Printer communication

A common problem with drivers, such as Hp printer drivers I come across, is "the printer is not communicating with my pc what can I do".

And "my printer can’t print because it’s broke" Well it may be that the printer is broken however, but if it is a new unit, or you don’t believe it is broken, then it is unlikely that it will be broken.

A good reputable printer manufacturer designs the printer for life as well as quality. The nature of business is based around customers although these days this aspect is sometimes forgotten.

The reason I have wrote this article is to give you some insight in to what is known as a communication problem. This is established if the printer won’t print from the pc, but everything seems to be ok.

First, I would recommend everything is plugged in. If you are happy that the machine is all wired up correctly (read the manual if you need further assistance with connecting the printer up) then try this.

Completely uninstall the hp printer drivers or printer from your computer. The best way to do this is by inserting the software and uninstalling from there.

If this doesn’t allow you to uninstall what I normally do is go to start, then programs then to the printer name, then scroll to the right then scroll to the uninstall option.

Look at my example below

You can do exactly the same to uninstall Hp printer drivers or Epson printer drivers

If you don’t have this option, uninstall via add remove programs in control panel. Your Hp printer drivers or Epson drivers will be there.

You can get to control panel by going to start, then control panel, or start then settings, then control panel.

Once in control panel you will be able to remove the Hp printer drivers and have something like this.

Click add remove programs and scroll down for your Hp printer drivers or your specific printer make and uninstall.

If still nothing is listed then click here Select the link for your operating system. To download run and install a clean up utility, which should clean the printer from your system. Failing this you may need to go in to the registry.

I am not going to discuss the registry on this site as I feel it is too advanced for the general public who are new to computers.

If you are having problems of this nature we recommend getting your windows checked, and calling support if you can bare the waiting times :))

Once all removed simply follow the uninstall just as you would for the install, of the Hp printer drivers or Epson drivers, reading the instructions and pressing next with the mouse button when required.

Once uninstalled restart your computer, disable your anti- virus.

Now simply insert the cd and install the software again, plugging in the cable connecting the printer to the computer when prompted to do so.

This information solves a lot of communication problems on a daily basis, so it may be worth giving this a try regardless of the type of printer you have.

If you don’t have the cd software click my drivers page Hp printer drivers

where I have listed 3 manufacturers websites of popular printers. I have also giving you the links to the Hp printer drivers, and other printer driver download pages.

If you are still having trouble getting your printer to communicate, you may have a problem with your port on either the computer or the printer, or you may even have a faulty cable. Seek plan of action from the manufacturer.

Personally I would try the cable on another device to see if its ok, if so I would then try the computer port on another device if that’s ok we have eliminated the process down to the printer port, which could well be the problem.

First, here is something else that I recommend you to look into. Again, lots of problems have resulted because of a chipset conflicting.

A chipset is what your usb ports at the back of your computer are running from. Be sure to check your chipset, infact I would even do this before you buy a printer.

If you have an Intel or via chipset or pci to usb.In most cases this will be fine. However be aware of the (sis 7001)(ali) (viatech 3038) chipsets. These are old chipset where a lot of Hp printer drivers and other printer drivers will often fail to communicate with the computer. There are no known updates for this chipset.

To check your chipset follow this simple process.

If you look at the picture above in control panel.

Double click on the system icon, which will result in the picture below for windows 2k and Xp users, for users with lower operating systems such as windows 98, just go to device manager along the top instead of going down.

If you look at my picture below you will see the device manager.

Now click usb controllers at the bottom, look at host controllers like I have done below.

This tells me my chipset, so I have via 5 which works fine on all the Hp printer drivers. This included other printers I have hooked up, and all my other devices such as cameras etc.

Follow the instructions given to see what chipset you have. If you have an Intel chipset you can download an update here which may solve the communication problem.

Please remember there is no guaranteed fix in the computing world, it is a process of elimination as long as you have a working computer and treat it with a bit of respect, you can expect years of constructive use.