntax today to print from the command line,
but the same thing happened--the document ended up in the queue and
stayed there.

Last night, my husband dug out a new parallel printer cable and plugged
it into the computer and the printer. No change.

I did some troubleshooting through HP Help, and at this point it
suggests using another printer port if there is one (I don't think
there's another parallel port on this computer) or uninstalling the port
and letting Windows reinstall it. Is that worth trying?

The only other thing I've been able to think to do (per LVTravel above)
is to connect my laptop (not the desktop computer currently connected)
directly to the printer. For that, however, I'd have to buy a
parallel/USB cable (almost $40 locally). Of course, if I do that, I can
probably connect the printer to a USB port on the desktop computer to
see if the parallel port is the problem.

Any further advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne


If you don't mind waiting, you can get it a lot cheaper on-line:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If you buy it locally, will they allow you to return it if it doesn't
work? If Yes, then at least you can find out if it's the printer or the
PC.

If it's the PC, then there may be other things wrong with it, or ready to
go wrong, and you may be ready for a new PC. I know no one wants to hear
that, or fork out the bucks for one, but lightning is hell on electronics
(we lost two fax machines at work the week I retired). If you think that
maybe just the parallel port is gone on the motherboard, you could get a
PCI card with a parallel interface to hook the printer to:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If it turns out to be the printer, well, it's a lot cheaper to buy one of
them than a PC :-)
--
SC Tom


Thank you, SC Tom! Actually, I think the computer is on its last legs
(it's a 7-year-old Dell). It's been slowing down lately, and I've had
trouble with the hard drive (had to use chkdsk with repair before I could
image the drive recently) and in fact have a new one ready to install once
I get up the nerve to do it--but I'm beginning to think I'd better look
into a new computer instead if indeed the printer port has gone. I have a
laptop and a netbook I can use, but I'm more comfortable with a desktop
for my real work.

One more question: If it IS the parallel port on this old computer,
couldn't I use one of its USB ports to print from--if I get a parallel/USB
cable?

Thank you very much!

Jo-Anne

Yes, either method would work, although some of the USB-to-Whatever adaptors
can sometimes be flaky. My serial convertor works well enough for what I
need it to do, but my SCSI adaptor, not so great.
--
SC Tom

"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
I'm using WinXP and an HPLaserJet4100 on my desktop computer. Suddenly,
my printer won't print. It's on, it's connected, and until yesterday it
was printing just fine.

I don't know if it's coincidence, but yesterday we had major
thunderstorms (with one lightning strike that went through the roof of
a house across the alley), and I lost my landline. It was just restored
this afternoon, along with my internet service (I have DSL). The
repairman said the line between the alley and my house had to be
replaced.

The error message is "This document failed to print." It goes on to
name the job, the printer, etc.

I turned the printer and the computer off and then back on. I also
tried printing from my laptop, which is networked to my desktop
computer. It appears to send the order to the desktop computer, but it
just lands in a queue and doesn't print.

My husband checked all the physical connections, and they seem fine.

Any idea of what I should do next?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne


Does the printer show up in Printers and Faxes? If so, right-click on
it, pick Properties, then click on Print Test Page. Do you get an error
message, or does it try to print? Is there a document showing in queue
after clicking on Test Page, and does it eventually go away (with or
without printing), or do you have to manually clear the queue?
Also, is your Print Spooler service running?
--
SC Tom


Hi, SC Tom,

Here are the answers:

I clicked on Print Test Page and didn't get an error message. The
document showed up in the queue but didn't go away until I manually
cleared it. (That's the way it's been happening since the problem
started; I've had to manually clear it each time--and, for what it's
worth, the status is always "offline" when I look at it.) As far as I can
tell in Properties, the Print Spooler is running--or at least is set to
do so.

Per pjp, I used the right syntax today to print from the command line,
but the same thing happened--the document ended up in the queue and
stayed there.

Last night, my husband dug out a new parallel printer cable and plugged
it into the computer and the printer. No change.

I did some troubleshooting through HP Help, and at this point it suggests
using another printer port if there is one (I don't think there's another
parallel port on this computer) or uninstalling the port and letting
Windows reinstall it. Is that worth trying?

The only other thing I've been able to think to do (per LVTravel above)
is to connect my laptop (not the desktop computer currently connected)
directly to the printer. For that, however, I'd have to buy a
parallel/USB cable (almost $40 locally). Of course, if I do that, I can
probably connect the printer to a USB port on the desktop computer to see
if the parallel port is the problem.

Any further advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne


If you don't mind waiting, you can get it a lot cheaper on-line:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If you buy it locally, will they allow you to return it if it doesn't
work? If Yes, then at least you can find out if it's the printer or the
PC.

If it's the PC, then there may be other things wrong with it, or ready to
go wrong, and you may be ready for a new PC. I know no one wants to hear
that, or fork out the bucks for one, but lightning is hell on electronics
(we lost two fax machines at work the week I retired). If you think that
maybe just the parallel port is gone on the motherboard, you could get a
PCI card with a parallel interface to hook the printer to:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If it turns out to be the printer, well, it's a lot cheaper to buy one of
them than a PC :-)
--
SC Tom


I'll add, if you can buy that convertor cable locally, can't you just take
the printer in and ask them to do a quick check of it? Given you mentioned
you replaced cable and still a no-go, personally at that time I'd be cutting
my loss and not waste more time. Note - at $40 for a convertor cable you can
pretty much buy a new printer can't you?

"pjp" wrote in message
news:xVD6o.10720$Z6.6765@edtnps82...

"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
I'm using WinXP and an HPLaserJet4100 on my desktop computer.
Suddenly, my printer won't print. It's on, it's connected, and until
yesterday it was printing just fine.

I don't know if it's coincidence, but yesterday we had major
thunderstorms (with one lightning strike that went through the roof of
a house across the alley), and I lost my landline. It was just
restored this afternoon, along with my internet service (I have DSL).
The repairman said the line between the alley and my house had to be
replaced.

The error message is "This document failed to print." It goes on to
name the job, the printer, etc.

I turned the printer and the computer off and then back on. I also
tried printing from my laptop, which is networked to my desktop
computer. It appears to send the order to the desktop computer, but it
just lands in a queue and doesn't print.

My husband checked all the physical connections, and they seem fine.

Any idea of what I should do next?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne


Does the printer show up in Printers and Faxes? If so, right-click on
it, pick Properties, then click on Print Test Page. Do you get an error
message, or does it try to print? Is there a document showing in queue
after clicking on Test Page, and does it eventually go away (with or
without printing), or do you have to manually clear the queue?
Also, is your Print Spooler service running?
--
SC Tom


Hi, SC Tom,

Here are the answers:

I clicked on Print Test Page and didn't get an error message. The
document showed up in the queue but didn't go away until I manually
cleared it. (That's the way it's been happening since the problem
started; I've had to manually clear it each time--and, for what it's
worth, the status is always "offline" when I look at it.) As far as I
can tell in Properties, the Print Spooler is running--or at least is set
to do so.

Per pjp, I used the right syntax today to print from the command line,
but the same thing happened--the document ended up in the queue and
stayed there.

Last night, my husband dug out a new parallel printer cable and plugged
it into the computer and the printer. No change.

I did some troubleshooting through HP Help, and at this point it
suggests using another printer port if there is one (I don't think
there's another parallel port on this computer) or uninstalling the port
and letting Windows reinstall it. Is that worth trying?

The only other thing I've been able to think to do (per LVTravel above)
is to connect my laptop (not the desktop computer currently connected)
directly to the printer. For that, however, I'd have to buy a
parallel/USB cable (almost $40 locally). Of course, if I do that, I can
probably connect the printer to a USB port on the desktop computer to
see if the parallel port is the problem.

Any further advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne


If you don't mind waiting, you can get it a lot cheaper on-line:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If you buy it locally, will they allow you to return it if it doesn't
work? If Yes, then at least you can find out if it's the printer or the
PC.

If it's the PC, then there may be other things wrong with it, or ready to
go wrong, and you may be ready for a new PC. I know no one wants to hear
that, or fork out the bucks for one, but lightning is hell on electronics
(we lost two fax machines at work the week I retired). If you think that
maybe just the parallel port is gone on the motherboard, you could get a
PCI card with a parallel interface to hook the printer to:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If it turns out to be the printer, well, it's a lot cheaper to buy one of
them than a PC :-)
--
SC Tom


I'll add, if you can buy that convertor cable locally, can't you just take
the printer in and ask them to do a quick check of it? Given you mentioned
you replaced cable and still a no-go, personally at that time I'd be
cutting my loss and not waste more time. Note - at $40 for a convertor
cable you can pretty much buy a new printer can't you?

The converter cable would come from Best Buy; I wouldn't want them to look
at the computer. The only place in town where I'd take the printer to get it
checked is a real repair shop, and they're asking $49 just to look at it. If
I think I can get by for a few more days, a friend with such a cable will be
visiting and can bring it. But if it's the computer's parallel port, that's
a strong indication that I should get a new computer: The hard drive is
failing, the CD-RW drive is sticking closed--and if the port is bad, what
next?

AND I want a good quality business-level printer, which will cost big bucks,
I'm sure--and require some research first.

Jo-Anne

Jo-Anne wrote:
I'm using WinXP and an HPLaserJet4100 on my desktop computer. Suddenly, my
printer won't print. It's on, it's connected, and until yesterday it was
printing just fine.

I don't know if it's coincidence, but yesterday we had major thunderstorms
(with one lightning strike that went through the roof of a house across the
alley), and I lost my landline. It was just restored this afternoon, along
with my internet service (I have DSL). The repairman said the line between
the alley and my house had to be replaced.

The error message is "This document failed to print." It goes on to name the
job, the printer, etc.

I turned the printer and the computer off and then back on. I also tried
printing from my laptop, which is networked to my desktop computer. It
appears to send the order to the desktop computer, but it just lands in a
queue and doesn't print.

My husband checked all the physical connections, and they seem fine.

Any idea of what I should do next?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

Here's something you might try:

Open the Properties of the printer and see if, under the Ports tab,
there's a USB... Virtual Printer Port. If so, change to that port.
That's possibly what Windows sees, not the parallel port.

--

Joe =o)

"Elmo" wrote in message
m...
Jo-Anne wrote:
I'm using WinXP and an HPLaserJet4100 on my desktop computer. Suddenly,
my
printer won't print. It's on, it's connected, and until yesterday it was
printing just fine.

I don't know if it's coincidence, but yesterday we had major
thunderstorms
(with one lightning strike that went through the roof of a house across
the
alley), and I lost my landline. It was just restored this afternoon,
along
with my internet service (I have DSL). The repairman said the line
between
the alley and my house had to be replaced.

The error message is "This document failed to print." It goes on to name
the
job, the printer, etc.

I turned the printer and the computer off and then back on. I also tried
printing from my laptop, which is networked to my desktop computer. It
appears to send the order to the desktop computer, but it just lands in a
queue and doesn't print.

My husband checked all the physical connections, and they seem fine.

Any idea of what I should do next?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

Here's something you might try:

Open the Properties of the printer and see if, under the Ports tab,
there's a USB... Virtual Printer Port. If so, change to that port.
That's possibly what Windows sees, not the parallel port.

--

Joe =o)

Thank you, Joe, but there's no USB virtual printer port...

Jo-Anne

"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
I'm using WinXP and an HPLaserJet4100 on my desktop computer.
Suddenly, my printer won't print. It's on, it's connected, and until
yesterday it was printing just fine.

I don't know if it's coincidence, but yesterday we had major
thunderstorms (with one lightning strike that went through the roof
of a house across the alley), and I lost my landline. It was just
restored this afternoon, along with my internet service (I have DSL).
The repairman said the line between the alley and my house had to be
replaced.

The error message is "This document failed to print." It goes on to
name the job, the printer, etc.

I turned the printer and the computer off and then back on. I also
tried printing from my laptop, which is networked to my desktop
computer. It appears to send the order to the desktop computer, but
it just lands in a queue and doesn't print.

My husband checked all the physical connections, and they seem fine.

Any idea of what I should do next?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne


Does the printer show up in Printers and Faxes? If so, right-click on
it, pick Properties, then click on Print Test Page. Do you get an
error message, or does it try to print? Is there a document showing in
queue after clicking on Test Page, and does it eventually go away
(with or without printing), or do you have to manually clear the
queue?
Also, is your Print Spooler service running?
--
SC Tom


Hi, SC Tom,

Here are the answers:

I clicked on Print Test Page and didn't get an error message. The
document showed up in the queue but didn't go away until I manually
cleared it. (That's the way it's been happening since the problem
started; I've had to manually clear it each time--and, for what it's
worth, the status is always "offline" when I look at it.) As far as I
can tell in Properties, the Print Spooler is running--or at least is
set to do so.

Per pjp, I used the right syntax today to print from the command line,
but the same thing happened--the document ended up in the queue and
stayed there.

Last night, my husband dug out a new parallel printer cable and plugged
it into the computer and the printer. No change.

I did some troubleshooting through HP Help, and at this point it
suggests using another printer port if there is one (I don't think
there's another parallel port on this computer) or uninstalling the
port and letting Windows reinstall it. Is that worth trying?

The only other thing I've been able to think to do (per LVTravel above)
is to connect my laptop (not the desktop computer currently connected)
directly to the printer. For that, however, I'd have to buy a
parallel/USB cable (almost $40 locally). Of course, if I do that, I can
probably connect the printer to a USB port on the desktop computer to
see if the parallel port is the problem.

Any further advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne


If you don't mind waiting, you can get it a lot cheaper on-line:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If you buy it locally, will they allow you to return it if it doesn't
work? If Yes, then at least you can find out if it's the printer or the
PC.

If it's the PC, then there may be other things wrong with it, or ready
to go wrong, and you may be ready for a new PC. I know no one wants to
hear that, or fork out the bucks for one, but lightning is hell on
electronics (we lost two fax machines at work the week I retired). If
you think that maybe just the parallel port is gone on the motherboard,
you could get a PCI card with a parallel interface to hook the printer
to:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If it turns out to be the printer, well, it's a lot cheaper to buy one
of them than a PC :-)
--
SC Tom


Thank you, SC Tom! Actually, I think the computer is on its last legs
(it's a 7-year-old Dell). It's been slowing down lately, and I've had
trouble with the hard drive (had to use chkdsk with repair before I could
image the drive recently) and in fact have a new one ready to install
once I get up the nerve to do it--but I'm beginning to think I'd better
look into a new computer instead if indeed the printer port has gone. I
have a laptop and a netbook I can use, but I'm more comfortable with a
desktop for my real work.

One more question: If it IS the parallel port on this old computer,
couldn't I use one of its USB ports to print from--if I get a
parallel/USB cable?

Thank you very much!

Jo-Anne

Yes, either method would work, although some of the USB-to-Whatever
adaptors can sometimes be flaky. My serial convertor works well enough for
what I need it to do, but my SCSI adaptor, not so great.
--
SC Tom


Hi, again, SC Tom,

Here's the latest. I bought a USB to parallel printer cable, plugged it into
the turned-off printer, turned the printer on, and plugged the USB connector
into my laptop computer. Windows said "USB printing device" followed by
"Your new hardware is installed and ready to use." However, no printer
showed up. I checked Printers and Faxes in Control Panel and found nothing
but the network printer I had used before. I tried to print, but nothing
happened.

I then installed the printer's drivers from the Hewlett-Packard website,
picking the port mentioned by Joe: USB... Virtual Printer Port. I tried to
print, and nothing happened. Eventually, I got the usual error message and
had to manually cancel the print job.

Does this sound like the printer is the problem?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"pjp" wrote in message
news:xVD6o.10720$Z6.6765@edtnps82...

"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
I'm using WinXP and an HPLaserJet4100 on my desktop computer.
Suddenly, my printer won't print. It's on, it's connected, and until
yesterday it was printing just fine.

I don't know if it's coincidence, but yesterday we had major
thunderstorms (with one lightning strike that went through the roof
of a house across the alley), and I lost my landline. It was just
restored this afternoon, along with my internet service (I have DSL).
The repairman said the line between the alley and my house had to be
replaced.

The error message is "This document failed to print." It goes on to
name the job, the printer, etc.

I turned the printer and the computer off and then back on. I also
tried printing from my laptop, which is networked to my desktop
computer. It appears to send the order to the desktop computer, but
it just lands in a queue and doesn't print.

My husband checked all the physical connections, and they seem fine.

Any idea of what I should do next?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne


Does the printer show up in Printers and Faxes? If so, right-click on
it, pick Properties, then click on Print Test Page. Do you get an
error message, or does it try to print? Is there a document showing in
queue after clicking on Test Page, and does it eventually go away
(with or without printing), or do you have to manually clear the
queue?
Also, is your Print Spooler service running?
--
SC Tom


Hi, SC Tom,

Here are the answers:

I clicked on Print Test Page and didn't get an error message. The
document showed up in the queue but didn't go away until I manually
cleared it. (That's the way it's been happening since the problem
started; I've had to manually clear it each time--and, for what it's
worth, the status is always "offline" when I look at it.) As far as I
can tell in Properties, the Print Spooler is running--or at least is
set to do so.

Per pjp, I used the right syntax today to print from the command line,
but the same thing happened--the document ended up in the queue and
stayed there.

Last night, my husband dug out a new parallel printer cable and plugged
it into the computer and the printer. No change.

I did some troubleshooting through HP Help, and at this point it
suggests using another printer port if there is one (I don't think
there's another parallel port on this computer) or uninstalling the
port and letting Windows reinstall it. Is that worth trying?

The only other thing I've been able to think to do (per LVTravel above)
is to connect my laptop (not the desktop computer currently connected)
directly to the printer. For that, however, I'd have to buy a
parallel/USB cable (almost $40 locally). Of course, if I do that, I can
probably connect the printer to a USB port on the desktop computer to
see if the parallel port is the problem.

Any further advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne


If you don't mind waiting, you can get it a lot cheaper on-line:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If you buy it locally, will they allow you to return it if it doesn't
work? If Yes, then at least you can find out if it's the printer or the
PC.

If it's the PC, then there may be other things wrong with it, or ready
to go wrong, and you may be ready for a new PC. I know no one wants to
hear that, or fork out the bucks for one, but lightning is hell on
electronics (we lost two fax machines at work the week I retired). If
you think that maybe just the parallel port is gone on the motherboard,
you could get a PCI card with a parallel interface to hook the printer
to:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If it turns out to be the printer, well, it's a lot cheaper to buy one
of them than a PC :-)
--
SC Tom


I'll add, if you can buy that convertor cable locally, can't you just
take the printer in and ask them to do a quick check of it? Given you
mentioned you replaced cable and still a no-go, personally at that time
I'd be cutting my loss and not waste more time. Note - at $40 for a
convertor cable you can pretty much buy a new printer can't you?

The converter cable would come from Best Buy; I wouldn't want them to look
at the computer. The only place in town where I'd take the printer to get
it checked is a real repair shop, and they're asking $49 just to look at
it. If I think I can get by for a few more days, a friend with such a
cable will be visiting and can bring it. But if it's the computer's
parallel port, that's a strong indication that I should get a new
computer: The hard drive is failing, the CD-RW drive is sticking
closed--and if the port is bad, what next?

AND I want a good quality business-level printer, which will cost big
bucks, I'm sure--and require some research first.


Then go with a new color laser and forget inkjets entirely. Only reason
there's still one in this house (and 2 color lasers) is because they still
want really big bucks to include the fax option and so the inkjet is more a
fax/scanner/copier than used as a pc printer.

Oh, and I'm not sure it makes sense to think long term and pay big bucks for
a printer. Maybe if you're publishing something etc. but if it only lasts a
year at $50 then you can have six each newer with likely better/more
features (and supported drivers etc.) than the previous in same time frame
as something originally $300.


Jo-Anne

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
I'm using WinXP and an HPLaserJet4100 on my desktop computer.
Suddenly, my printer won't print. It's on, it's connected, and until
yesterday it was printing just fine.

I don't know if it's coincidence, but yesterday we had major
thunderstorms (with one lightning strike that went through the roof
of a house across the alley), and I lost my landline. It was just
restored this afternoon, along with my internet service (I have
DSL). The repairman said the line between the alley and my house had
to be replaced.

The error message is "This document failed to print." It goes on to
name the job, the printer, etc.

I turned the printer and the computer off and then back on. I also
tried printing from my laptop, which is networked to my desktop
computer. It appears to send the order to the desktop computer, but
it just lands in a queue and doesn't print.

My husband checked all the physical connections, and they seem fine.

Any idea of what I should do next?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne


Does the printer show up in Printers and Faxes? If so, right-click on
it, pick Properties, then click on Print Test Page. Do you get an
error message, or does it try to print? Is there a document showing
in queue after clicking on Test Page, and does it eventually go away
(with or without printing), or do you have to manually clear the
queue?
Also, is your Print Spooler service running?
--
SC Tom


Hi, SC Tom,

Here are the answers:

I clicked on Print Test Page and didn't get an error message. The
document showed up in the queue but didn't go away until I manually
cleared it. (That's the way it's been happening since the problem
started; I've had to manually clear it each time--and, for what it's
worth, the status is always "offline" when I look at it.) As far as I
can tell in Properties, the Print Spooler is running--or at least is
set to do so.

Per pjp, I used the right syntax today to print from the command line,
but the same thing happened--the document ended up in the queue and
stayed there.

Last night, my husband dug out a new parallel printer cable and
plugged it into the computer and the printer. No change.

I did some troubleshooting through HP Help, and at this point it
suggests using another printer port if there is one (I don't think
there's another parallel port on this computer) or uninstalling the
port and letting Windows reinstall it. Is that worth trying?

The only other thing I've been able to think to do (per LVTravel
above) is to connect my laptop (not the desktop computer currently
connected) directly to the printer. For that, however, I'd have to buy
a parallel/USB cable (almost $40 locally). Of course, if I do that, I
can probably connect the printer to a USB port on the desktop computer
to see if the parallel port is the problem.

Any further advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne


If you don't mind waiting, you can get it a lot cheaper on-line:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If you buy it locally, will they allow you to return it if it doesn't
work? If Yes, then at least you can find out if it's the printer or the
PC.

If it's the PC, then there may be other things wrong with it, or ready
to go wrong, and you may be ready for a new PC. I know no one wants to
hear that, or fork out the bucks for one, but lightning is hell on
electronics (we lost two fax machines at work the week I retired). If
you think that maybe just the parallel port is gone on the motherboard,
you could get a PCI card with a parallel interface to hook the printer
to:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If it turns out to be the printer, well, it's a lot cheaper to buy one
of them than a PC :-)
--
SC Tom


Thank you, SC Tom! Actually, I think the computer is on its last legs
(it's a 7-year-old Dell). It's been slowing down lately, and I've had
trouble with the hard drive (had to use chkdsk with repair before I
could image the drive recently) and in fact have a new one ready to
install once I get up the nerve to do it--but I'm beginning to think I'd
better look into a new computer instead if indeed the printer port has
gone. I have a laptop and a netbook I can use, but I'm more comfortable
with a desktop for my real work.

One more question: If it IS the parallel port on this old computer,
couldn't I use one of its USB ports to print from--if I get a
parallel/USB cable?

Thank you very much!

Jo-Anne

Yes, either method would work, although some of the USB-to-Whatever
adaptors can sometimes be flaky. My serial convertor works well enough
for what I need it to do, but my SCSI adaptor, not so great.
--
SC Tom


Hi, again, SC Tom,

Here's the latest. I bought a USB to parallel printer cable, plugged it
into the turned-off printer, turned the printer on, and plugged the USB
connector into my laptop computer. Windows said "USB printing device"
followed by "Your new hardware is installed and ready to use." However, no
printer showed up. I checked Printers and Faxes in Control Panel and found
nothing but the network printer I had used before. I tried to print, but
nothing happened.

I then installed the printer's drivers from the Hewlett-Packard website,
picking the port mentioned by Joe: USB... Virtual Printer Port. I tried to
print, and nothing happened. Eventually, I got the usual error message and
had to manually cancel the print job.

Does this sound like the printer is the problem?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

Sounding more and more like it's the printer. Did you try it on both
computers, or just the laptop? Who knows, you may have luck with your
desktop. Generally, on a USB HP printer, the drivers are supposed to be
installed before the printer is even hooked up.
--
SC Tom

"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
I'm using WinXP and an HPLaserJet4100 on my desktop computer.
Suddenly, my printer won't print. It's on, it's connected, and
until yesterday it was printing just fine.

I don't know if it's coincidence, but yesterday we had major
thunderstorms (with one lightning strike that went through the roof
of a house across the alley), and I lost my landline. It was just
restored this afternoon, along with my internet service (I have
DSL). The repairman said the line between the alley and my house
had to be replaced.

The error message is "This document failed to print." It goes on to
name the job, the printer, etc.

I turned the printer and the computer off and then back on. I also
tried printing from my laptop, which is networked to my desktop
computer. It appears to send the order to the desktop computer, but
it just lands in a queue and doesn't print.

My husband checked all the physical connections, and they seem
fine.

Any idea of what I should do next?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne


Does the printer show up in Printers and Faxes? If so, right-click
on it, pick Properties, then click on Print Test Page. Do you get an
error message, or does it try to print? Is there a document showing
in queue after clicking on Test Page, and does it eventually go away
(with or without printing), or do you have to manually clear the
queue?
Also, is your Print Spooler service running?
--
SC Tom


Hi, SC Tom,

Here are the answers:

I clicked on Print Test Page and didn't get an error message. The
document showed up in the queue but didn't go away until I manually
cleared it. (That's the way it's been happening since the problem
started; I've had to manually clear it each time--and, for what it's
worth, the status is always "offline" when I look at it.) As far as I
can tell in Properties, the Print Spooler is running--or at least is
set to do so.

Per pjp, I used the right syntax today to print from the command
line, but the same thing happened--the document ended up in the queue
and stayed there.

Last night, my husband dug out a new parallel printer cable and
plugged it into the computer and the printer. No change.

I did some troubleshooting through HP Help, and at this point it
suggests using another printer port if there is one (I don't think
there's another parallel port on this computer) or uninstalling the
port and letting Windows reinstall it. Is that worth trying?

The only other thing I've been able to think to do (per LVTravel
above) is to connect my laptop (not the desktop computer currently
connected) directly to the printer. For that, however, I'd have to
buy a parallel/USB cable (almost $40 locally). Of course, if I do
that, I can probably connect the printer to a USB port on the desktop
computer to see if the parallel port is the problem.

Any further advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne


If you don't mind waiting, you can get it a lot cheaper on-line:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If you buy it locally, will they allow you to return it if it doesn't
work? If Yes, then at least you can find out if it's the printer or
the PC.

If it's the PC, then there may be other things wrong with it, or ready
to go wrong, and you may be ready for a new PC. I know no one wants to
hear that, or fork out the bucks for one, but lightning is hell on
electronics (we lost two fax machines at work the week I retired). If
you think that maybe just the parallel port is gone on the
motherboard, you could get a PCI card with a parallel interface to
hook the printer to:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If it turns out to be the printer, well, it's a lot cheaper to buy one
of them than a PC :-)
--
SC Tom


Thank you, SC Tom! Actually, I think the computer is on its last legs
(it's a 7-year-old Dell). It's been slowing down lately, and I've had
trouble with the hard drive (had to use chkdsk with repair before I
could image the drive recently) and in fact have a new one ready to
install once I get up the nerve to do it--but I'm beginning to think
I'd better look into a new computer instead if indeed the printer port
has gone. I have a laptop and a netbook I can use, but I'm more
comfortable with a desktop for my real work.

One more question: If it IS the parallel port on this old computer,
couldn't I use one of its USB ports to print from--if I get a
parallel/USB cable?

Thank you very much!

Jo-Anne

Yes, either method would work, although some of the USB-to-Whatever
adaptors can sometimes be flaky. My serial convertor works well enough
for what I need it to do, but my SCSI adaptor, not so great.
--
SC Tom


Hi, again, SC Tom,

Here's the latest. I bought a USB to parallel printer cable, plugged it
into the turned-off printer, turned the printer on, and plugged the USB
connector into my laptop computer. Windows said "USB printing device"
followed by "Your new hardware is installed and ready to use." However,
no printer showed up. I checked Printers and Faxes in Control Panel and
found nothing but the network printer I had used before. I tried to
print, but nothing happened.

I then installed the printer's drivers from the Hewlett-Packard website,
picking the port mentioned by Joe: USB... Virtual Printer Port. I tried
to print, and nothing happened. Eventually, I got the usual error message
and had to manually cancel the print job.

Does this sound like the printer is the problem?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

Sounding more and more like it's the printer. Did you try it on both
computers, or just the laptop? Who knows, you may have luck with your
desktop. Generally, on a USB HP printer, the drivers are supposed to be
installed before the printer is even hooked up.
--
SC Tom


Didn't know that, SC Tom! I did, however, try it on the desktop computer
too. I even changed the printer port on it to USB-Virtual Printer Port,
which became part of the list after I connected the USB cable. I guess it's
time to look for a new printer--something I had hoped to put off for a
while.

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

"pjp" wrote in message
news:ZfJ6o.10733$Z6.9052@edtnps82...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"pjp" wrote in message
news:xVD6o.10720$Z6.6765@edtnps82...

"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
I'm using WinXP and an HPLaserJet4100 on my desktop computer.
Suddenly, my printer won't print. It's on, it's connected, and until
yesterday it was printing just fine.

I don't know if it's coincidence, but yesterday we had major
thunderstorms (with one lightning strike that went through the roof
of a house across the alley), and I lost my landline. It was just
restored this afternoon, along with my internet service (I have
DSL). The repairman said the line between the alley and my house had
to be replaced.

The error message is "This document failed to print." It goes on to
name the job, the printer, etc.

I turned the printer and the computer off and then back on. I also
tried printing from my laptop, which is networked to my desktop
computer. It appears to send the order to the desktop computer, but
it just lands in a queue and doesn't print.

My husband checked all the physical connections, and they seem fine.

Any idea of what I should do next?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne


Does the printer show up in Printers and Faxes? If so, right-click on
it, pick Properties, then click on Print Test Page. Do you get an
error message, or does it try to print? Is there a document showing
in queue after clicking on Test Page, and does it eventually go away
(with or without printing), or do you have to manually clear the
queue?
Also, is your Print Spooler service running?
--
SC Tom


Hi, SC Tom,

Here are the answers:

I clicked on Print Test Page and didn't get an error message. The
document showed up in the queue but didn't go away until I manually
cleared it. (That's the way it's been happening since the problem
started; I've had to manually clear it each time--and, for what it's
worth, the status is always "offline" when I look at it.) As far as I
can tell in Properties, the Print Spooler is running--or at least is
set to do so.

Per pjp, I used the right syntax today to print from the command line,
but the same thing happened--the document ended up in the queue and
stayed there.

Last night, my husband dug out a new parallel printer cable and
plugged it into the computer and the printer. No change.

I did some troubleshooting through HP Help, and at this point it
suggests using another printer port if there is one (I don't think
there's another parallel port on this computer) or uninstalling the
port and letting Windows reinstall it. Is that worth trying?

The only other thing I've been able to think to do (per LVTravel
above) is to connect my laptop (not the desktop computer currently
connected) directly to the printer. For that, however, I'd have to buy
a parallel/USB cable (almost $40 locally). Of course, if I do that, I
can probably connect the printer to a USB port on the desktop computer
to see if the parallel port is the problem.

Any further advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne


If you don't mind waiting, you can get it a lot cheaper on-line:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If you buy it locally, will they allow you to return it if it doesn't
work? If Yes, then at least you can find out if it's the printer or the
PC.

If it's the PC, then there may be other things wrong with it, or ready
to go wrong, and you may be ready for a new PC. I know no one wants to
hear that, or fork out the bucks for one, but lightning is hell on
electronics (we lost two fax machines at work the week I retired). If
you think that maybe just the parallel port is gone on the motherboard,
you could get a PCI card with a parallel interface to hook the printer
to:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If it turns out to be the printer, well, it's a lot cheaper to buy one
of them than a PC :-)
--
SC Tom


I'll add, if you can buy that convertor cable locally, can't you just
take the printer in and ask them to do a quick check of it? Given you
mentioned you replaced cable and still a no-go, personally at that time
I'd be cutting my loss and not waste more time. Note - at $40 for a
convertor cable you can pretty much buy a new printer can't you?

The converter cable would come from Best Buy; I wouldn't want them to
look at the computer. The only place in town where I'd take the printer
to get it checked is a real repair shop, and they're asking $49 just to
look at it. If I think I can get by for a few more days, a friend with
such a cable will be visiting and can bring it. But if it's the
computer's parallel port, that's a strong indication that I should get a
new computer: The hard drive is failing, the CD-RW drive is sticking
closed--and if the port is bad, what next?

AND I want a good quality business-level printer, which will cost big
bucks, I'm sure--and require some research first.


Then go with a new color laser and forget inkjets entirely. Only reason
there's still one in this house (and 2 color lasers) is because they still
want really big bucks to include the fax option and so the inkjet is more
a fax/scanner/copier than used as a pc printer.

Oh, and I'm not sure it makes sense to think long term and pay big bucks
for a printer. Maybe if you're publishing something etc. but if it only
lasts a year at $50 then you can have six each newer with likely
better/more features (and supported drivers etc.) than the previous in
same time frame as something originally $300.


Jo-Anne



I have a different philosophy, pjp. I like good quality and am willing to
pay for it--computer, printer, copier, etc.--even if they go out of date
eventually.

Jo-Anne

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
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...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
...

"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
"SC Tom" wrote in message
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"Jo-Anne" wrote in message
...
I'm using WinXP and an HPLaserJet4100 on my desktop computer.
Suddenly, my printer won't print. It's on, it's connected, and
until yesterday it was printing just fine.

I don't know if it's coincidence, but yesterday we had major
thunderstorms (with one lightning strike that went through the
roof of a house across the alley), and I lost my landline. It was
just restored this afternoon, along with my internet service (I
have DSL). The repairman said the line between the alley and my
house had to be replaced.

The error message is "This document failed to print." It goes on
to name the job, the printer, etc.

I turned the printer and the computer off and then back on. I also
tried printing from my laptop, which is networked to my desktop
computer. It appears to send the order to the desktop computer,
but it just lands in a queue and doesn't print.

My husband checked all the physical connections, and they seem
fine.

Any idea of what I should do next?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne


Does the printer show up in Printers and Faxes? If so, right-click
on it, pick Properties, then click on Print Test Page. Do you get
an error message, or does it try to print? Is there a document
showing in queue after clicking on Test Page, and does it
eventually go away (with or without printing), or do you have to
manually clear the queue?
Also, is your Print Spooler service running?
--
SC Tom


Hi, SC Tom,

Here are the answers:

I clicked on Print Test Page and didn't get an error message. The
document showed up in the queue but didn't go away until I manually
cleared it. (That's the way it's been happening since the problem
started; I've had to manually clear it each time--and, for what it's
worth, the status is always "offline" when I look at it.) As far as
I can tell in Properties, the Print Spooler is running--or at least
is set to do so.

Per pjp, I used the right syntax today to print from the command
line, but the same thing happened--the document ended up in the
queue and stayed there.

Last night, my husband dug out a new parallel printer cable and
plugged it into the computer and the printer. No change.

I did some troubleshooting through HP Help, and at this point it
suggests using another printer port if there is one (I don't think
there's another parallel port on this computer) or uninstalling the
port and letting Windows reinstall it. Is that worth trying?

The only other thing I've been able to think to do (per LVTravel
above) is to connect my laptop (not the desktop computer currently
connected) directly to the printer. For that, however, I'd have to
buy a parallel/USB cable (almost $40 locally). Of course, if I do
that, I can probably connect the printer to a USB port on the
desktop computer to see if the parallel port is the problem.

Any further advice would be very much appreciated.

Thank you again!

Jo-Anne


If you don't mind waiting, you can get it a lot cheaper on-line:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If you buy it locally, will they allow you to return it if it doesn't
work? If Yes, then at least you can find out if it's the printer or
the PC.

If it's the PC, then there may be other things wrong with it, or
ready to go wrong, and you may be ready for a new PC. I know no one
wants to hear that, or fork out the bucks for one, but lightning is
hell on electronics (we lost two fax machines at work the week I
retired). If you think that maybe just the parallel port is gone on
the motherboard, you could get a PCI card with a parallel interface
to hook the printer to:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEMQ8wIwAw#

If it turns out to be the printer, well, it's a lot cheaper to buy
one of them than a PC :-)
--
SC Tom


Thank you, SC Tom! Actually, I think the computer is on its last legs
(it's a 7-year-old Dell). It's been slowing down lately, and I've had
trouble with the hard drive (had to use chkdsk with repair before I
could image the drive recently) and in fact have a new one ready to
install once I get up the nerve to do it--but I'm beginning to think
I'd better look into a new computer instead if indeed the printer port
has gone. I have a laptop and a netbook I can use, but I'm more
comfortable with a desktop for my real work.

One more question: If it IS the parallel port on this old computer,
couldn't I use one of its USB ports to print from--if I get a
parallel/USB cable?

Thank you very much!

Jo-Anne

Yes, either method would work, although some of the USB-to-Whatever
adaptors can sometimes be flaky. My serial convertor works well enough
for what I need it to do, but my SCSI adaptor, not so great.
--
SC Tom


Hi, again, SC Tom,

Here's the latest. I bought a USB to parallel printer cable, plugged it
into the turned-off printer, turned the printer on, and plugged the USB
connector into my laptop computer. Windows said "USB printing device"
followed by "Your new hardware is installed and ready to use." However,
no printer showed up. I checked Printers and Faxes in Control Panel and
found nothing but the network printer I had used before. I tried to
print, but nothing happened.

I then installed the printer's drivers from the Hewlett-Packard website,
picking the port mentioned by Joe: USB... Virtual Printer Port. I tried
to print, and nothing happened. Eventually, I got the usual error
message and had to manually cancel the print job.

Does this sound like the printer is the problem?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

Sounding more and more like it's the printer. Did you try it on both
computers, or just the laptop? Who knows, you may have luck with your
desktop. Generally, on a USB HP printer, the drivers are supposed to be
installed before the printer is even hooked up.
--
SC Tom


Didn't know that, SC Tom! I did, however, try it on the desktop computer
too. I even changed the printer port on it to USB-Virtual Printer Port,
which became part of the list after I connected the USB cable. I guess
it's time to look for a new printer--something I had hoped to put off for
a while.

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

You're welcome. Sorry it's going to cost you :-(
--
SC Tom

Jo-Anne wrote:
"Elmo" wrote in message
m...
Jo-Anne wrote:
I'm using WinXP and an HPLaserJet4100 on my desktop computer. Suddenly,
my
printer won't print. It's on, it's connected, and until yesterday it was
printing just fine.

I don't know if it's coincidence, but yesterday we had major
thunderstorms
(with one lightning strike that went through the roof of a house across
the
alley), and I lost my landline. It was just restored this afternoon,
along
with my internet service (I have DSL). The repairman said the line
between
the alley and my house had to be replaced.

The error message is "This document failed to print." It goes on to name
the
job, the printer, etc.

I turned the printer and the computer off and then back on. I also tried
printing from my laptop, which is networked to my desktop computer. It
appears to send the order to the desktop computer, but it just lands in a
queue and doesn't print.

My husband checked all the physical connections, and they seem fine.

Any idea of what I should do next?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne
Here's something you might try:

Open the Properties of the printer and see if, under the Ports tab,
there's a USB... Virtual Printer Port. If so, change to that port.
That's possibly what Windows sees, not the parallel port.

--

Joe =o)

Thank you, Joe, but there's no USB virtual printer port...

Jo-Anne

This article suggests that you should have a USB port. Their
installation and troubleshooting steps look quite useful too:

http://sewelldirect.com/support/usbt...elsupport.aspx

--

Joe =o)