I’m trying to connect an older parallel printer (HP Deskjet 600C) to a newer computer (Dell Inspiron 5305, IIRC, running Vista) which lacks a parallel port. No problem, says I, I’ll get me one o’ them snazzy USB-to-printer cables I’ve seen down to the general store.
Only it isn’t working. The computer recognizes the adapter and installs USB Printing Support like the cable’s web site says it should in their FAQ, and it sees something printerish is on the other side of it, because at one point I turned the printer off and the printer status changed to “Error” on the Printers control panel. But I can’t get print jobs to go through, not even the test page.
The port is set to USB001, per my interpretation of the cable manufacturer’s website. Changing the port LPT1 didn’t help.
I’ve also tried the cable on another PC and another printer, to the same result.
Before I take the cable back, I thought I’d ask if anyone has ideas for something I may be overlooking.
The USP to parallel port converter cables often cause the OS to not identify the printer is attached. I can’t tell you how to fix the problem, just that your not alone in the problem. The manufacturers site will be the best place to seek help, even if you have to wait a few days to get a response.
One hint I will give you is do not change the USB port you plug into. Every time a device is plugged into a new USB port, the OS has to install that device to the newly used USB port.
I would try turning off the printer, and disconnecting the USB cable from the computer. Turn on the printer, and plug the USB cable back into the USB hub.
When I tested it on my WindowsXP machine here at home, XP was unable to locate a plug & play printer, so I’m pretty sure I’ve seen what you’re talking about here. Not a problem. In both cases, I was able to install a driver for the printer from Windows’ list of available priner drivers.
Turns out we’re just going to replace the old parallel printer with a new, USB printer. It’s my girlfriend’s mother’s printer, and just isn’t worth the trouble to deal with from two hous away.
Actually, I’m aware of this problem and try to deal with it the other way: whenever I get a new USB device, I plug it in to all the USB ports I’m liable to ever use it in. (Flash drives, for example, get plugged into both front ports but not the back ones.)
I definitely would do this if I had no other options and it were a bigger deal. I just last week moved my LaserJet 1600 at home to my Linux box and I now do all my printing over the network.
Personally, I’d probably go with a dedicated print server doodad, since it works independent of whether your PC is on (which is nice if you have multiple PC’s) and gives you more freedom with where the printer goes. Most of the stuff in this category will work: Print Servers, Wireless Print Servers - Newegg.com (I say most because there are some in there that only support USB printers; not parallel. You might also want to get one that has the right kind of parallel connector (centronics vs db-25) so you don’t have to buy a new cable or an adapter.
I’m kind of partial to Netgear stuff myself, but that’s mostly due to my 1) avoidance of no-name networking hardware and 2) anecdotal poor experience with Linksys and D-Link.
IIRC the 600c is a unit that is more or less just a dumb head terminal and the print “engine” is actually the HP driver software that addresses the parallel port hardware directly . This usually means that unless there is a driver specifically for the OS version you are using there are liable to be serious hardware IO bellyaches. Printing via the Vista OS and using a cable that is mimicking parallel port IO hardware calls via it’s own driver is not a combination I would bet heavily on for a successful scenario with this old printer.
I just last week moved my LaserJet 1600 at home to my Linux box and I now do all my printing over the network.