PC complains that printer is offline

[Herbert Chan]

Hello,

I have an Epson Stylus Color 800 and OS is Win98SE.

I used to be able to print from it before, even after I've installed
Fineprint.

But recently, after finally pinpointing the pc problem to be a faulty cpu
fan, and having replaced the cpu fan, I can't print anything from the
printer. When I try to test print, it will complain that the printer is
offline, while the printer is turned on. I've tried printing selftest pages
from the printer, and it still can print that out.

I have also installed an IrDA adaptor and there are now a virtual LPT port
and a virtual COM port provided by the IrDA port.

I've unplugged and replugged the connectors at both the LPT1 port and at the
printer while they are both turned off. I've tried using a new printer
cable. I've tried booting into safe mode and deleting the LPT port and then
let Win98SE install the printer driver. I've tried setting the LPT port in
BIOS to normal, EPP and also ECP. All without success.

I don't have another computer to test the printer.

Hope someone here can point me somewhere.

Herbert

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Are any LEDS on or flashing/blinking on the printer during this? If so,
this might give a hint as to what is going on.

Reset your printer to the default settings, which include automatic
interface detection, as the firmware settings may have become corrupted.

To do this on the 800, with the printer turned off and with the printer
interface cable disconnected, press the on/off button while holding the
color cleaning button in. Hold it for about 3 seconds, then let go, and
then shut the printer off. Reconnect it to the interface cable you are
using. Turn it and the computer on and try it.

I would try removing and reinstalling the printer drivers from Epson.
Get the newest ones they have for your printer from the website.


If that doesn't fix it, I would try removing the IR port and software,
as that may be causing an IRQ conflict.

I suspect either the drivers got corrupted, or the IR port installation
stepped on the toes of the LPT port, or conflicted the IRQs.

Art

 

[Herbert Chan]

I've tried taking the printer to my neighbor today, and it printed out
alright the test page (he's using xp).

So it must be something wrong with my own pc, and not with the printer or
the cable.

After getting it back home and reconnecting it to my pc, the computer first
complained that the printer was out of paper, then it started dumping out
some rubbish onto the paper, instead of the test page from printer control
panel.

Under add/remove programs, I can use the Epson program to remove the 800
stylus color driver. I have before tried installing some other printer
drivers from Epson website, so there now exist a few other Epson printer
drivers.

How do I remove those, too?

Herbert

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Hi Herbert,

Typically, other printer drivers sitting on your system do not cause
problems, as long as the ones you are using (default) are not corrupted.

If you need to remove other drivers, in Windows 98 you can go into the
printers folder and just right click on the icon and us the delete option.

If you find just updating the drivers for your 800 is not enough to
repair the problem, you may need to ask Epson for the names of all the
component files and locations that comprise of the full driver, and
remove them prior to reloading the full driver. However, usually just
overwriting the old driver components is enough to fix the problem.

However, there still may be a problem on your computer with IRQs in use,
or the IR driver. You tests may not have been able to isolate the
problem, other than knowing it is unlikely to be the printer itself.

Art