Vista Upgrade Advisor contradiction?

[Daze N. Knights]

Running Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor on my XPSP2, the Advisor seems to
provide contradictory information regarding my old HP Deskjet 950C
printer. Under "Devices" it says that "there is no compatibility data
available for this device," yet it also says, in the following section,
that it is among "devices that will automatically work after
installation of Windows Vista" so that "no action is required." In
actual practice, after updating the XPSP2 some time back with Vista
Build 5744 (I haven't tried RTM yet), I found that the printer worked
fine for some time, but then later only intermittently. While HP online
support offers drivers for this printer running on Windows up to XP X64,
it doesn't yet offer drivers for use with Vista.

Any idea why the contradictory results from the Upgrade Advisor?

 

[Will]

Upgrade advisor is good just as a guide and I guess given time it may become
more accurate but personally I wouldn't really take too much notice of what
it recommends I've found that the compatibility wizard is at times a great
help and it gets programs running that you wouldn't expect to run

 

[Chad Harris]

Yes. It's simply incompetent. I've seen it wrong scores of times on scores
of machines. The only way to know if an XP Printer or Scanner driver works
is to try it in Vista. Make sure you default the printer port to Virtual,
because the Vista Print team, operating around the turn of the century
defaulted it to a PCL port even though the majority of setups have been USB
for some time.

They promised us in a live chat they would change this default, and then
broke the promise.

Our objective in talking with them about this was to get as many xp print
drivers working in Vista as possible, since we knew that companies like
Brother and HP are dragging ass big time in getting drivers made. Their
have been some drivers made for Vista that ship with the RTM DVD and the
companies are saying there may -be better functionality for them
later--whatever the hell that means. Why they couldn't include that
functionality in anything they gave MSFT to use is beyond me.

CH

 

[Larry Maturo]

On a web search, I recently found a blurb from HP stating that they
will totally support Vista for their printers, but they did not say when
that would happen. Go figure.

-- Larry Maturo

 

[Daze N. Knights]

That's nice to know. Did you save the link?

On a web search, I recently found a blurb from HP stating that they
will totally support Vista for their printers, but they did not say when
that would happen. Go figure.

-- Larry Maturo

 

[Daze N. Knights]

I'm completely ignorant as to what a "virtual" printer port is, Chad.
And exactly how does one "default the printer port to Virtual"?

 

[DCR]

Try this:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c00808536

DCR


| That's nice to know. Did you save the link?
|
| Larry Maturo wrote:
| > On a web search, I recently found a blurb from HP stating that they
| > will totally support Vista for their printers, but they did not say when
| > that would happen. Go figure.
| >
| > -- Larry Maturo
| >
| >
| > "Chad Harris" <msftneedstogetoutvistainfo.net> wrote in message
| > | >> Yes. It's simply incompetent. I've seen it wrong scores of times on
| >> scores of machines. The only way to know if an XP Printer or Scanner
| >> driver works is to try it in Vista. Make sure you default the printer
| >> port to Virtual, because the Vista Print team, operating around the turn
| >> of the century defaulted it to a PCL port even though the majority of
| >> setups have been USB for some time.
| >>
| >> They promised us in a live chat they would change this default, and then
| >> broke the promise.
| >>
| >> Our objective in talking with them about this was to get as many xp print
| >> drivers working in Vista as possible, since we knew that companies like
| >> Brother and HP are dragging ass big time in getting drivers made. Their
| >> have been some drivers made for Vista that ship with the RTM DVD and the
| >> companies are saying there may -be better functionality for them
| >> later--whatever the hell that means. Why they couldn't include that
| >> functionality in anything they gave MSFT to use is beyond me.
| >>
| >> CH
| >>
| >> | >>> Running Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor on my XPSP2, the Advisor seems to
| >>> provide contradictory information regarding my old HP Deskjet 950C
| >>> printer. Under "Devices" it says that "there is no compatibility data
| >>> available for this device," yet it also says, in the following section,
| >>> that it is among "devices that will automatically work after installation
| >>> of Windows Vista" so that "no action is required." In actual practice,
| >>> after updating the XPSP2 some time back with Vista Build 5744 (I haven't
| >>> tried RTM yet), I found that the printer worked fine for some time, but
| >>> then later only intermittently. While HP online support offers drivers
| >>> for this printer running on Windows up to XP X64, it doesn't yet offer
| >>> drivers for use with Vista.
| >>>
| >>> Any idea why the contradictory results from the Upgrade Advisor?
| >
| >

 

[Daze N. Knights]

Thanks, but that's only for "Laser"Jet printers, not "Desk"Jet,
unfortunately. Hopefully, HP won't overlook its millions of DeskJet
customers, though.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

"It's simply incompetent"
Not true at all.
However if you depend on the tool for more than advice, which is all the
name implies, I can see how you might feel it is "simply incompetent".
It is really simple, do not expect more from a tool than the tool is
designed which in this case is only for advice.

"They promised us..."
Who? HP or Microsoft?
Please post the source of this promise.

"Our objective in talking..."
Who is "Our"?
It sounds like a quote but is written as if you are writing.

"Why they couldn't include that functionality in anything..."
Probably because they need RTM to get the additional functionality right.
But of course RTM was out and many hardware manufacturers are working on
their drivers now.
The older a piece of hardware the less likely the manufacturers will invest
resources.

My older USB HP printer works fine with the native Vista drivers.

 

[Chad Harris]

I understand, Jupiter, that you mean that it's impossible to make software
that would accurately predict that hardware in an equation might work on
Vista, but my concern is that a lot of people who aren't in the computer
enthusiast or IT or builder areas are going to run that Upgrade Advisor and
back off tyring what they have on Vista that meets general guidelines on the
Technet site. If I were advising anyone who wants to know if they can run
Vista who has hardware in the ballpark of the guidelines on the hardware
pages on the Technet Vista site, I'd say unless you have definite designs on
a new computer, to try Vista on what you have and see how satisfied you are.

I'm also concerned though of *what seems to be an intent to push hardware
sales by desigining it to say hdw won't run on Vista when it will.

CH

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

They need to take the tool at face value and no more.
"Advisor" is in the name, so people should realize exactly what that means.
Face value is advice, no more.

"aren't in the computer enthusiast or IT or builder"
That rules out a great many people since most of these will probably never
change the operating system on the computer.
They will upgrade when Vista comes with their new computer.

 

[Chad Harris]

True, and they will be up a creek without a paddle as history repeats itself
when they try to access Win RE and in particular startup repair. They
should hope they can get the job done with F8 options, but most won't. MSFT
wants it that way, so they pressure OEM named partners (all 300) not to give
them the OS on the DVD. Dell resisted it with Vista according to their
blog.

Nearly all of them won't be finding another solution to fix their no boot
Vista BSODs if and when they happen, so I hope they all backup or image
backup well.

CH

 

[Chad Harris]

A virtual printer port is defined as

The connection to a printer over the network. Creating a virtual printer
port really means assigning the computer a printer protocol with the port
physically being the network connection.

Its significance though for Vista, is that if you use it, then a significant
percent more XP printer drivers will work. Many of the leading printer
makers are being ridiculously slow in getting Vista drivers out and Tehnet
presenters are on record on the web saying there is no excuse for them and
there isn't.

The way you get to the printer port is easy. Open the printer folder>Right
click the printer you want to use and default it, and click properties>and
click the Port tab. Select the Virtual USB port.

Ridiculously, the Vista Print Teams, defaulted LPT1 even though every new
printer is a USB printer and most printers have had USB ports since before
the previous OS Windows XP was in Beta.

A number of us had discussions with the Vista print team and they promised
us they would correct this so we could help XP drivers work in Vista.

A promise from Microsoft at Redmon means next to nothing much of the time,
and they did not follow through with this.

I could find the promise either in newsgroup posts which weren't made public
or chats that have been made public with the print team by MSFT personnel
and other bloggers and websites.

We made the point to the Vista print team that they should not default a
port that the minority of users of printers in the world were using, since
the majority of users would never tweak and find the USB virtual port, but
now you can.

This will just add to a bad experience people have as they wait for Vista
drivers to become available for printers. HP is a well known company, in the
news lately because its fired former chairman Patricia Dunn is on trial for
spying on employees and reporters, felony theft and identity fraud in a
country that spys on its citizens secretly, although a head fake at
oversight for the latter will come in the next few months by a different
Congress.

Dunn pleads not guilty in HP board spy case
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cach...atricia+dunn+accused&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2

CH