PhotoSmart 7520 won't connect to "Web Services"

[Keith_H]

My brand new PhotoSmart 7520 eAll-in-One printer won't connect to "web services" today. It was all up and working yesterday with no problems. No matter what app I try it gives me the same error message.

I run Win XP, the computer is wired to a router that has wireless LAN capability. My printer is hooked up via that LAN. It was working just fine yesterday. I've made no system changes to my computer since last night.

I came in and turned on the printer and went to print out a simple crossword puzzle and got the message that it can't connect to "Web Services". After sever tries, I check the Wireless settings and it shows that it is working with a excellent signal strength. The Mac address shows as does the correct IP address for the printer.

I checked my router's setup to see if it was talking with the printer and everything there was correct and functioning. It showed that the wireless activity with the printer was up and working, the IP and Mac addresses were both correct.

I followed several HELP instructions from HP on removing and re-enabling the Web Sevices and got a printout both times I tried it.

Just before I downloaded HP Print and Scan Doctor, a small icon showed up in the System Tray in the lower right saying that Scan to computer was unavailable. I ran the Doctor program and ran the fixes for both scan and print. The small icon disappeared, but I don't know what was fixed.

I have turned the printer of and on again at least twice. And I've run the Wireless Setup software twice.

I still cannot connect to web services. I had no such problem when I set up the new printer Saturday. It ran fine until this morning.

I'm not having any problem connecting to the Internet with other software.

[PrintDoc · Accepted solution]

Let's set a static IP address and (most importanly) an external DNS for the printer:

- Print a Network Config Page from the front of the printer. Note the printer's IP address.
- Type that IP address into a browser to reveal the printer's internal settings.
- Choose the Networking tab, then Wireless along the left side, then the IPv4 tab.
- On this screen you want to set a Manual IP. You need to set an IP address outside the range that the router automatically sets (called the DHCP range). If you do not know the range, change the last set of numbers (those after the last '.') to 250
- Use 255.255.255.0 for the subnet (unless you know it is different, if so, use that)
- Enter your router's IP (on the Network Config Page) for the gateway.
- Enter 8.8.8.8 for the first DNS and 8.8.4.4 for the second DNS. This is Google DNS. You can choose another external DNS if you wish.
- Click 'Apply'.

Now, shut down the router and printer, start the router, wait, then start the printer.

After this you may need to redo 'Add a Printer' using the new IP address.

[Keith_H]

Thank you for your reply and information.

Being impatient, I called HP tech support on the phone. After several proceedures they had me try, they determined the problem was not on my end. Tech Support transferred me to the Cloud Services/ePrint support department.

As it turns out the Cloud servers were undergoing some updates. They had me try a few things just to be sure, but nothing worked. They will be making a followup call to me here in the next couple of hours to see if the problem is resolved. Web Services resumed about six hours after I talked with Cloud Services/ePrint support and my printer was able to connect to Web Services. All-in-all Web Services was "unavailable" a good eleven or twelve hours in total yesterday.

However, the service seems a bit spotty. Web Services was unavailable again this morning for a short time, roughly a couple of hours, and just became available again before I started to type this reply.

I appreciate the effort you put into your above reply and have printed out that information should it prove useful in the future. I learned something from it too...how to see the status of my printer via the browser.

I'm not sure that sort of information is in the HP Photosmart 7520 manual.pdf file if it is not, it should be. It will prove handy to know in the future, I'm sure.

Thanks again for helping.

[Keith_H]

Just a quick additional note to the above problem. After posting my last reply, web services was "unavailable" once again. None of the apps worked, of course. Cloud Services department called to follow up on our session yesterday and walked me through the same steps you provided above for setting the printer up on a Static IP address. With the Static IP in place, I was able to connect to web services once again. Hopefully it will be the last time I have this problem.

I just wanted to let you know that I ended up doing it your way in the end anyway.:smileyhappy:  Thanks again.

[PrintDoc]

Sure!  Actually, with the process I outlined above, the most important part with respect to Web Services is the external DNS settings, so make sure to do that part, too (don't use your router's gateway address in the DNS fields).

[Keith_H]

Well, I was fooled. I thought the problem was fixed.

I did all the steps above with the Cloud Services person on the phone and even did a "semi-full reset" through the hidden special function menu. That didn't work either.

I've been on the phone every day this week talking with Cloud Services and trying everything they could throw at me and still no joy.

Cloud Services suggested that I contact my ISP and have them "DMZ" my printer. Unfortunately, I'm on a "routed bridge" DSL service at this time that process requires a "PPOe" DSL service. No telling when they'll get around to upgrading their equipment for my area.

In my discussion with the ISP tech, we hit upon the idea of trying to keep the "printer alive" by means of using the "ping" command. A scheduled task for startup requires a passworded account, so the admin account on this computer isn't good enough since it has no password. I didn't want to setup a new passworded user account so that left me with option of manually entering thr pig comman via a command window. I also tried it by typing it in the Start > Run window as well. The ping did run, but it didn't help prevent the printer from losing it's connection to web services. The command I used was : ping -t -w 300000 (put printer IP address here).

If you enter that command manually via the command window itself CTRL+C cancels the ping. If you enter that through the Start > Run box, CTRL+C closes the command window but doesn't stop the ping. You'll have to restart to stop the ping in that case.

I checked the Bonjour services function, which is required by and wireless printer to function, and it has full access on my firewall. Bonjour uses UDP port 5353 to send packets.

I'm typing this update while on hold on the phone with Cloud services again. They have determined that there is probably a problem with the printer's firmware and they are going to pass me up to a supervisor and someone that can arrange for a new printer to be sent out.  So this may be the end of this particular little odyssey I've been one for now. I just wanted to fully update my entire problem and experience to date.

Support has been great and willing to help, it just looks like the problem is beyond their means short of a new printer.

[PrintDoc]

I really think this is a DNS issue.  One test would be to take the printer to a friends house with a non-PPOE service (like cable) and see if it works.

If it does, it points to the ISP's equipment and DNS.

Can you change the router settings at all?  If so, change the router's DNS service to Googles (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4).

[Keith_H]

I did have the Google numbers entered but I think the semi-full reset we did changed them, because when i checked the configuration page again just now it was reset back to 192.168.254.254 for the first DNS and there was nothing in the second DNS boxes.

I reset them both to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 and restarted the router and printer. I've been waiting for about 20+ minutes with the printer "on" and idle to see if it loses connectivity to the web server. So far it has not. But after changing to the Static IP address the other night it took about an hour before it lost its connection.

I don't have a IPv4 selection on my menu, there is a IPv6 option in the left menu under "Networking" in that column. I have no entries in the the three boxes on that menu as yet, which are:

Manual IP Address

Manual Preferred DNS Server

Manual Alternate DNS Server

Edit... it has been about an hour plus now and the printer did lose it's connection to the web servers.

[PrintDoc]

Go check the manual IP/DNS entries.  Is Google DNS still there?

If it is getting reset, that is likely the problem.  I don't think the router can reset them, but if the printer has a fault where it is resetting itself, that could do it.

[Keith_H]

Ok, I checked the Network IP address settings and the google IPs are still there. So no change.

Did you want me to do something in the Network > Networking > IPv6 menu?

The three entries there are:

Manual IP Address

Manual Preferred DNS Server

Manual Alternate DNS Server