Color LaserJet Pro MFP-M281fdw shows 49 Service Error after firmware update from 20th October

[lpethick]

I received my used board today and promptly installed it using the video shared in an earlier post and linked below. Be careful when removing the left cover. Mine slipped and fell, damaging the pins on the fax board connector. It's not an issue for me as I don't fax, but you might. The board I bought was a year newer than my machine (1/2019 date stamp) and went in without any issues. Reassembled and reattached the power cord but not the ethernet cable. Booted up perfectly and confirmed genuine HP cartridges. It didn't like my very low black cartridge (I run them until the print quality deteriorates), so I installed a new one I had on hand.

Firmware was 20200612. Auto-update is off. I'll update the firmware to 20220414 as noted by @katherine73 in their post of 10-31-2022 @ 04:58. 

At this point, I attached the ethernet cable and added the printer/driver to my 2015 iMac without issue. The printer works fine again. 

I tried to update the serial number and had no problem building the PJL file, but was unable to successfully transfer it to the printer itself. I'm not well versed with this and received a notice indicating that I was "missing hostname and port". It wasn't hard to follow the other instructions to build the file. I'm just missing something when it comes to transferring it. 

A big thank you to Katherine73 for their posts and help with this solution!

Here is the board I purchased. https://www.ebay.com/itm/303940132900 There are 7 available at this time. 

Here is the blog post with the serial number updating procedure. https://jacobsalmela.com/2015/02/05/change-the-serial-number-on-hp-printers-using-printer-job-langua... 

Here is the video with a time reference to take you straight to the left side panel removal. Be sure to unplug all cables and remove the paper tray before doing this step. The video is in Portuguese, but you'll see enough for it to make sense. https://youtu.be/IVEc8LnM_sg?t=451 

[katherine73]

@Lpethick - Awesome news! Glad it worked out for you.

Regarding updating the serial number with the PJL file, try enabling FTP Printing from the web console (Networking->Configuration->Advanced->FTP Printing).

You can use any FTP client (I used the brew tools inet package) to transfer the file to the printer. There's no username or password (you don't write anything for either one when it prompts you.)

You just transfer (put filename.pjl command) the PJL file to the printer and it will automatically apply it.

[Jerrykur]

Do we need to update the serial number after we replace the board.  What is the downside of leaving as is?

[katherine73]

@Jerrykur - Nope. It's purely cosmetic since everyone's printer is out of warranty at this point. The serial number on the replacement board won't match the serial number on the back of the printer. Since it only took 5 minutes to update the printer (longer to write the PJL file than to perform the actual update), I went ahead and did it.

[Jerrykur]

Thanks.  Since it is easy I might do it.  Maybe the S/N will be useful when HP sends us those refund checks for the printers they killed.  Ha, ha.

[LM-IT-OPS]

Howdy All -

Like most of you, we have this issue as well.  Unlike many of you, I am unwilling to purchase a board of unknown provenance from eBay to put into a business system on a business network.  

I however paid for a support care pack on our impacted printer, spent several hours on the phone with support only to be disconnected when I asked for a supervisor.

It seems that HP does not monitor (or does not respond potentially more accurately) these forums and while Repairatrooper is being at trooper offering suggestions, we really need HP involvement.  While i don't know about the class action legal option someone proposed, given how difficult HP makes it to reach a human through their support website and their useless help bot, I've at least gotten human replies badgering them on Twitter DM's.  I suggest (request) you consider trying this route (regardless of your current feelings about twitter's new ownership), trying to complain there or at least get their marketing group's eyes on our plight and maybe with enough people highlighting the same model number and firmware update maybe this can make it to someone's desk.  I know, keep dreaming, but just a suggestion.

In my now e-mail communication with HP, I've asked them to consider replacing the board in my printer; but likely, i just won't buy HP in the future (or at least not for a while).

[Bballing00]

That is exactly what happened to me.  I thought it was bad ink form Staples ordered a replacement HP Genuine Ink and the new ink came to today. The printer told me it was non HP Genuine Ink . I tried doing a hard reset and now I am stuck in the the 49 Loop

[Bballing00]

Make it 15. Stuck in the 49 loop after doing a hard reset. 

[bowdude1]

I am in San Diego, California. My printer just went from working great yesterday to just looping with the 49 Service Error over and over. The printer just keeps restarting. Really hope HP figures out a solution to this. Will Costco accept the printer back in the states? I am sure I am past my warranty, but wondering if maybe the Costco card had an extended warranty we could take advantage of?

[arihelm]

I'm having the exact same issue. 😞  I had to replace the blank ink cartridge so I bought an HP ink cartridge from the same place I always get them, I put it in, and it said that the ink cartridge had a non-HP chip in it and to find more info on the hp site.  We did, followed all of the instructions, and now my printer doesn't work at all and is stuck in an endless loop of trying to reboot itself but getting error code 49. 😞

This is damaging my business as I need to be able to print.  Now, not only have I spent over £50 on an ink cartridge, I'm going to have to find money to get a new printer asap.

There is nothing even wrong with my printer apart from it ran out of ink.  I'm trying to speak to HP on Twitter as I am not paying for support when it's their firmware update that's totally busted my printer.