Maintenance Tab vanished on Epson DX3850???!

DEBTMONKEY1A

Hi, recently my printer wouldn't do ANYTHING. Had the original install CD so re- installed. Had hell & all trouble.... Had to delete every trace of Epson from unistali in control panel, computer said power not connected , did a system restore, downloaded new Epson driver etc. FINALLY got printer to work......but NO maintenance button for head/nozzle cleaning. Done usual & tried to find it under system/hardware, also tried via properties when printing.

Run windows 7 & strangely shows as model number ESC/P-R????!!! !!!!!!????!! This is ticked in green as default printer losing will to live so will reply tomorrow am....so don't think I'm being rude not replying immediately!!!!!! Scoured the web....any advice would be great as although printer is old ink I'd only just over £1 online! Thanks in advance for any advice!

DEBTMONKEY1A

Bump bump....any ideas?

debitcardmayhem

https://www.epson.eu/en/support?productID=1601&language=en&os=16#drivers_and_manuals
Here perhaps , but I am searching on an iThing so may be wrong result

outofworksch

Did you have the USB cable still plugged in when you reinstalled it? If so try uninstalling it, unplug it then reinstall.

DEBTMONKEY1A

Thanks! Tried both suggestions.... STILL no maintenance tab! Grrrrr!

outofworksch

Try emailing Epson support ,I've found them quite useful in the past.

https://www.epson.co.uk/contactus

Neil_Jones

If the printer says its a ESC/P-r with a load of question marks it probably means something's gone wrong with its firmware or firmware chip and it no longer thinks it's a 3800. This may explain why it no longer has a maintenance tab after you reload the software because it can't see that printer. The technical equivalent of Alzheimer's.

DEBTMONKEY1A

Neil, under printer properties it DOES show dx3850 but says ' image provider' or something like that. The only thing in drop down menu that says printer is the model/code I mentioned.

This is the only printer in control panel & is green ticked as default printer.

Neil_Jones

It doesn't really matter to an extent that you don't have the utility or maintenance stuff in the Printer Properties because you can do all that (bar ink levels) from the buttons on the top of the printer (this is IIRC a white printer is it not?)

You can do nozzle checks by powering the machine off and holding the stop button down before powering back on, and you can head clean by holding the stop button down. This is common to most Epson printers.

I'm assuming you still have the Epson Status Monitor?

DEBTMONKEY1A

Hi Neil! Thanks for replying! Can't see status monitor on desktop/instal disc. Sorry to be thick. Not listed on programmes or in control panel.

The 'stop' button......is that the 'off' Burton on the printer???

Thanks SO MUCH for helping. Using the buttons on printer, can you do head cleaning & check ink levels?

Neil_Jones

Had to look it up to refresh my memory as my parents had a similar printer.

The Stop Button is the one at the bottom of the column of buttons on the left hand side. I got it wrong, you have to power off and then hold both power and stop to do a nozzle check.

On this printer you can head clean by holding the start button down when the printer's on and do the nozzle check as above but it doesn't have an ability to check ink levels from the printer, so you'd only know about when one of them needs replacing when the ink light (the "teardrop") turns red.