Problem with Installation of Printer Software

[midwest_46]

Hi. This is a long post, and I appreciate your patience. I am having a
problem with the installation of printer software. I describe the
problem below.

---

I have a Gateway computer with the following: 1) a 1400-MHz Pentium 4
processor, 2) 256 MB of RAM, and 3) 40 GB of hard-drive space.

The computer is running Windows Millennium Edition (ME).

I've had this computer for years, and I never bought a printer for it
until now. I bought a Brother MFC-240C printer. This is a
multifunction device: printer, copier, fax, and scanner.

---

The installation guide instructed me to do the following:

1) Install the paper.

2) Connect the printer to the phone line.

3) Install the ink cartridges.

4) Set a few menu settings on the printer.

I did all of this successfully.

---

Next came the software installation. The software installation
consisted of a 16-step process.

1) Make sure that the printer is unplugged from an AC outlet and from
the computer.

I made sure of this. However, I also made sure that the printer
remained connected to the phone line.

---

2) Turn on the computer.

3) Put the installation CD-ROM into the computer.

4) On the main menu, click Install MFL-Pro Suite.

I followed steps 2-4. So far, so good.

---

5) Click "yes" to accept the ScanSoft PaperPort SE License Agreement.

6) The installation of PaperPort SE will start, and will be followed
by the installation of MFL-Pro Suite.

7) Click "yes" to accept the Brother MFL-Pro Suite Software License
Agreement.

8) Choose "standard" installation (as opposed to "custom"
installation) and click "next".

I followed steps 5-8. So far, so good.

---

9) A screen asking the user to do the following actions will appear:

a) Connect the printer to the computer using a USB cable.

b) Connect the printer to an AC outlet, and turn on the printer.

c) Wait for the installation process to continue.

10) Lift the scanner cover, and lock the cover into the "open"
position.

11) and 12) Connect the printer to the computer, using a USB cable.

13) Close the scanner cover.

The screen in step 9 appeared. I then followed steps 10 - 13
successfully. So far, so good.

---

14) Connect the printer to an AC outlet, and turn on the printer. The
installation of the Brother drivers will automatically start.The
installation screens appear one after another.

I did connect the printer to an AC outlet, and I did turn the printer
on. A bunch of screens did appear. I turned my back on the computer
for a few seconds, and, when I turned around, the screens were gone.

---

In step 15, the online-registration screen was supposed to appear.
After I made my registration choice, the final screen was supposed to
appear (step 16). I was supposed to select "restart computer now" and
to click on "finish".

However, after the screens of step 14 appeared and disappeared, the
screen from step 9 remained visible. The registration screen from step
15 never appeared. The final screen from step 16 also never appeared.

---

I was doing this in the evening. So, Brother tech support was closed.
I called Gateway tech support, and they could not help me. So, I
clicked on "cancel" (the only way to get out of the installation). I
received a warning that setup was not complete.

Also, according to the instructions, when the computer is restarted
(after step 16), an installation diagnostic will run automatically. If
the installation is unsuccessfull, the installation-results window
will be shown. After clicking "cancel", I restarted the computer, but
no results window was shown.

So, I do not know whether the setup was done properly. When I go to
Start/Programs, I see a selection for ScanSoft PaperPort, but I do not
see a selection for MFL-Pro Suite. However, when I go to Start/
Settings/Printers, I see the following icons:

1) Brother MFC-240C USB Printer

2) Brother PC-Fax

3) PaperPort Black and White Image

4) PaperPort Color Image

---

So, was the setup done properly? The installation CD-ROM has a
selection labeled "Repair MFL-Pro Suite". Should I use this option?

Thank you very much for any advice that you can give me, and thank you
for reading this long post.

 

[Phred]

news:e0f257d7-42a5-40b4-981e-1c817a350dbc@j33g2000pri.googlegroups.com...

[Snipped the gory details of the specific problem. Also trimmed the
Newsgroups distribution.]

As you are running WindowsME you might get a better response posting to an
ME group such as microsoft.public.windowsme.general.
Have you confirmed that the printer drivers are compatible with ME?

G'day Godfrey,

Are you sure about that group -- microsoft.public.windowsme.general?

It's not listed in the newsgroups available at news.individual.net
though they do list many other microsoft.public.* groups, so I would
have expected to find it there if it [still?] exists. (Then again,
maybe they *don't* carry the microsoft.* groups unless someone has
made a direct request to have one or another added.)

In fact, the nearest I can find to "microsoft.public.windowsme" is
"microsoft.public.windowsmedia" -- not quite the same thing!

Cheers, Phred.

 

[measekite]

Hi. This is a long post, and I appreciate your patience. I am having a
problem with the installation of printer software. I describe the
problem below.

---

I have a Gateway computer with the following: 1) a 1400-MHz Pentium 4
processor, 2) 256 MB of RAM, and 3) 40 GB of hard-drive space.

The computer is running Windows Millennium Edition (ME).

Brother is not a very good choice but that is what you have and unless
you can return it you are stuck with that.

However, ME is just nothing more than garbage. If you computer has the
horsepower I would get a copy of Win XP and upgrade your OS and then go
from there.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

I see two possible choices to troubleshoot this. One would be to use
the unit as it was installed and see if anything appears to be "broken".


The other is to use the Repair program which should check the components
installed and either replace, add, repair or leave the program be
depending how damaged the drivers became during installation (If at all).


Art


If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/

 

[Don Phillipson]

The computer is running Windows Millennium Edition (ME).

I've had this computer for years, and I never bought a printer for it
until now. I bought a Brother MFC-240C printer. This is a
multifunction device: printer, copier, fax, and scanner.
. . .
So, was the setup done properly? The installation CD-ROM has a
selection labeled "Repair MFL-Pro Suite". Should I use this option?

1. Test the printer's various functions, at least print a test
page and see if you can scan something.
2. If troubles occur, email Brother Product Support. (I found
them both prompt and practical when installing a Brother DCP 540CN
last December, when there was at least one important error in
the setup manual.)

 

[Don Phillipson]

The computer is running Windows Millennium Edition (ME).

I've had this computer for years, and I never bought a printer for it
until now. I bought a Brother MFC-240C printer. This is a
multifunction device: printer, copier, fax, and scanner.
. . .
So, was the setup done properly? The installation CD-ROM has a
selection labeled "Repair MFL-Pro Suite". Should I use this option?

1. Test the printer's various functions, at least print a test
page and see if you can scan something.
2. If troubles occur, email Brother Product Support. (I found
them both prompt and practical when installing a Brother DCP 540CN
last December, when there was at least one important error in
the setup manual.)