Problem with computer, mainly printer

Loretta

I hope that this does not end up too long. I don't know very much.

Last Monday, 22nd, I could use the internet and send and receive emails without a problem. When I tried to open anything else, any Word document a message came up saying

Not enough memory to open this program

I have had this before a couple of times and it was fixed, not by me, quite quickly and easily. I think it was a virus and last year I did buy extra memory so there must have been plenty. I use my computer for work and needed it fixed as soon as possible, my usual man was on holiday. I phoned PC World and they said to bring it down on Tuesday 1.30am, it would cost £49.99 and would take about an hour to fix so that is what I did.

Several phone calls later I was told that my hard drive had packed up and I needed a new one which would cost £40 and the fitting would be included in the original £49.99. I asked them to save my data and they said they would. I was then told that they did not have a hard drive to fit my computer and it would be ordered and be in 'some time next week'. I needed my computer and was told they had one in stick which was bigger than I needed but was more expensive, another £15, so I said use that one. On Friday 26th I was told it was ready and I went and collected it, I was told that they had transfered all my data, and that it would be just the same as before but working properly and much faster.

When I got it home I found it was just like an empty box, and a very small amount of data was there but no work stuff. I phoned PC World and was told that they had saved everything, but it was not there, after some discussion it seems that they saved MY Documents but had not asked me where anything else was so had not looked and not saved it. I explained that I was really stuck and was told that I could either bring it back have the old hard drive put back in and my money back or they would try again to retrieve the data but they were booked up for the next few days. After several more phone calls about whether I needed a further appointment or not I was told to take it straight back. They then phoned me on the Monday and I was told that they had managed to retrieve some more data and if I told them what I was looking for they would have another look. They could not find anything else but they did tell me that I had managed to install my printer scanner etc. I collected it on Monday afternoon and found a little more data, nothing that I really needed. I has lost all my emails and it took ages on the phone to set up my email again whihc works as does the internet but I have no emails before Monday afternoon.

Since I brought the computer back home I have not been able to make my printer work. I have intalled it again and I hace changed all the ink cartridges but I keep getting this message

There is an error writing to LPT1: for the printer (Epsom Stylus c66 Serie (Copy 2))):

The printer is not ready. Make sure it is turned on and online.

To continue printing, click retry

Windows will automatically retry after 5 seconds


Retry Cancel.

I have been told that if my hard drive had packed up the computer would not have worked at all, not even switched on let alone having the emails and internet working which they have done all through this. I was also told that as I have been given my old hard drive all my information should still be on it and can be retrieved.

I don't know what to think I have been trying to sort it out myself since I picked it up on Monday, I have got nowhere and I am extremely frazzled


HELP!!!!

culpepper

Loretta it sounds like you have 2 copies of the printer installed?
try clicking start/control panel/printers and faxes and see if there is a tick against one of the printer icons.Try changing it to the other one.
If you have a USB printer,sometimes you must make sure the USB connector coming from the printer to the PC,is plugged into the same USB port that it was when the printer was installed,so you could see if that is making the difference. IF none of that works,you could just uninstall all instances of the printer,reboot and reinstall.
You should have been given your old hard drive back as you had to buy a new one.If it is an IDE hard drive(internal type) you should be able to plug it into the motherboard using an IDE cable and read the information on it.The computer shop may have been trying to reinstall windows and wiped the drive themselves or reverted to an earlier installation of XP which would have removed anything after the backup date in which case,there wont be much left anyway.If the drive is really useless,it wont read anyway.

Loretta

I did have 2 printers installed, don't know how, I removed them both and then reintalled one of them, I have checked again and I now only have one but I am still getting the same message. I am going to give up, I am exhausted, it is beyond me. I will do what you said with the hard drive.

Thank you so much for helping I now know for sure I cannot do this myself and will get someone in to help me.

I don't know why any of us think we can understand these damn computers, when they go wrong it is such a disaster!

albertross_2

Do you have the old drive, if not, go and ask them for it back.

Was the error "insufficient memory to load requested font", if so, the error is nothing to do with "lack of memory", or a faulty hard disk, it is a word error.

Based on what you have said, it sounds like PCW are pulling a fast one, but is difficult to be sure without seeing the old disk. I'd complain, and ask for your £50 back.

Is the printer plugged into the 25 pin D shaped lpt1 port, or the usb port, if the latter, it sounds like the driver has been told to use lpt1, rather than the usb connection, and you should just be able to tell it to use usb instead.

culpepper

Loretta if you go to the printers and faxes section again and right click on your printer icon and choose properties,then ports,that will show you which port it is trying to use.As Albertros says,you might have to choose the uSB port instead.