old install disc

ssang

Had to reinstall XP home, and thought I had the reinstall disc for my HP 843c printer, but it is for Windows NT 4.0 (although I had it installed on an ME computer once).

When I run the disc a message says "driver invalid for Windows 2000", and I cannot proceed.
I downloaded an xp driver from HP but it cannot find the printer to install it.
Hp only help warranty on my printer, and will not post a disc to England.

The printer works well and I do not want to buy another.
Any suggestions please?

alanclose

Make sure you have no printers installed, disconnect the printer then connect it again and if its not already supported by xp it should ask for the drivers - then point it to your new downloaded drivers

Phantom_Flan_Flinger

Are you using a parallel cable or USB?

Jzpop

You should not need an install disc for this printer, as it is already on the list of known printers in XP's Add Printer wizard.

Have you tried the Control Panel > Printers > Add printer route?

ssang

Thank you for your replies and suggestions.
I tried booting up with the printer connected, Windows said it found new hardware, and asked me to pick a driver from the list, I picked the nearest to mine, but it seems it is importand to say 840 series.
Anyway it would not print, and the downloaded HP driver could not find the printer, although icons are in printer and faxes, and Windows "bing bongs" when I power off the printer, HP deskjet 840 series is not listed in add remove programmes.

I use a usb cable.

Will try the add printer method.

Jzpop

You can also download the drivers direct from HP - see
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?os=228&lc=en&cc=uk&lang=en&product=60427&dlc=en

Note that there is also a link near the top of that page to diagnose the current installation - use it before and/or after downloading the printer drivers on that page

ssang

Thank you for your replies, I have tried add printers, but the list only shows all the deskjet 840 printers, I think I need the 840 series printer, any way the wizard said all finished, but there still is no printer shown in add/remove programmes.

Have tried the install problem link and there is a page that says: "HP Deskjet USB printers, USB unknown Local port error", it says sometimes the printer is install ed to an unknown local usb port, and it is possible to change an entry in the "WIN.INI folder, would I try that please?

Any downloaded driver will not help because nothing seems able to find my printer (it worked alright originally), have tried plugging into different ports.

Sorry for all problems.

Jzpop

ssang wrote: »

Thank you for your replies, I have tried add printers, but the list only shows all the deskjet 840 printers, I think I need the 840 series printer, any way the wizard said all finished, but there still is no printer shown in add/remove programmes. Strange that the 843c printer is not listed - my XP installations shows an entry for 'HP Deskjet 840c / 841c / 842c / 843c'

Have tried the install problem link and there is a page that says: "HP Deskjet USB printers, USB unknown Local port error", it says sometimes the printer is install ed to an unknown local usb port, and it is possible to change an entry in the "WIN.INI folder, would I try that please? Personally, I would leave the win.ini file alone, and try the procedure below.

Any downloaded driver will not help because nothing seems able to find my printer (it worked alright originally), have tried plugging into different ports. As part of the software install for HP printers (as I recall) the driver installs a 'software USB port' that is made available for the HP printer. Note that this is different from the physical USB ports on your PC. I suspect that what is happening is that because you have not installed the HP software, although XP can accept that you have an HP printer connected, it does not know what port (channel) to communicate with the printer.

Sorry for all problems.

Do you have any printers listed as present in Control Panel > printers? If the 843c is listed there, try right-clicking it's icon, choose Properties, and click on the Ports tab. Scroll down the list of possible ports (Lpt, com etc), and check whether any of the LPT or Com ports have a tick against them. If so, the PC is trying to talk to the printer via a parallel or serial port, but your printer is actually connected via USB - so nothing will print.

If this is the case, and there is an entry lower down for an HP USB port, tick that, then click the General tab and try the Print Test page button.

If there is no entry for the 843c in Control Panel > printers, or it is listed but there is no entry for an HP USB port, then you need to run the driver that I suggested you download above.

ssang

Jzpop wrote: »

Do you have any printers listed as present in Control Panel > printers? If the 843c is listed there, try right-clicking it's icon, choose Properties, and click on the Ports tab. Scroll down the list of possible ports (Lpt, com etc), and check whether any of the LPT or Com ports have a tick against them. If so, the PC is trying to talk to the printer via a parallel or serial port, but your printer is actually connected via USB - so nothing will print.

If this is the case, and there is an entry lower down for an HP USB port, tick that, then click the General tab and try the Print Test page button.

If there is no entry for the 843c in Control Panel > printers, or it is listed but there is no entry for an HP USB port, then you need to run the driver that I suggested you download above.

Thank you for the detailed advice,Yes! 840c, 841c, 842c, 843c printers are listed, but I needed 840c series printer.
Anyway fitted the old serial port cable, and a new icon 840c, 841c, 842c, 843c copy(1) is in printers and faxes, but nothing in add/remove programmes, and the printer works, however it will not print Windows files from email, wordpad, notebook, but will print from my Printmaster programme for birthday cards, and prints photographs.

The new driver cannot find 843c series printer whatever port I tick. Cannot see a HP USB port, just USB, or USB1, but driver is always looking for LPT ports.
Sorry for all this, but I want to print an airline ticket off. Thanks again.

Jzpop

You keep referring to needing an '840 series' driver. The 840c, 841c, 842c and 843c printers all part of the 840 series of printers made by HP, and they all use the same, identical software/driver.

A serial (not series) cable, and port that it connects to, is one of several methods of connecting a printer to a PC. Alternatives are a parallel cable (listed as LPT), USB, and any number of network cables.

Your situation as I understand it is that within Control Panel > Printers you have a number of HP printers listed (840c, 841c etc). Remember that XP can have several printers connected at once, so it needs to select one as the default printer. It identifies this by a black tick in the icon for the default printer. You have successfully configured one of the printers (that XP believes might be connected) to talk via the serial port and along the serial cable to the printer, hence you can print.

I suggest that you go to Control Panel > Printers, right-click each HP printer listed and choose Delete. Once they have all gone, disconnect the printer from the PC, and power off the PC.

Then restart the PC, and re-connect the printer using the USB lead (make sure the power to the printer is on when connected). This should then start the Add New Printer Wizard, and allow you to follow the prompts. Make sure that when you so this, if asked, you select USB rather than LPT as the connection method.