🚀 go-pugleaf

Jef (jan.smith@pandora.be) wrote:
: Hi,

: I have to install a HP640C on a 386DX/40 with windows 3.11 (long time no
: see)

: The problem when installing the driver is:
: - the installation program did not find the printer on lpt1 (or the other
: parallel ports LPT1 to lpt3).
: I checked the ports in windows, seem to be ok
: - a second problem is that bidirectional communication is not working. This
: prevents getting status info from the printer.
: This is probably solved if the first problem is solved.

: What does work:
: - printing from dos with the dos  command "print autoexec.bat" for instance.
: This means that the cable is good.
: - installing the printer on a P3 with win98: everything works
: - there was a laser printer connected before this deskjet: worked good.

: I have tried another driver from HP, same problem.

: I would appreciate some help. Any suggestions?

Hi Jef,

I installed a different HP model, HP 600C, several years ago,
using a bi-directional cable. The printer wouldn't print from
Windows until I ran its configuration executable from my
/windows directory:
HPFCFG02.EXE
and unchecked the "Bi-directional Communication" box.
Then the printer worked with Windows programs.

If upgrading the hardware on that box to make it capable of
bi-directional printing isn't otherwise important to you, this
might at least get the printer to work in Windows without that
capability.
But you may have already tried this..

--
Jeff Collins

<cut>

> Hi Jef,
>
> I installed a different HP model, HP 600C, several years ago,
> using a bi-directional cable. The printer wouldn't print from
> Windows until I ran its configuration executable from my
> /windows directory:
> HPFCFG02.EXE
> and unchecked the "Bi-directional Communication" box.
> Then the printer worked with Windows programs.
>
> If upgrading the hardware on that box to make it capable of
> bi-directional printing isn't otherwise important to you, this
> might at least get the printer to work in Windows without that
> capability.
> But you may have already tried this.
>
> --
> Jeff Collins
>
Jeff,

Thanks for your suggestion, but it does not work.

Jef

On Sun, 05 Nov 2000 13:46:21 GMT, in <comp.os.ms-windows.setup.win3x>, "Jef"
<jan.smith@pandora.be> wrote:
 >
 > Hi,
 > 
 > I have to install a HP640C on a 386DX/40 with windows 3.11 (long time no
 > see)
 > 
 > The problem when installing the driver is:
 > - the installation program did not find the printer on lpt1 (or the other
 > parallel ports LPT1 to lpt3).
 > I checked the ports in windows, seem to be ok
    [snip]

Install (if it is not already) the "Generic / Text Only" printer driver and
point it to that same parallal port.  Then try a "simple" print job, such as
"DIR Z > LPT1:" from a DOS Box.  Does that work?  If so, the port is OK, and
Windows _can_ find it (those can be two different things); so you'll likely
just have to explicitly tell the HP printer driver what port to use, instead
of letting it try to find it automagically.

 > - a second problem is that bidirectional communication is not working. 
 > This prevents getting status info from the printer.
    [snip]

No surprise, considering the age of the system (and the port in particular).
What that driver is referring to as "bidirectional communication" is a
feature generally found only on newer EPP/ECP-enebled parallel ports.  Tell
the driver that the port is a "Standard Parallel Port", and see if that
helps.

Also, how much memory is in this system?  While the printer driver itself
probably does not require all that much (tho' HP's drivers do tend to get
"ambitious" -- sometimes "overly ambitious"), the install/setup routine
could well be VERY hungry.

-- Jay T. Blocksom
   ----------------------------
   Appropriate Technology, Inc.
   approtek[at]rcn.com

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
NOTE: E-Mail address in "From:" line is INVALID!  Use address in signature.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Unsolicited advertising sent to this E-Mail address is expressly prohibited 
under USC Title 47, Section 227.  Violators are subject to charge of up to 
$1,500 per incident or treble actual costs, whichever is greater.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The solution was reinstalling windows.
Bidirectional communication works with my old 386 computer.

The lesson: don't search, just reinstall, start from zero

Thanks all for the advice.

Jef

PS the "help" from HP:
--------------------------------------------------------
Hello Jef,

Thank you for contacting Hewlett-Packard's Customer Care.

The minimum system requirements for the HP DeskJet 610C Series printers
are listed below:

Windows 3.1, Windows 95, and Windows 98
* 486, 33 MHz (or faster) processor
* At least 8 MB of RAM
* 10-20 MB free hard-disk space

Unfortunately, the computer does not meet the necessary system
requirements for installing the driver and running the printer.


Please visit our Hewlett-Packard Customer Care web site at
http://www.hp.com/support/deskjet for additional technical and
troubleshooting information and the latest printer software updates.

Once again, thank you for contacting Hewlett-Packard's Customer Care.


NOTE:  Our advice is strictly limited to the question(s) asked and is
based on the information provided to us.  Problems and solutions may
depend on the nature of your system environment and various other
parameters that are unknown to HP; therefore, HP cannot assume any
responsibility or liability.  Please be advised that technical
information changes as new data becomes available, therefore, HP
recommends that you check back at our Customer Care web site located at
http://www.hp.com/go/support regularly for possible updates.
Hewlett-Packard shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, special,
incidental or consequential damages in connection with the use of this
information.



Original message follows:
-------------------------

Webform_Submit_Time : Mon Nov  6 10:33:23 UTC 2000
month : nov [111]
day : 03 [26]
year : 2000 [14]
serial_number : xx
operating_system : Other [1000]
other_operating_system : win 3.11
connection : parallel cable [15]
first_name : xxx
last_name : xxx
Email : x
phone_number : xxx
Country : belgium [BE]
Template : NEW_DESKJET [327]
Product_Name : HP DeskJet 640C Printer [20187]
Webform_URL : /cgi-bin/index.cgi?Template=NEW_DESKJET
Language : English [en]

problem_description : I have to install a HP640C on a 386DX/40 with
windows 3.11.
The problem when installing the driver is:
- the installation program did not find the printer on lpt1 (or the
other
parallel ports LPT1 to lpt3).
I checked the ports in windows, seem to be ok
- a second problem is that bidirectional communication is not working.
Disabling bidirectional communication does not help.
What does work:
- printing from dos with the dos  command "print autoexec.bat" for
instance.
This means that the cable is good.
- installing the printer on a P3 with win98: everything works
- there was a laser printer connected before this deskjet: worked good.

Urgent please, otherwise I have to suggest my customer an other
solution.

In article <zZXN5.73965$iI2.1618844@afrodite.telenet-ops.be>, "Jef" <jan.smith@pandora.be> wrote:
>The solution was reinstalling windows.
>Bidirectional communication works with my old 386 computer.
>
>The lesson: don't search, just reinstall, start from zero

bollocks .. that's why Win users stay dumb !!
We run 100+ PCs in a multinetwork environment & we've NEVER done a clean 
re-install ... we try to analyse/diagnose symptoms and then remove the cause 
. in short .. we think ..

"imbsysop" <imbsysop@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:8ub3s9$ni5$1@snic.vub.ac.be...
> In article <zZXN5.73965$iI2.1618844@afrodite.telenet-ops.be>, "Jef"
<jan.smith@pandora.be> wrote:
> >The solution was reinstalling windows.
> >Bidirectional communication works with my old 386 computer.
> >
> >The lesson: don't search, just reinstall, start from zero
>
> bollocks .. that's why Win users stay dumb !!
> We run 100+ PCs in a multinetwork environment & we've NEVER done a clean
> re-install ... we try to analyse/diagnose symptoms and then remove the
cause
> . in short .. we think ..

Congratulations mr imbsysop. You are genious. Lets start insulting each
other.
You better think twice before you start insulting people you don't know.
What makes you conclude that I did not think before reinstalling?

I may be not so smart as you consider yourself, but I have spend many hours,
days... on resolving all sort of computer problems and this are my
conclusions:
- you never know what the user has been doing with the configuration: change
settings, deleting files, installing software... . Because of this, computer
service technicians often simply re-stage networkstations, instead of
searching the problem, which takes often more time.
- (printer)drivers are upgraded very often. Old problems in drivers are
solved, new problems are created...
- quite often no error messages appear, or error messages with false
information, or, error in memory adress ..., or GPF, doctor watson,....
- if you read the reactions on my question, you see very different solutions
and remarks. You must assume that these people are stupid and unexperienced
too?
- the help you get from helpdesks /manufacturers is often very bad.
According to HP :

>Hi Jef,
>The 640 will not work on a 386, however it will on a 486.  A majority if
>not all of the Deskjet 600 series have that minimal requirement that was
>stated in previous email.

After 4 hours of *thinking*, trying, reading, searching, reinstalling
drivers, ... a simple reinstall of windows made it really work on the 386,
with bidirectional communication.

On Thu, 09 Nov 2000 17:25:47 GMT, "Jef" <jan.smith@pandora.be> wrote:

>"imbsysop" <imbsysop@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>news:8ub3s9$ni5$1@snic.vub.ac.be...
>> In article <zZXN5.73965$iI2.1618844@afrodite.telenet-ops.be>, "Jef"
><jan.smith@pandora.be> wrote:
>> >The solution was reinstalling windows.
>> >Bidirectional communication works with my old 386 computer.
>> >
>> >The lesson: don't search, just reinstall, start from zero
>>
>> bollocks .. that's why Win users stay dumb !!
>> We run 100+ PCs in a multinetwork environment & we've NEVER done a clean
>> re-install ... we try to analyse/diagnose symptoms and then remove the
>cause
>> . in short .. we think ..
>
>Congratulations mr imbsysop. You are genious. Lets start insulting each
>other.

You! postulate a gospel like statement like ..

"The lesson: don't search, just reinstall, start from zero"

I'm telling you that this is bollocks ... plain & simple ... if we had to
rely on what HP says to know about their printers then we would not even be
able to use them at all and we've used them since the early model "deskjet"

but fortunately people that can go beyond the "reinstall" concept are
available to provide more info than HP ever will be able to give ..

>days... on resolving all sort of computer problems and this are my
>conclusions:
>- you never know what the user has been doing with the configuration: change
>settings, deleting files, installing software...

stop yr users from tampering with yr computers for a start ... they're all
experts .. in mucking up .. over-democracy just leads to anarchy ..
we face a similar problem but we've educated our users a great deal :-) the
hard way I can tell

 . Because of this, computer
>service technicians often simply re-stage networkstations, instead of
>searching the problem, which takes often more time.

exactly .. and then they search their asses off because they only produce
symptomatic maintenance and not curative .. in plain language : they cure
the symptoms not the cause .. nice deal !

>- (printer)drivers are upgraded very often. Old problems in drivers are
>solved, new problems are created...

says who ? we've never seen that .. 

>- quite often no error messages appear, or error messages with false
>information, or, error in memory adress ..., or GPF, doctor watson,....

your imagination is running away here.. every problem has a cause ... all
too many times people blame the software when they have a real harware
failure and they persist on trying to find the software "bug" ..


>According to HP :
>
>>Hi Jef,
>>The 640 will not work on a 386, however it will on a 486.  ....
...
>drivers, ... a simple reinstall of windows made it really work on the 386,
>with bidirectional communication.

absolutely nice ! .. it exactly proves my point about what I think of the
quality of the help one can get from HP  ... :-)

.. and yr statement just confirms my idea that you went through a unneeded
reinstall ... which still limits yr horizon, in case of problem, to
"reinstall" .. and you still have no warranty that you will not face the
same problem shortly as you have no clue what caused it ...