Rediscovery Problem

[Tchamby55]

HP Photosmart Plus B209a. Two PC's running Vista and two running 7 on network. Printer works good when it works but usually have to restart PC and /or printer and /or router when we want to print or scan. When we open HP solution center it shows the printer disconnected. Turning things off and restarting gets it to connect but this has got old. I started trying to figure out how to get it to stay connected a few weeks back and have wasted way to much time with it since. Can anyone give me a quick and simple solution? I have tried all the Diagnostic Utility's.They can get it connected but don't make it stay connected.

[PrintDoc]

Let's set a static IP address 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). You can find the DHCP range of the router using its internal settings page or in its manual. Use the CD that came with your router or type the router's IP address (ends in .1) into a browser.
- 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 and first DNS. Leave the second one blank.
- 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.

[Tchamby55]

Thanks for trying but I had already tried making IP static. I said I had already done the Diagnostic Utility's and I believe that was included. But I tried going thru all the steps again from your instructions just to make sure but 1 hour later it was disconnected again. Any more suggestions appreciated.

[PrintDoc]

OK, the first thing to dig into here is if the printer is actually disconnecting from the router or if the PC can just not find it.

When it shows as offline, print a Wireless Network Test from the front of the printer (Setup > Network menu).  Is it still connected?  If so, the problem is in your PC.

What antivirus software are you using?  Does it have a firewall?

[Tchamby55]

Thanks for your reply. I think you are correct that the problem is in the PC.The wireless report printed from the touchpad on the printer reports connected with no problems as it always has but I need the PC to stay connected to print or scan. I am using AVG on all PC's.One is usine windows firewall and the other is using AVG's firewall. I have turned the windows firewall off for a while since I have been trying to get this resolved and had the same problem with it off.

[PrintDoc]

Windows firewall is rarely an issue.  AVG's is often an issue.

The Network Diagnostic Utility should identify the issue: http://h20180.www2.hp.com/apps/Nav?h_pagetype=s-926&h_lang=en&h_client=s-h-e17-1&h_keyword=dg-NDU&ju...

What does it say?

[Tchamby55]

It says:

Your printer has not been detected on this network.

The printer must be connected to the network before your computer will be able to connect to the printer.

Wireless Connections:

To make a wireless connection from the printer to your network, you will need to run the wireless setup. Select the Network Name (SSID) and enter the security key shown below when prompted.

This just tells how to connect as if it never is connected. I also woke the printer up and ran the utility and it says everything is fine with no problems.

[PrintDoc]

What happens if you disable the AVG firewall manually?

[Tchamby55]

No change.

[PrintDoc]

OK, I hate to recommend this, but fully uninstall AVG and retest.  If it is the free version there are probably better options out there, anyway.