Why does my HP 9730 refuse to turn off or work properly?

[Nerdmaster-Bri]

It used to take 3-5 power-switch pushes to turn off this 9730, now it refuses to shut off completely.  Add to that fun the fact that HP Smart won’t start, either, it just sits there with the blue spinny thing stuck in an infinite do-loop.  That’s after rebooting the HP PC… twice.  Nothing works.  Seriously? 

For the record, I’m disabled, and cannot turn off the power.  I have to pay someone to come over, and usually wait a few days for them to be available.  Seriously? 

I’m so sick of this printer, and even more sick of the HP Smart software, which is so incredibly slow.  I now need 4-6 times the amount of time to perform simple scans compared to my old 8730, maybe more.  Seriously? 

And each time I scan the presets go back to the default, and I have to waste time redoing my scan settings.  I have 400-500 page documents to scan, and now I have to reset the scanning settings for each and every scan?  Seriously? 

Sometimes HP Smart refuses to allow me to scan at anything other than a full-page scan, that’s 11x17 inches at 600 dpi which takes forever.  Seriously? 

So, if I need to scan an old postcard, I have an 11x17 inch JPG.  Oh, and each time I have to tell the software to save my scan, and not in the default PDF style HP shoves onto us but a JPG that real users who’re archivists prefer.  Seriously? 

Why am I asked if I want to save each scan?  For the love of Mike, why did I perform a scan if not to save a file?  Does HP think users scan for fun, and not to obtain a scan file?  Seriously? 

I’m so sorry I bought this printer.  It just sits doing nothing 24/7 taking up a huge amount of space because it’s completely worthless to a real user… as in an archivist.  Seriously? 

Will someone please sell me an 8670 that NOS?  Please?  I can’t keep losing my mind trying to get work done yet not because I constantly fight with a worthless printer and even more worthless-er software.  Seriously? 

Is there no one left at HP that knows how to design and develop useful, efficient printers and software?  Seriously? 

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @Nerdmaster-Bri,

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

I am truly sorry to hear about the immense frustration and physical difficulty you are experiencing with your HP OfficeJet Pro 9730. It sounds like the printer’s firmware has entered a "hang" state where it no longer communicates with the power button or the HP Smart software, which is likely why the app is stuck in an infinite loading loop.

Attempt a Forced Soft Reset

• Press and hold the Power button on the front of the printer continuously for a full 30 seconds.
• Release the button and wait to see if the screen goes black or if the printer initiates a reboot sequence.
• Observe if the "blue spinny thing" in the HP Smart app clears once the printer hardware responds.

Bypass HP Smart for Scanning

• Open a web browser on your PC and type the IP address of your printer into the address bar to open the Embedded Web Server (EWS).
• Navigate to the Scan tab within the EWS interface to use Webscan, which allows for direct scanning without using the HP Smart app.
• Select your desired file format (JPG) and resolution settings here, as this interface often holds settings more reliably than the app.

Configure Persistent Scan Shortcuts

• Open the HP Scan software (the full driver version, not the HP Smart app) on your PC.
• Create a New Scan Shortcut, name it "Archivist JPG," and set the item type, file format, and resolution specifically for your postcards.
• Click the Save icon next to the shortcut name to ensure these settings remain your "one-click" default for future 400-500 page projects.

For help setting up the more reliable full-feature drivers rather than the HP app, please see HP Printer Setup (Full Feature Driver).

I hope this helps.

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,

Kuroi_Kenshi