New wine into old bottles (actually new PRINTERS onto old COMPUTERS)?

Factual Questions
1

Here’s the situation. I have a fairly old computer (Pentium processor, 166MHz, Windows 95 OS) with a Lexmark Z25 inkjet printer connected to LPT1. The printer has gone belly up, and I would kind of like to replace it. Furthermore, I’d prefer to replace it with one of those really cheap printers that tend to cost less than the replacement cartridges (if you buy it at the right time of year).

So, kaylasmom99 and I were at Target the other day, and we saw several models of cheap inkjet printer on sale for under fifty bucks. Having heard a nasty rumor about Lexmark’s packaging policies, I decided to check the fine print on the boxes. Sure enough, the cartridge that comes with the Lexmark is only a starter (less than half the ink supply of a new cartridge), whereas the Hewlett Packard comes with a complete set of full cartridges. So far, so good, get the HP, right?

Not so fast. According to the box, where it says “system requirements,” I need to be running Windows 98 in order to load a driver for this printer. Not only that, I need to connect it to a USB port. Well, I don’t have any of those things on my computer, nor do I have any way of getting them*.

Just out of curiosity, I checked the system requirements on printers that are so far out of my price range that I would never even consider telling kaylasmom99 they were on the shelf, much less try to talk her into buying them. Same story. System requirements: Windows 98 or better, connect to a USB port, yadda, yadda.

kaylasmom99 made some calls the other day to CompUSA, inquiring about this sorry state of affairs, and was told, essentially, that ALL printers currently being manufactured have drivers that only work on Windows 98. Of course, it is in CompUSA’s interest to have people believe that in order to operate their computers they need to obtain something that CompUSA sells, such as, oh, say, a software upgrade.

So, does anyone in the industry have the Straight Dope on the current state of printer availability as it pertains to obsolescent, but IMHO, perfectly adequate computer equipment?

*[sub]That is, I have no way of getting them that doesn’t require a Deus ex Machina[/sub]

2

You can get a USB card for your computer pretty cheap, assuming it’s a standard computer (i.e. not a laptop). Win95 will be your problem though. I’ve never tried it, but it is my understanding that USB on win95 doesn’t work very well. I would think you could get a copy of win98 fairly cheap as well. Have you looked on ebay?

3

See my subscripted addendum about a Deus ex Machina.

4

I’ll second engineer_comp_geek on the USB/Win95 combination - definitely not something you want to mess with. Better to hunt down a copy of Win98. Your 166MHz machine won’t be a speed demon with Win98 running on it, but not really much worse than with Win95. OTOH, trying to push Win2000 or WinXP onto that box would be a disaster!

5

Since it sounds like you are interested in a Lexmark, go to the Lexmark website & check to see if they have Win95 drivers for the printer you are interested in:

http://www.lexmark.com/US/support/drivers/index.html

That said, I would have to second the notion that Win95 may prove a problem. Check this link to see if you have a chance:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;253756

If you do not a cannot locate a LP port printer, your only option is to upgrade the OS, MS is or has ditched support for 95 and will not help you do it. You will note that if your version of 95 cannot support USB, you cannot DL anything to change it. MS’s position is that you should upgrade to Win98SP2 (at a minimum) if you want USB.

6

Oh - and should have added - The Ebay suggestion may also prove a better hope for you. You may be able to locate an LP printer that way. Again, check the manufacturor site for drivers.

7

Looks like I’m screwed, then.

Kicking the tires on a potential purchase on ebay strikes me as far more trouble than I want to go to, and it is an option I absolutely insist on retaining, no matter what I’m buying.