Epson USB printer problem in Win98SE

[AlanV]

After refreshing my motherboard USB port drivers to correct a device problem my printer no longer works. I have repeatedly uninstalled and reinstalled the drivers (both from CD and the update patch from your website) and manually deleted registry entries in between. I have also deleted INF files from C:\Windows\Inf and C:\Windows\Inf\Other to verify that they are in synch with the latest drivers, but nothing helps.

I have a Stylus Color 860 printer which worked fine for 4+ years, connected to a 4-port USB 2.9 hub, on a system with an Asus A7N8X motherboard running Windows 98 SE. If I restore my C: partition to 10 days ago the printer will work, but refreshing the motherboard port drivers disables the printer. (This all started after installing and subsequently uninstalling drivers for a USB removable hard drive.)

Device Manager says the device is working properly, and the Details tab in Printer Properties shows the proper port:

EPUSB1: (EPSON Stylus COLOR 860)

I have just submitted this same information to Epson technical support, along with a GPF message from EPUPDATE.EXE. What can I do to restore functionality? The printer has performed well over the years, but driver installation has always been dicey. I have followed directions for installation to the letter, but this time they do not seem to work. I'm almost ready to have someone download the Microsoft SDK for me to see if I can debug the INF files, since extensive investigation of the Windows Registry hasn't uncovered the problem, even when comparing it with another machine with the same entries and drivers.

Thanks for your help. My patience and sanity are beginning to wear thin.

Alan

[AlanV]

Removing the hub cleared up the problem immediately. I kept thinking this was a driver problem or a device conflict due to a corrupt Registry entry, because the printer worked properly with the hub immediately after my restore, but not after a re-scan by the Add Hardware Wizard.

For reference, here is the reply from Epson Tech Support:

"If you remove and reinstall the printer with a direct connection to the
computer, minus the hub, does it work? Although the USB cable connection
was designed to work in conjunction with expansion devices such as an
external USB hub, we cannot guarantee consistent data transfer through any
intermediate third party devices. Because of the amount of information sent
to the printer during a print job, it is necessary to have uninterrupted
and consistent data flow. USB hubs or switches, extender cables, scanners,
third party USB print servers and USB devices placed between the printer
and the computer can interfere with data transmission and cause error
messages. Thus, if you are experiencing communication errors while
connected through any such device, it will be neccessary to make the
connection direct for testing purposes."