HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus — Stuck in Setup Mode, No Setup Cartridges, Back-Button Menu Disabled

[JustWantToPrin7]

Hi everyone!

I'm hoping someone can help — I've seen a few posts about this but haven't found a working solution for my specific situation.

My HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus was having an issue where it wasn't reading one of my ink cartridges correctly, even after swapping in a new cartridge. Following advice online, I performed a hard reset. Unfortunately, after the reset the printer entered setup mode and is now asking for the original setup cartridges — which I no longer have, as this printer is several years old.

Here's where my situation differs from some others I've seen posted:
- The back-arrow-4-times hidden support menu that worked before the reset is no longer accessible in setup mode
- The printer does not throw a cartridge error when I insert my current HP 950/951 cartridges — it simply continues asking for setup cartridges
- Because no error fires, I cannot access any support or diagnostic menus
- I have tried all bypass methods I could find, but setup mode appears to disable them

I've seen a few posts where HP support sent private messages with override instructions that can't be shared publicly. I would really appreciate it if someone could send me those instructions as well.

Thank you so much for any help!! I've been troubleshooting this all day and I'm at a loss.

Product: HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus
Cartridges: HP 950 (black), HP 951 (color)
Issue: Stuck in initial setup mode after hard reset, no setup cartridges available

[Jerry_57]

Hi @JustWantToPrin7,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

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

I hear that the Officejet Pro 8600 requires the original “Setup” cartridges during first-time setup/initialization.

Method 1: The OOBE Reset (Out-Of-Box Experience Bypass):

This sequence forces the printer to skip the initial setup wizard and boot into standard operating mode. 
 

1. With the printer turned ON, remove all four of your HP 950/951 ink cartridges and leave the cartridge access door open.
    
2. Unplug the power cord from the back of the printer (not the wall).
    
3. Wait at least 60 seconds to drain the capacitors completely.
    
4. While the power cord is still unplugged, press and hold down the Power Button for 30 seconds.
    
5. Plug the power cord back into the printer. If it doesn't turn on automatically, press the Power button.
    
6. The moment the HP logo appears on the screen, quickly press and hold down both the Home Button and the Back Arrow at the same time for about 5 to 10 seconds.
    
7. This will bring up the hidden Support Menu. Navigate through the menu to find Resets, then select Partial Reset or Semi-Full Reset.
    
8. Let the printer reboot, insert your standard cartridges when prompted, and proceed with regular initialization.
    

Method 2: The "Trade OOBE" and "Clean" Override:

If you can manage to access the Support Menu, you can disable the Setup requirement entirely. 
 

1. Tap the Home button, then tap Back, Home, Back, Back in quick succession. This should open the Engineering/Service menu.
    
2. Scroll to the right and select System Configuration or Service Menu.
    
3. Look for OOBE (Out-of-Box Experience) and change the setting to Trade OOBE or OOBE Off.
    
4. Go into the Ink Initialisation or System Status sub-menus and turn off Cartridge Protection or set the ink status to used.
    
5. Exit the menus, power cycle the printer, and check if it bypasses the setup prompt.

Method 3: Clean the Printhead Contacts:

Sometimes the printer is looping the "Setup" screen because it fails to detect the standard cartridges at all, reading them as empty or missing.
 

1. Unplug the printer.
    
2. Open the cartridge access door and remove the printhead assembly completely.
    
3. Use a lint-free cloth slightly dampened with distilled water or isopropyl alcohol to gently clean the gold electrical contacts on the back of the printhead and the contacts inside the printer itself.
    
4. Let the contacts dry for 10 minutes. Reinstall the printhead, then install your standard cartridges and restart the printer.
    

I hope this will help.

 

Take care and have a good day.