79 Service Error - Color Laserjet M251

[Ceolona]

I am getting a "79 Service Error" on my M251nw. It shows up immediately after the printer initializes. I have tried the online troubleshooting, including power cycling and turning off the router.

It seems to come up as soon as the printer attempts to connect to my WiFi network.  If the network is disabled (I unplug the router) it starts normally, but cannot be used as there is obviously no network to connect to.

Any ideas?

[Irfan_06 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Ceolona,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to assist you.

I understand you're experiencing an issue with your printer that has an error code.

I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. I'm here to help you today.

Please follow the steps below to fix the issue.

A) Perform a power drain.

1) Take out the cartridges

2) Unplug the power cord from the printer & wall.

3) Press and hold the power button down for 15 seconds and release the power button, wait for about 30 seconds.

4) Plug the power cord back into the printer and wall, ensure the printer is plugged into the wall & not into a surge protector.

5) Insert the cartridges back into the printer.

Remove the cartridges > Unplug the power cord > Wait for 30 seconds > Plug the power cord back in > Insert the cartridges

B) Kindly refer to the steps on this link to update the printer firmware and let me know if that resolves the issue.

C) Refer to the steps on this link to further troubleshoot.

D) If the issue still persists, refer to the steps on this link to restore factory defaults and let me know if that resolves the issue.

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a great day ahead!

Irwin6

HP Support

[Ceolona]

Will try soon.  Turns out I used my last pages of paper for printing diagnostic pages. Need to buy supplies first.

[Ceolona]

It did not help, however…

I continued to reset/adjust random WiFi settings. Evidently, this fixed “something” and the WiFi connection is now working (the blue WiFi indicator light is no longer flashing, which I didn’t mention earlier) and I am now able to print. 

[Irfan_06]

Hi @Ceolona,

That's great! Happy to hear that the issue has been resolved. I appreciate your efforts in contacting HP community support and If you need any assistance in the future, feel free to reach out to us.

Take care and have a great day ahead!

Irwin6

HP Support