HP 8600 Pro Plus needs reset

[Necaster]

Help needed! Please!

Here’s my full story. Printer HP OfficeJet Pro 8600 Plus (911g). Yes, I know, this is an outdated exhibition piece of yesteryears and I can buy a new, glossy and fine smelling one for the price of 2 ink cartridges sets for 8600. I’ll do that if nothing helps😊

After finishing a set of non-original cartridges (accepted by the printer without reservation), I installed another set of third-party cartridges, sold by the local store nicely packed and labelled. The printer display presented infamous ‘There is a problem with the printer or ink system’ message.

Ok, I cleaned up the printhead, contacts, took out and reinserted all cartridges, printhead itself – nothing helped. I returned the previous set – the printer took it willingly, but 2 cartridges (magenta and yellow) were depleted, so I could not use the set. Replacing those two with fresh ones returned me to the error message.

Fine. The chips from the ‘good’ set went to a ‘new’ set. The printer accepted the set, but still displayed the message ‘Y & M depleted’.

I gave up the idea of using non-original cartridges and bought a set of genuine z20 HP set (4 pcs. In one box). Same old story: ‘There is a problem…’.

What I’ve tried:

1. Took out and reinserted cartridges, one by one and all together. Did the same with the printhead.
2. Somehow managed to reset (full reset) the printer. I was lucky to catch a moment when the printer reacted to (1000th ?) Home-Back-Home-Home combination. The printer accepted original cartridges, started aligning process and did not finish it stating that there is a printer problem.
3. Pulled out power cord while the printer was on and then inserted the cord back while holding the power button pressed (also without pressing the power button).
4. Tried all conceivable combinations of the buttons in order to reset the printer once again.
5. Took out the CMOS battery for about 10 minutes – the printer did not reset.
6. Cleaned the printhead thoroughly with a warm distilled water, syringe and a thin pipe. Dried every part with my wife’s fan.
7. Disassembled a printhead, cleaned all the contacts with a soft eraser and isopropyl.
8. Watched all YouTube vids related to the problem.
9. Read all imaginable sites related to the problem.
10. Prayed the God of HP.

Frankly, I just don’t want to give up. Kinda pride, you know. Besides, I’m positive that both the printer and the printhead are still working. And yes, I doublechecked that the cartridges I bought last are genuine original HP product.

Please, reveal me a secret how to become a Lord of HP 8600!

[Kumar0307 · Accepted solution]

@Necaster, Welcome to the HP Support Community!

HP does not recommend the use of non-HP ink cartridges. It may or may not work and can damage the printhead. To resolve an 'Ink System' error, refer to Resolving 'Ink System Failure', 'System Supply Problem' Errors.

The steps to resolve an issue with the ink cartridge can be found on HP Printer Does not Print and Error Indicates Faulty Ink Cartridge.

According to your post, you have already tried the necessary steps. I'm afraid this is a hardware failure. Please reach out to the HP Support in your region regarding the service options for your printer. 

If the printer is out of warranty, I suggest you upgrade the printer. You may visit Hp Store to check the available printers.

Keep me posted for any other assistance.

Please click “Accept as 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!

Have a great day! 

[Necaster]

Huge thanks for taking care of my case.

In fact, I’ve tried all the methods that are listed in this and some other forums (pls., see my first post).

What I’ve done recently is: I used a well-known (but officially absolutely forbidden) trick, i.e., shortened contacts that show ink level (those small springs behind the printhead circuit board) and using non-original cartridges forced the printer to enter the service menu. After another full reset, the printer accepted original cartridges (ink level contacts still shortened).

Alas, printer aligning unsuccessful (just small traces of the ink on the paper), no software head cleaning helps. When checking printhead nozzles under 20x magnification, I noticed some clogging here and there, most notably black and yellow. Cleaning with a cleaning fluid (2 syringes per color) did not help.

So, my conclusion is: non-original cartridges with a ‘wrong’ ink clogged the printhead completely and there are little (if any) chances that 10-12 hrs. soaking helps. Most probably, replacing the printhead at HP Service Center is the only viable outcome.

Will be glad if my bad experience helps to somebody.

Best regards!

[The_Fossette]

@Necaster,

Thank you for the update.

I recommend you contact support to check the available service options for your printer.

Here is how you can get in touch with support.

1)Click on this link – www.hp.com/contacthp/

2)Select the product type.

3)Enter the serial number of your device or select let HP detect your product option.

4)Select the country from the drop-down.

5)You should see the HP phone support number or Chat option listed.

Cheers!