Error 0x6100004a - HP OfficeJet Pro 6978 All-In-One Printer Not Printing After Cartridge Replacement

[S_Jay]

Right after the new ink cartridge was installed, the printer would no longer print, and the following error messages started and continue to display:

• “Remove any jammed paper and make sure the paper tray is installed properly.”
• “NOTICE: The printer was not turned off properly. The avoid damaging the printer, always press the power button to turn it off.”
• “Printer Failure - There is a problem with the printer or print system. Turn the printer Off, then, On. If you continue to get this message, contact HP. 0x6100004a.”
• “Alignment Recommended - Load plain white paper in tray, then press OK to start alignment”

Put the old HP 902 XL Black ink cartridge back in, and the above error messages continue to display, plus an additional message: “One or more of the cartridges installed are genuine HP cartridges that have been used previously.”

Have read and watched many articles and videos about these error messages that are a result of replacing an HP ink cartridge with a new HP ink cartridge, and have tried each of the following troubleshooting procedures one or more times:

• Checked Ink Cartridges – ensured that ink cartridges are properly installed, that they are not empty, and then also removed the cartridges and restarted the printer to see if the errors persist without the cartridges. Note that since the new HP Ink caused the Hardware Failure, and caused the ink carriage to be stuck over to the right side of the printer; that to now check ink cartridges, the carriage has to be manually moved from its locked position to the center, by manually rotating the large white plastic gear on the inside left front of the printer, counter-clockwise, to release the carriage from its locked position, and to manually move it to the center.  
• Restarted/Reset the Printer – turned off the printer, unplugged from the power source, waited for a few minutes, did a 30 second long-press on the power button, to help completely drain the power, then plugged the printer in and turned it back on.
• Checked for Paper Jam – opened the Output Tray, removed the Paper Tray, removed the Paper Jam Clean Out, held the printer upside down and sideways at various angles, and found that nothing physically was causing a jam.
• Updated Printer Firmware: from Embedded Web Services, Tools, Printer Updates, Firmware Updates, found that: “The printer is up to date. No new updates are available at this time. Firmware Version            MCP2CN2436CR, Built Date 2024-09-06”
• Restored Factory Defaults – from Printer Settings, Printer Maintenance, Update the Printer, Restore Factory Defaults; this and all of the above procedures resulted in no change in error messages.

This more expensive HP printer was purchased August 2022, and has not ever jammed-up, or had any issues. It printed successfully up to just before installing a new HP 902 XL Black ink cartridge, and now the printer is inoperable. In my research and troubleshooting work over the past couple of days, I see that there are many others who have had this same exact problem. What is being done to rectify the issue of HP ink causing HP printers to fail? Thank you for any help on this matter.