Windows 7 printer connection problems

[TrickyNicky]

This has been a bad fortnight. Old computer not well. Taken to doctor. Died on operating table (Motherboard fried apparently). Data thankfully saved from old hard drive. Bought new computer. Came with Windows 7. Mammoth task to transfer old data still ongoing and of course no Outlook Express..... As if this wasn't enough to deal with, now can't get my old HP printer to print.

 

Have 2 printers a) HP Deskjet 695C and b)Canon i950. Had to buy a converter cable for the HP Deskjet as it had an old LPT connector. Plugged both into new computer. New computer automatically recognised both printers, though recognised the 695C as a 690C. Icons for both appeared in 'Devices and Printers'. Canon works fine but nothing prints when ask HP 690C to print. When I go into 'Devices and Printers' it has disappeared and no printer has any items in the queue - so where did it go?

 

I have a laptop, also with Windows 7 and I have chosen to share items. In my laptop 'Devices and Printers' there are two sets of icons for both printers - one set labelled as Desktop PC (I assume because I am sharing) the other two are offline and greyed out. I assume if I plugged my laptop in to the printers directly, these 2 icons would become online and the Desktop ones would go offline. Haven't tried it yet.

 

If I try and print wirelessly from laptop using the desktop printer icons I can print on the Canon but not the HP Deskjet. Again nothing happens and there is nothing to be found in the print queue. Where did it go?

 

On my laptop there is an additional printer icon for a HP Deskjet 695C - the proper one, not a 690C. It too is off line and greyed out. Guess what, I found that the article I tried to print from my desktop PC, sent to the HP Deskjet was in the print queue on my laptop 695C icon. (Hope you are following this!). I'm confused, never mind anyone reading this!

 

Do you think the reason the HP isn't working is due to the converter cable (is there a right and a wrong one?) or the fact that the new computer has automatically configured the HP as a 690C and not a 695C? Or is it a compatability problem with Windows 7?

 

I have 20 + black ink cartridge for the 695C so would really like to get it working. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks a lot.

[pip22]

Please read this for using the Deskjet 695c on Windows 7:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01874792&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=uk&product=58155&lang=en

 

Click the '+' signs at foot of page to see the whole article.

 

I also think the use of a port adapter may be a factor, and curiously the HP page makes no reference to it having a parallel port - only a USB port - so I can't understand why yours is different.

Edited July 10, 2010 by pip22

[Plastic Nev]

I agree with Pip, here there should be a USB port on the printer to be able to connect to the computer via USB, the printer is new enough to have been built with one, so all you should need is a USB cable.

Then follow the instructions on that HP link page.

Nev.

[TrickyNicky]

Thanks pip22 and Plastic Nev. Don't know why it says my printer has a USB port - it doesn't - honest! I know I'm a beginner but.......... Did they really have USB in early 2003 (when I bought it)? I've sent HP an email asking for their comments. Will keep you posted. Thanks for trying.

[Plastic Nev]

Hi again, this now does pose some odd questions, from the HP site I looked at earlier, all the information available gives the impression that your printer is fairly new, not dating back to 2003. it is now obvious it may not have a USB port, being that old.

 

In the past I have dealt with HP support and although they couldn't help with a compatibility problem I had, they did at least get back to me with what help they could give. So see what they say, though I do expect them to tell you the printer is too old to be able to run it on W7, but you never know, they do support some other older machines.

Nev.