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[HELP] broke a (HP) Printer by pulling USB Plug -when it was trying to print (?)
Stoic Joker:
This is one of those situation where I'm not 100% sure what happened but I think it was this (note: the OS messages are translated so may be off a bit):
I think I pulled the printer's usb plug (from the computer) while the printer was receiving info from the computer about a print job-tomos (January 28, 2011, 05:06 PM)
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USB is by design Hot Swap-able, so the chances of you breaking anything that way are zero.
Printer: HP OfficeJet Pro 8500
OS: Windows 7 (64 bit)
Next time I tried to print, it didnt work (absolutely no response from printer)
* I tried different USB ports,
* tried restarting printer and pc (a couple of times)
I tried the OS trouble shooter and it said that there was something in the printer queue - nothing was showing there - but I suspect a print job got half sent to the printer and screwed things up, but it doesnt show in the printer queue.-tomos (January 28, 2011, 05:06 PM)
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That would be my first guess also. Here's what you do next:
Stop the (Print) spooler service - This may release the file by itself, but just to be sure...
Go to: C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS (Yes even on a x64 machine)
Any files left in that folder are your stuck print jobs. Delete everything in the "PRINTERS" folder. (I'm not yelling, MS capitalized the folder name).
Restart the Spooler service.
Under printers, there was an option in this printers context menu - something like "delete the printer queue". I chose this, and it said it was going to delete the printer - which was not the next logical step from just deleting the queued documents - but I thought WTF and did it - I thought when I connected the printer again the OS would simply install it again, but this didnt work. Absolutely no response from the OS when the printer was reconnected.-tomos (January 28, 2011, 05:06 PM)
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It's actually impossible to delete a printer if it has a job stuck in its queue.
I tried the HP software which sent me into a weird loop of attach printer -> install manually (I think, it was quite vague) -> back to beginning.
So that was no help.-tomos (January 28, 2011, 05:06 PM)
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Congratulations! You completed the "wizard" correctly ... And achieved the expected result.
This is not my computer/printer - I'm going to go back there (possibly on Sunday) with a different laptop and see if the printer gets installed on that one (in which case I would presume the problem with the OS - but I suspect it's with the printer.)-tomos (January 28, 2011, 05:06 PM)
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I'm thinking driver/OS ... But I'll come back to that in a minute.
But I thought I'd ask here if anyone had any tips - the printer is brand new so under guarantee (although I'd be embarrassed either way: to admit, or to not admit, what happenend) -tomos (January 28, 2011, 05:06 PM)
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Okay, write this down (seriously): Never, ever, ever, (ever...) tell one of HP's "Tech Support" drones, the "truth". They quite frankly aren't bright enough to process information on that level. Make up an at least half way plausible story that makes it as close to totally bricked as possible. Then there will be absolutely no reason to try to "Trouble Shoot" the device on the phone.
Side Track: The sales manager once bet me that we were not about to waste 2+ hours by calling HP's tech support. - He lost - We wasted 3.
Did try a google search but no success (but possibly using the wrong terms)
One of those days...-tomos (January 28, 2011, 05:06 PM)
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Okay seriously:
Make sure the USB cable is disconnected.
Go to Programs & Features, and uninstall the print driver from there. Also uninstall any other HP crapware that may be installed on the machine.
Reboot the machine.
Go to HP's website and download the latest driver for the machine.
Note: It's not that I actually think they might have fixed anything. We just want to have a known clean driver with a newer version than the one installed so Windows doesn't reflexively grab the old and possibly corrupt one again. (Think dog after a bone).
When the installer says plug-it-in do so, but not a moment before.
Hopefully it'll find it.
Stoic Joker:
Printers are by far the buggiest most crappy appliances known to man, save perhaps those old-fashioned modems. Some are dumb machines that rely completely on the computer to do its every twitch, others only want the computer to tell them what the page looks like, and inbetween those things all printers have totally insane and messed up software packages that are supposed to make things 'easier' but rarely ever do.-worstje (January 28, 2011, 05:14 PM)
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You've worked with these before I see... :D
bob99:
I had a similar thing happen a while back with an audio device. Reloaded software, drivers, reboots and still nothing.
What finally did work was a suggestion I found on a forum somewhere. Can't remember which it was.
The person said to go into Device Manager and delete the USB port the device was operating through. Sometimes they get bumfuzzled.
After I did that and plugged the device back in it was re-recognized and worked fine.
Not sure if the same thing can apply with the printer but might work.
cranioscopical:
Never, ever, ever, (ever...) tell one of HP's "Tech Support" drones, the "truth". They quite frankly aren't bright enough to process information on that level.
-Stoic Joker (January 28, 2011, 05:43 PM)
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Well Stoic, the initials ought to forewarn people — Hopeless Poltroons.
As you pointed out, cleaning out the spool/PRINTERS folder has worked for me on a number of occasions.
tomos:
Thanks for all those tips Stoic Joker - I had hoped you might have a few ideas :)
Will let you know how I get on....
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