Cannot connect to Chrome with HP 28W

[Petermarigold]

Hi. 

Nightmare with an old HP laserjet Pro MFP M28w connecting to my mums chromebook. 

Firstly, it used to work fine over USB, so something has changed, but all cables are the same. 

Now every time we try to print it gives the message 'Failed Unreachable Printer' in the print jobs window, even though it says the printer is ready to use when the USB is connected, and it's also saved in the printer list. 

Options I've tried that made zero difference / progress:

- Hard reset on printer    - no change

- Resetting / connecting to printer using the HP Smart App via an android phone - the printer never shows up in the app even after hard reset. I've also tried to connect to the printer as a wifi connection (works, and with the default password) - still does not show up in the HP Smart App. 

- Printing over wifi   - printer does not show up as a network printer on Chrome or inside the HP Smart app. I've also tried every option to connect the printer using the printer buttons itself - no change. Wifi blue button keeps blinking. 

- Printing network test page -  works fine

- Connecting a different old windows laptop and printing a test page - works fine.... so it seems to be chrome (and the Smart App) as the issue. 

So it seems to be something going on with Chrome, but I can't wipe out the drivers and start from fresh! 

Final note:  I really would prefer not to persist trying to connect over wifi - I have three networked HP laptops and over the years I've found network printing more pain than it's worth. USB solutions preferred. 

Any ideas what I can try?

Thanks in advance. 

[Garp_senchau]

@Petermarigold, Welcome to HP Support Community,

Thank you for posting your query; I’m here to help by guiding you through steps to resolve this issue

Check USB Ports and Connections

You mentioned that the cables are the same, but I’d still recommend checking the USB cable and port. Sometimes a simple cable or port issue can cause the connection to drop or not be detected properly. Try using a different USB port on the Chromebook, or test the cable with another device to ensure it’s not the problem.

Remove and Re-add the Printer on Chromebook

Go to Settings on the Chromebook.

Scroll down to Advanced and click Printers.

Find the HP LaserJet Pro MFP M28w in the list and click the trash bin to remove it.

Now, plug in the printer via USB again and see if it reappears automatically in the printer list when you go back to Printers in the settings. If it does, try printing again.

Check Chrome OS Printer Settings for USB

Sometimes Chrome OS can have a quirk with USB printers. Make sure that your Chromebook is properly detecting the USB printer by:

Going to Settings → Advanced → Printers.

If the printer isn’t automatically listed, you can click on Add Printer and manually add it.

If it still doesn’t show up after that, try toggling the Classic Printer Support option on or off (if visible).

Run HP Smart:

• Download and run the HP Smart. Follow the prompts to diagnose and fix common printing issues.
• Refer: Use Diagnose & Fix in HP Smart to repair common printing issues (Windows, macOS) | HP® Support

Update Printer Firmware (Update the firmware on an HP printer | HP® Support)

• Go to the HP Customer Support - Software and Driver Downloads page. Enter your printer model number and search for the latest firmware update. Follow the instructions to download and install the firmware update.

I hope this helps.

Please feel free to reply here if you have any questions or if you need further clarification on any of the steps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

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