Win 7 Printer problem

[Mick]

Scenario: Home setup with three computers sharing a BT Home Hub 5. Two are desktops, one's a laptop. The laptop connects to the router by wi-fi, both the others connect through ethernet. They all share a networked printer, an HP Color LaserJet m277w. Desktops are running Win 7 Home 32 bit, the laptop is Win 10 Home 64 and is upgraded from 8.1.

Problem: One of the desktops and the laptop will print just fine. The other desktop refuses to print. This fault developed in 'the last few days' - it was fine till then. I've checked it's set to print to the right port and sent it a large (20 page) doc to print, which did appear in the print queue and then disappeared as if it had completed . I can browse to the printer's home page from this machine, so I don't believe it is a network issue. Due to location and other needs, directly connecting the printer to this PC is not an option, so I haven't tried it. No error messages appear when a print job is requested.

Steps I've tried - just in the order they occur to me:

Check spooler service is running

Malware scan

Roll back last two Windows updates (both done within the last ten days).

Remove device through Control Panel and reinstall through Windows

Completely uninstall using 'Print Server Properties' routine and then reinstall with freshly downloaded driver package from HP.

Checked the event logs - nothing to see.

System restore - no luck, although it did complete successfully.

Rather running out of ideas now...obliged to anyone with any suggestions or who has had a similar experience!

 

[GTP]

just a little thing but have you removed it from "Devices & Printers?"
Try to adding it back manually.

 

[Mick]

just a little thing but have you removed it from "Devices & Printers?"
Try to adding it back manually.

Thanks - yes, that's what I meant when I said I'd removed it via Control Panel, sorry if that wasn't clear. As well as reinstalling with HP's app, I've reinstalled with Windows' native 'Add a Printer' routine. No luck in either case. I'm fairly happy that the printer and network are fine - the issue is with this desktop.

Edit: I should probably also have said that I've used Tweaking to reregister etc the print spooler - again, with no luck.

 

[coffee]

Is the printer on a static ip?

Did you check the network settings and compare them to the known working computers? (IP address, DNS..)

 

[Markverhyden]

Did you delete the printer and print queue itself (C:\windows\system32\spool\printers)? Then re-install.

 

[Mick]

Is the printer on a static ip?

Did you check the network settings and compare them to the known working computers? (IP address, DNS..)

thanks - the printer has a static IP, which I can browse to. DNS on the affected machine is 'automatically' obtained - I haven't checked the other two, but I will do.

 

[Mick]

Thanks, Mark - yes, I've done that (well - I tried to, anyway, there wasn't anything in the printers folder. I've stopped and re-started the service more than once, too).

 

[Diggs]

Just had something like this at a customer. For some reason, DNS info was incorrect in the printer. I corrected (192.168.0.1 in this case) and all seems good.

 

[Mick]

Just had something like this at a customer. For some reason, DNS info was incorrect in the printer. I corrected (192.168.0.1 in this case) and all seems good.

This one looks OK - just says 'automatic', which is what I would expect to see. As is said, two other machines can print fine, so I think the issue with this one desktop.

 

[Diggs]

This one looks OK - just says 'automatic', which is what I would expect to see. As is said, two other machines can print fine, so I think the issue with this one desktop.

They had two machines that could print and one that couldn't. They'd "Add Printer" and it would print a test page and then turn grey and get lost again but the other two could still print. Can't say I understood why the dicotomy but since it's working I'm not worrying about it.

 

[Mick]

They had two machines that could print and one that couldn't. They'd "Add Printer" and it would print a test page and then turn grey and get lost again but the other two could still print. Can't say I understood why the dicotomy but since it's working I'm not worrying about it.

That sounds very similar - except I don't even get the test page. Still - on the grounds it can't make things worse, I'll experiment a bit...

 

[coffee]

Tell them with MS windows you have to buy the extended license to print from more than two computers. lol....

Sorry, Just had too.

 

[mraikes]

.....

Remove device through Control Panel and reinstall through Windows

Completely uninstall using 'Print Server Properties' routine and then reinstall with freshly downloaded driver package from HP.

So you used the "Print Management" panel? I think that's what you may mean by the print server properties. And if so, did you also manually delete all traces of the old driver(s) from the "All Drivers" folder before trying to reinstall?

Sometimes the old driver isn't actually removed during uninstall. If not manually deleted, the HP software may lock onto the old driver when reinstalling, leaving you with the same problem even though you thought it was uninstalled.

Sounds like you may already have done this, but just in case...

 

[Markverhyden]

One possible work around would be to map the printer on the other desktop, share it out, and then set that one up. Not the proper or elegant solution. But it's a nickel solution to the dime problem.

 

[Mick]

So you used the "Print Management" panel? I think that's what you may mean by the print server properties. And if so, did you also manually delete all traces of the old driver(s) from the "All Drivers" folder before trying to reinstall?

'Print Server Properties' is found in Control Panel > Devices and Printers menu. It's a couple of items along from the 'Add A Printer' button. That's what I used. It gives an option to remove the whole shebang, although I didn't actually manually check to see if it had done so. Which I now think I should! Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Mick]

Really?

That's exactly the opposite of what I'd expect to see, given that you've also told us that the printer is on a static IP address.

I've set up several of these printers (although not this one). You get an option to set a static IP, but not to adjust/specify DNS. In fact, I'm now looking at the thing and I can't even find an option that lets the user alter it!* So - when I say it's what I'd expect, I mean that that's how it comes, out of the box.

*Edit: Ah! Found it, hidden away under the wi-fi options for some reason....

 

[Mick]

One possible work around would be to map the printer on the other desktop, share it out, and then set that one up. Not the proper or elegant solution. But it's a nickel solution to the dime problem.

I may be reduced to that, although as you say, it's not an ideal solution as it relies on both machines actually being switched on art the same time, which I understand is not often the case here.

 

[Mick]

Please give this a try:

Thanks - I was actually trying that when you posted - However, unhappily, it hasn't made any difference. I've never needed to specify DNS on any of the other HPs I've installed - they've all just worked (as indeed this one does in two out of three cases). I'm increasingly of the view that the prob lies somewhere within this computer rather than with the printer, but that's about where my diagnosis ends right now...

 

[Mick]

Well - finally fixed it. Printer Properties > Advanced: Under 'Spool print properties so program finishes printing faster', change FROM 'Start printing immediately' TO 'Start printing after last page is spooled'. The other two machines previously referred to have this setting the other way round (i.e set to 'print immediately') . Go figure...