Printer Error Caused by Network Card?

[bbtorino429]

Hello,

The Officejet 8040 has had really light use over the last 2 years.  I recently put my wireless router in the same room as the printer and decided to connect the printer directly to the router with an ethernet cable rather than wireless.  When I connected the ethernet cable the buttons on the printer started flashing and the screen says "There is a problem with the printer.  Turn the printer Off, then On."  I've done that many times with no success.  Disconnecting the ethernet cable was not the answer either.  I did a factory restore from the printer menu, about 5 times, and no success.  The only thing that seems to prevent the error is leaving the ethernet cable disconnected and turning off the wireless network. 

Now I have to plug in manually to print, and many of the devices I print with won't plug in - please help!!!

[MKazi]

@bbtorino429

Let me take a moment to thank you for posting on the HP Support Forums. 

I understand that you have an HP Officejet 8040 printer. I read that the printer buttons started to flash when you plugged in an ethernet cable and a message appeared stating "there is a problem with the printer.  Turn the printer Off, then On." You performed a factory reset and that did not help either. I appreciate the steps you have performed and have certainly done a good job.

To provide an accurate resolution, I need a few more details: 

• I read that "Disconnecting the ethernet cable was not the answer either.  I did a factory restore from the printer menu, about 5 times, and no success.  The only thing that seems to prevent the error is leaving the ethernet cable disconnected and turning off the wireless network. " Does this mean that the error message went away after disconnecting the ethernet cable but the buttons on the printer continue to flash?

Meanwhile, I recommend you to perform the following steps to isolate the issue and arrive at a fix: 

• Disconnect the power cable from the printer while the printer is still ON.
• Disconnect any other cables if connected the printer.
• Press and hold the printer’s power button for 15 seconds.
• The printer should be directly connected to the wall outlet and not to a surge protector. Reconnect the power cable to print and the printer should power ON by itself. If the printer doesn’t power ON then please manually power it ON.

If the printer continues to have the issue then I suggest you to perform a complete reset on the printer. This will completely reset the printer to its original settings. I have sent you a private message with the reset steps.

I sincerely hope this fixes the issue. Let me know how it goes. All the best! 🙂

[bbtorino429 · Accepted solution]

In two years I've had two of these 8040 printers that are junk. First one was stuck in manufacturing mode, luckily under warranty, this one goes into an alarm state the very first time I plug in an Ethernet cable and HP wants to charge $20 before even discussing further. I'm putting my $20 toward a printer made by someone else. Sorry to say but I used to be a loyal HP buyer but 2 laptop failures after light and gentle use, now I have an ASUS and it's excellent. When I upgraded my monitor I got an ASUS and it's excellent as well. I don't think ASUS makes printers, too bad...

[MKazi]

@bbtorino429

I have escalated your concern to HP’s Support Team in your region to have it reviewed for available options, if any.  You should be contacted within 4 business days (Excluding holidays & Weekends).  

Response times may vary by region. Please send a Private Message, if you aren’t contacted within 4-5 business days.

[bbtorino429]

Update.  I have been able to get the printer to occasionally connect wirelessly, but most of the time the wireless connection still causes an alarm state, so I have to print via USB.  Today, trying to print and out of nowhere I'm told I have an Ink Cartridge Problem and can't get printer out of this state.  I'm using the correct HP brand cartridges.  What else will go wrong with this thing?  Still budgeting for another manufacturer's printer...

[bbtorino429]

Just gets better and better with this thing, when I power cycle the printer it says there's an issue with the ink cartridges and says change them and press "OK", the OK button has literally disappeared.  See link: https://goo.gl/photos/tmjhv6PS4oFfrmmz7