"Waiting for printer to become available" MacOS Monterey 12.7.5

[wdwdwd]

I have a Late 2015 iMac (4k Retina, 21.5 inches) and an HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 2515 printer. Almost an year ago, my printer stopped working with my iMac after it was updated to MacOS Monterey and the following updates thereon. It would scan anything perfectly but the print queue would always say "Waiting for printer to become available" and stuck on "Connecting to Device" if I tried printing through any application (PowerPoint, Word, Etc). I tried all the available solutions on the internet which required to reset the printing system in system preferences, uninstall and reinstall the latest HP drivers for the printer through "HP Easy Start" and nothing worked, I talked to Apple Support and they said to talk to HP Support which requires me to enter the serial number but whenever I try entering it "Enter a valid serial number" always appears because this printer is out of warranty, so I am stuck. This printer is only a USB connection and not internet-enabled, also does not work with HP Smart.

[Raj_05]

Hi @wdwdwd,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

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

It sounds frustrating to deal with printer connectivity issues, especially after macOS updates. Here are a few steps you can try to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the issue with your HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 2515 printer.

Reset Printing System:

• Go to System Preferences > Printers & Scanners.
• Right-click (or Control-click) on the printer list and choose Reset printing system.
• This will remove all printers from your list. Afterwards, re-add your HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 2515 by clicking the "+" button and selecting it from the list.

Uninstall HP Drivers and Software:

• Ensure all existing HP printer software and drivers are completely uninstalled.
• Use a tool like HP Easy Start to uninstall any existing HP software completely.

Reinstall HP Drivers:

• Download the latest HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 2515 driver from the HP website.
• Install the driver package using HP Easy Start or manually by following the installation instructions provided.

Check USB Connection:

• Ensure that the USB cable connecting your printer to the iMac is securely plugged in and not damaged.
• Try using a different USB cable or port on your iMac if possible.

Verify System Preferences:

• Double-check that your printer is selected as the default printer in System Preferences > Printers & Scanners.

Update macOS:

• Ensure your iMac is running the latest version of macOS Monterey. Sometimes, updating macOS can resolve compatibility issues.

HP Support Options:

• Since your printer is out of warranty, try contacting HP Support again. Instead of entering the serial number, describe the issue you're facing and request assistance with driver compatibility for macOS Monterey.

Alternative Printing Solutions:

• Consider using AirPrint if your printer supports it, as it doesn't require additional drivers.
• Check if your printer can work with CUPS (Common Unix Printing System), which is built into macOS and may offer basic functionality without HP drivers.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted 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!

Alden4

HP Support 

[wdwdwd]

I have tried every given solution from your answer and nothing has worked.

[Raj_05]

Hi @wdwdwd,

Thank you for your response, 

I'm sending a private message to assist you with the next action.

Please check your Private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Community profile Next, to your profile Name, you should see a little blue envelope, please click on it or simply click on this link.

I hope this helps! Keep me posted.

Alden4

HP Support 

[wdwdwd]

I tried calling the number and selecting my options. I chose the Agent Callback option which directed me to hp.com/callme and it requires me to enter my serial number which does not work and says "Invalid serial number" even though I have copied the serial number from both macOS System Report and HP Utility app. I cannot talk to any agent because of this problem, both on live chat and on call.

[wdwdwd]

I talked to Apple Support and found a solution. Boot your Mac into Safe Mode and then try printing from TextEdit or any other application. This fixed my ongoing issue and I am satisfied. This also means you need to reinstall your Mac fresh after backing up your data if you want to continue printing in normal boot and not going to Safe Mode for every print.

[wdwdwd]

Follow up, the printer only prints in Safe Mode and not normal mode even after fresh reinstall of macOS Monterey 12.7.5 which means you should prepare your PowerPoint presentation or Word document etc. and then boot into Safe Mode to print and then go back to normal which is a bit tedious if you have an HDD.

[wdwdwd · Accepted solution]

A solution has been found for Normal Mode. Before connecting your printer and turning it on, open Terminal and type kextstat. Locate this extension:- com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMergeNub and execute the following command:- sudo kextunload -b com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMergeNub and press Enter. Then connect your printer, turn it on and try to print from any application because this fixed the "Waiting for printer to become available" issue. Note for future:- Whenever you boot up your Mac, do the above command in terminal once before anything and only then connect your printer. From then until you shut down/reboot your Mac again, your printer should keep working even if you reconnect it as many times you want.

[wdwdwd]

Note:- If you do not wanna disable this kext manually everytime you start your Mac, follow these steps:-

1. Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy and on the left look for "Full Disk Access" and checkmark Terminal.

2. Open Finder, click on "Go" at the menu bar > Go to Folder > /usr/local/ and press enter. If you do not see "bin" folder then create it.

3. Open Terminal, create a new script by pasting this command:- sudo nano /usr/local/bin/unload_AppleUSBMergeNub.sh

4. Add these lines in the script window that opens:- #!/bin/bash kextunload -b com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMergeNub

5. Make the script executable by pasting this command:- sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/unload_AppleUSBMergeNub.sh

6. Create a LaunchDaemon plist file by pasting this command:- sudo nano /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.example.unloadAppleUSBMergeNub.plist

7. Add this code in the window that opens:- <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"><plist

version="1.0"><dict><key>Label</key><string>com.example.unloadAppleUSBMergeNub</string><key>ProgramArguments</key><array><string>/usr/local/bin/unload_AppleUSBMergeNub.sh</string></array><key>RunAtLoad</key><true/></dict></plist>

8. Change the ownership of the plist file to root by pasting this command:- sudo chown root:wheel /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.example.unloadAppleUSBMergeNub.plist

9. Finally, load the LaunchDaemon:- sudo launchctl load /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.example.unloadAppleUSBMergeNub.plist and reboot your Mac.