One reason for losing printer connectivity

[Clark]

I am posting this for the benefit of anyone who has lost the ability
to connect to a printer to which they had previously been connected,
since this happened to me, and I finally figured out what caused it.

The problem for me was that that my router, which assigns the IP
address to the printer and to the computers on the wireless network
(two of them), had changed which IP address was assigned to the
printer.

Originally the router had assigned IP addresses like:

Media Center desktop IP: XXX.XXX.X.100

XP Pro Laptop IP: XXX.XXX.X.101

HP 3310 All-in-One printer IP : XXX.XXX.X.102

Then one day I could suddenly no longer connect to the printer from my
desktop, although I could still connect to it from my laptop (so much
for XP and MCE being the same!), leading me to (wrongly) conclude at
first that everything was ok at the printer end since the laptop could
find it and work with it.

Sparing you the pain of all my poking around, I finally discovered
that the printer IP address had been reassigned to .101

Why the laptop could still connect to it and the desktop could not is
a mystery to me, but somehow the XP Pro machine could cope with the
printer having a changed IP address, but the MCE machine could not.

My *theory* on how this all happened is that after a power outage when
all my equipment was on, is that when the power came back on, the
router started handing out IP addresses to the computers and printer
in whatever order it "discovered" them, which caused the printer to
get assigned a different IP from what it was originally assigned.

So my solution: I powered off everything, including the router, then I
turned them back on in the order in which their original IP addresses
were assigned, which did result in the correct assignment of addresses
to the components. And then I made sure in the Printers and Faxes
windows that the correct IP address for the printer was in place and
now, at least for the time being, all is well.

So -- I hope this is useful for at least some other viewers.

 

[Nevin]

Hi Clark,

Thx for sharing the information with-up.

The above solution is good if we have 2 or 3 computers and if we know
the IP addresses which were assigned to the network computers &
printers.

I'd like to share a permanent solution. Infact, it would be very
difficult to remember if there are many devices in the network and hard
to note the IP addresses every time.

Here is the simple & perfect solution.

Changing the IP address of the printer to STATIC.

From the printers SETUP menu, navigate to Newtwork ---> Advanced

Network Settings ---> IP settings ---> Manual.
Then let the IP Address, Subnet Mask and Gateway as they are now.

Printer IP address will never change. So there is no question of
connectivity.

I hope this will be helpful.

Thx.
Nevin
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Clark]

Hello Nevin, thank you for the suggestion, I may give that a try.

But just thinking about it raises a couple of questions. First, are
you assuming the printer is always powered on?

And second, suppose I have done that, and happen to have assigned the
printer the .101 address. Then subsequently, after all devices have
been off, including the router, assume the router and desktop have
been powered back on so the desktop will be assigned the .100 address.

Then suppose next the laptop is powered on (the printer, not being
used at the time is still off), what is to keep the router from
assigning .101 to the laptop? And then, would I not be in trouble
turning the printer on later, when the printer wants .101 and it is
already taken?

Am I missing something? Maybe it would work if I originally assing the
printer the "last" IP on my network (.102) so that if the printer were
then powered on before the laptop, it would not "accept" and
assignment of .101 if .102 were still available --

What do you think?

 

[Nevin]

Hi Clark,

Great!! I appreciate your critical thinking & observation!!
You are exactly right!!
IP conflict will come, if we assign 100 or 101 in ur case.
We need to assisgn the maximum IP address to printer, that your router
can assign to its devices in the network.
Or the maximum IP address 102 (as you have only 3 devices).
Let us suppose, your router assigns IP addresses from 100-105. Assign
the last IP address(105) to the printer. That should resolve the issue
and ur doubt..

And also, let me know the Photosmart model you are using.
If it is fax capable, we usually turn it on always.. right??

Regds,
Nevin.


Rule of thumb is, whenever, we assign static IPs to the devices in the
network, we come from the last.

 

[Clark]

Thanks for your comments Nevin. My printer is an HP 3310 All-in-One
which is indeed fax capable, but I have not set it up for faxing and
dont use it for that. So it is turned off and on more or less randomly
as I need to use the printing or scanning capability.

Thanks for the rule of thumb, makes good sense. I think I've got this
puppy tamed

Clark

 

[Nevin]

Hi Clark,

Great to know u have excellent printer!!
World's fastest inkjet!! 32 ppm.
Excellent for photo printing...
6 individual ink tanks!! No wastage of ink at all... not even single
picoleter.
Hatsoff to HP. Always leader in Printing Technology...
I love this model very much (apart from Officejet 7410).

One more excellent feature I like in this model is InstantShare...
Wherever u r under the sun with internet, you can send prints to it.
Remote Printing..
I hope u will enjoy this feature...

33 Kbps Fax modem, Fax Blocking feature..what else??
Could you please test and let me know how many numbers can we block on
this machine?? Ofcourse, I'm little bit curious abt this all-in-one..

It accepts all most all the Memory cards...
Can also print video frames...

Standard ethernet, wireless (802.11b/g), and optional bluetooth...
...etc

I would like to discuss any issues with this printer.....

U may send mail to my ID: (e-mail address removed)


Regds,
Nevin

 

[Clark]

You want to hear about issues you say --

Look at my posts over the last couple of months, including 3/3/06
titled "Alan & Cari" and 2/28/06 titiled "HPJet Direct (now media
center and HP3320", and some earlier.

I have never been able to run the setup.exe program that came on the
cd to install all the software on my new Dell XP Media Canter Edition
pc. I managed to get the printer drivers installed, and get a partial
install, enough so that I can run the scanner, but the overall
software installation has never been possible.

It did all install on my XP Pro laptop (it was by FAR the longest
install program I have ever run, took forever!).

I do like the unit, does a nice job, wish it had a bigger paper tray
and that it needed to run less frequent self maintenance during which
it sits there and whirs and clunks for about 30 seconds.

As far as faxing, like I said, I didnt set up that feature.

All said, I like the printer but not the software.