Printer install problem

[cjl]

I have a toshiba 2805-s302 laptop.
I was given a Hp designjet 200.
No manual but have original driver disks of windows3.1.
I didn't even attempt to use original disk just obtained updated drivers from HP site. No problems yet

Installed designjet and printed test page. all ok
Opened program to be used with Designjet (PatternMaster Boutique) and was able to print out 2 pages of a pattern on large paper. Works great so far.

Unplugged DesignJet from Laptop. 10 days pass, Hookup DesignJet again to Laptop

Opened Patternmaster Boutique program and selected a page to be printed. In this particular part of the program when print is selected, there is no chance to select the printer to be used. apparently it just goes to last printer used. (i believed i had the Designjet set as default) But the program sent it to the network printer (last printer i used on laptop) ......and....I was not connected to the network.
After several error messages. I closed out program, shutdown completely, and rebooted.

Then went back into program and attempted to print to designjet. Designjet locked up and nothing printed, laptop print spooler acted as if document was printed.

Next step was to delete printer and reinstall
Deleted printer and then on start up laptop was not recognizing new hardware. After I deleted all references to designjet from registry, laptop would then recognize the designjet as new hardware and start the printer wizard. Wizard would continue and act as if it was copying and installing files then say windows did not install the software.
But the designjet appears in the printer folder, but no test page can be printed and designjet locks up.

I have tested cable and designjet. I hooked it up to the computer it was originally used with and the designjet works fine. So I know this is not a problem with the designjet.


Not sure what else to try?
is there a registry entry i need to be looking for?
Is there a specific manner in which i need to install the drivers ?

[glc]

What OS is on the laptop?

[cjl]

So sorry
The operating system on the laptop is Windows ME.

[glc]

Would you lose too much if you backed it up a couple weeks with System Restore?

[cjl]

I do so much on this laptop, that I am not sure even what the volume of info I would need to redo. Bookkeeping, program updates, etc, etc.

Would like to avoid the system restore if at all possible. Alot happens in just a week, let alone a month.........and I have trouble remembering what I had for breakfast this morning! :D

[Myles5]

Go to Start, Settings, Printer.Is your Hp printer
listed and does it have a checkmark? The checkmark
indicates the default printer.
When you select "print" in the application, you
should get a pulldown menu to select the printer.
Are you seeing these things?
Myles

[cjl]

The printer is installed.
It doesn't matter if the printer is installed as the default printer or not.
Under printer properties for this printer it will not print a test page. The printer just locks up. and windows acts like it printed the test. (note: windows puts it into the spool folder.)
I uninstall printer and reinstall printer, no difference.
I thought I found the problem at one point, I installed the printer using the windows me hp drivers instead of the downloaded drivers from hp support site and I was able to print a test page.
(even tho comparing the files they both referred to the same driver version. Go figure)
But then went into a program to print from that and the printer locked up again and now can not print a test page. So am back to uninstalling and installing, and rummaging around in the registry to see if I can find something in there. (Finding alot of other neat stuff though!)

I believe it has to be somewhere in the print drivers or the way winme is installing the drivers. Cuz some times winme acts like it is installing the drivers, copying files, etc , then at the end of the printer wizard it says windows was unable to install the software. I never get the message the drivers already exist message.
Other printers appear to be working just fine. (network printer HP deskjet 970)
One thing I will try is hooking up the deskjet 970 directly to the parallel port. (although I have removed and reinstalled the parallel port also just incase it was the port) :(

Parallel Port; I have hooked up my scanner and that works with the port. NOTE: I am not connecting the scanner and the plotter at the same time. I am disabling the scanner(SCSI Controller) within device manager when the scanner is not connected.

[Myles5]

Are you connecting the printer to the pass through
port on the scanner or directly to the parallel
port?
Myles

[cjl]

I am not connecting the plotter/printer to the pass thru on the scanner.
I am connecting the plotter/printer directly to the parellel port on the laptop. I have in the device manager disabled the SCSI Controller for the scanner.
(I had come across somewhere that this setup can cause problems with the plotters, so have been there done that, and tried that) :D

Although I did try connecting the scanner and then the plotter/printer to the pass thru of the scanner just to see if that may have worked by some wild chance. But that did not help, or make any difference for that matter.

[Myles5]

I had another thought. Make sure that the print spooler on the HP is checked. If will not print
directly to the printer.
Myles

[cjl]

Print spooler is checked.

[Myles5]

This is the print proceedure from the software
vendor. Are these the steps you are using?
Myles
1. How do I print?

a. Create the pattern.

b. Go to the Show All Patterns screen.

c. Go to the Print screen.

d. On the Print screen, click the Print Setup button. Look to see if the name of your printer is showing. If a different name is showing, use the drop-down arrow and select the proper printer name.

If your printer name is not in the list, you need to install the software that came with your printer. The software that came with your printer is the "printer driver". It must be installed for the printer to be able to communicate with the computer. If you do not have software for your printer, look on the Internet for the printer manufacturer's web site and see if you can download a printer driver for your printer. For example, I have an Epson printer. The Epson web site is www.epson.com.

e. Click the Print button.

[cjl]

Myles5,
Thank you for your replies, but I am way way past the basics of how to set up a printer and how to print a document/graphic.

I am right now, using the Regmon and filemon programs to see if I can see where this process is getting hung up.

I know the plotter works, it works on another system, and it worked once on this system. My problem is finding out what little switch got tripped and loused this up.

I have alot of work arounds I can come up with:
Junk the plotter
Reinstall windows me
Go back a month and restore
Install program which will be using the plotter and connect plotter on another system
Buy and install "winline drivers" (cost$200) (but if there is a problem with the windows print program I don't think winline drivers would work either)
Give up (that will never happen!)

What I want to do is find out what is causing this problem. Besides this is an excellent way to learn the ins and outs of the programs. I am learning ALOT with all my detective work into this print problem.........(am even fixing some other little annoyances I have had but not urgent enough to tackle)
I am not able to get to work with my Patternmaster Boutique program but that will come after I get this problem fixed.