Cannot enable web services: Connection error. Check internet connection

[MattAtHome]

I have what is now an aging LaserJet CP1025nw color laser printer. It has worked great for many years, during which time I've been using HP Web Services + Google CloudPrint for my kids to be able to print from their Chromebooks. Several times in the past I discovered Web Services mysteriously got disabled and I had to re-enable it. Recently it somehow got disabled, but this time I cannot enable it again. I get an error "Connection error. Check internet connection".

The printer is connected to a router/switch by wire, and I've set up the switch to assign the printer a fixed IP address. The printer's configuration page is available from anywhere on the network using that address, and I can also print just fine from my Windows computer. After reading other posts on this forum, I've now upgraded to the latest firmware and set up the fixed IP address in the printer configuration itself, complete with setting the DNS server to 8.8.8.8. These steps did not help.

Anybody have any other suggestions?

[Jay_G24]

Hi @MattAtHome

Welcome to the HP Support Community. I'd be happy to assist you with the "claim code not printing"

Try a power reset on the printer-

Reset the product

1. With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer.

1. Unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.
2. Wait at least 60 seconds.
3. Plug the power cord back into the wall outlet.
4. Reconnect the power cord to the printer.
5. Turn the printer on. HP recommends plugging the printer directly into a wall outlet.

Try the steps in the document -Cannot Connect to Web Services 

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Have a great day! 

[MattAtHome]

Thank you very much for your reply. Unfortunately though, I'm still stuck. I followed your instructions to do a power reset, and I also followed all the steps in the linked document.

But, I did notice something interesting. Even though I had updated the firmware the other day, the firmware date shown in the device configuration for the printer is still 20130826. So I tried updating the firmware again (to the latest available, 20180302). The installer shows a happy face and says the firmware was updated successfully, but still the printer configuration shows the old firmware version. I can update the firmware repeatedly with the same result. I also tried connecting the printer to the PC with a USB cable, and sending the firmware to the USB printer. Again, the installer reports success but there's no change to the printer configuration page.

I'd appreciate any more suggestions if anyone can help.

[Jay_G24]

Try the steps below 

Restoring the factory-set defaults returns most of the settings to the factory defaults. It will not reset the page count, tray size, or language. To restore the product to the factory default settings, follow these steps.

We would have to set the printer up again

1. Turn the product off. Disconnect the power cable from the product for 30 seconds and then reconnect.

2. Turn the product on while you press and hold the Resume  button for 10-20 seconds. The Attention  light turns on.

3. Release the Resume  button. The Attention  and Ready  lights cycle while the product restores factory defaults.

[MattAtHome]

Thanks, but I should've mentioned in my previous post that I also tried doing a full reset, just as you described. I had done that previously, and again after I found that the firmware upgrade may not have been successful after all.

[Jay_G24]

Were you able to try all the steps that are in the above-provided document?

[MattAtHome]

Yes, I went through all the steps, both for restarting/resetting the printer, and in the linked document.

I have to think that if I can get the firmware to actually stick, then that will likely resolve the web services problem.

[RHemes]

I had the same problem with my CLJ M452Dn. My solution was to use DHCP.

If I assign my own IP address the printer cannot connect to HP web services, and will not accept e-print jobs. As soon as I reenable DHCP the eprint jobs all arrive.

[MattAtHome]

Thanks for sharing. Actually the printer is already using DHCP, though fixing the IP address in the printer configuration was one thing I tried recently to try to get things to work. Even though the printer configuration is for DHCP, the router is set up to  reserve a fixed IP address for the printer. Your post made me wonder if removing that reservation might make any difference. It did not, though even without a reservation the router tends to assign a device whatever IP address it previously used. I tried forcing it to assign a different, lower IP address. This did not help either.

I wish I could see a router DNS log that could tell me if what domain the printer is requesting and whether it was successfully resolved. But I don't see any way to get that information with my Google WiFi router.

[RHemes]

As I understand it, a client will ask to RENEW it's existing IP address when using DHCP; a reserved IP address is an address which is removed from the list of available addresses that the DHCP server can assign. It looks to me as though the problem is associated with DNS servers. When I configured both Primary and Secondary DNS servers AND manual IP address, EVERYTHING WORKED.