Stuck in animation loop for partial or semi-full reset process

[staplers]

My printer is an HP Officejet Pro 8600 Premium machine.  After probably 5 years, I have encountered the widely reported errors for "missing printhead" and "ink system failure".  After trying many, many less drastic remedies, I attempted a printer reset using the hidden menu selection (swipe the back arrow 4 to 5 times). I am not sure now if the process I initiated was a "partial" or "semi" reset, but nevertheless I am now stuck in a neverending loop because the printer cannot complete the selected process.  Please provide insructions to me how to cancel the reset process and regain control over my printer.  I do not care if these instructions return me to pre-reset conditions or just complete the reset process, i just need to have control over the printer.  I would actualy prefer pre-reset conditions (without having to replace selected preferences) since I believe I now have found information to fix the original problems without a reset, but I will be OK with either result.  Please advise.

[Betty0610]

@staplers

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

Let's try to reset the Printer here:

Turn the printer on, if it is not already on.

1. Wait until the printer is idle and silent before you continue.
2. With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer.
3. Unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.
4. Wait at least 60 seconds.
5. Plug the power cord back into the wall outlet.
6. NOTE: HP recommends connecting the printer power cord directly to the wall outlet.
7. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer.
8. Turn on the printer, if it does not automatically turn on.
9. Wait until the printer is idle and silent before you proceed.

Also, try connecting the Printer to a different wall outlet directly.

If the issue still persists, try performing a semi-full/partial reset again.

Let me know if this helps.

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the Accepted Solution and Kudos buttons, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

Thanks!

Have a great day!

[staplers]

I greatly appreciate you offering assistance.  I am close to having to by a new printer, just a couple of weeks after loading up on about $300 worth of ink for my 5 year old, basically problem-free HP 8600 printer.  It is/was a great printer, but I will have to eat the ink and move on if I cannot resolve my current problems.

Just to be clear, I am already stuck in a reset loop.  I cannot access any normal function of the printer – I cannot attempt to perform another reset because I cannot access the reset menu using the touchscreen.  I have no control over the printer.  I have tried to update my firmware hoping that this would eliminate the setup loop, but my firmware is current and I cannot reinstall it.  I don’t think I would be able to anyway since the printer is not in idle.

What I need is a procedure/instructions to cancel the current never ending reset process.  This reset process was accessed by swiping the "area" of the back arrow of the touchscreen four or five times to reveal the hidden support menu.  I am not certain at this moment if I started the partial or the semi-full reset, but I am positive I did not start the full reset.  My problem is that the HP reset process has failed and left me with no control.

This is my current situation:

1. When the printer is turned on, the process starts with an onscreen display that says “Setup.  To set up the printer and connect to the network, touch Continue.  To view the features available on the printer, touch View Demo.”

2. When I touch Continue, the screen displays an “Ink System Failure” that started all the issues to begin with: “Ink System Failure. There is a problem with the printer or ink system.  Turn printer off, then on.  If problem persists, contact HP”. 

3. This is one branch of the never ending process.  If I do as instructed, the printer boots back up into the Setup screen (1) and then into the Ink System Failure screen (2).  Never deviates or offers other options.

4. After following these instructions several times, with no change, instead I tap OK twice and the screen shows “Initializing setup….please wait for 20 seconds.”

5. The next screen is titled “Install Duplexer… Starting animation…”  and the animation starts with installing the duplexer, then moves on to removing and installing the print head and ink cartridges.

6. There are no statements that say one should perform these actions after each animation segment, but I did so anyway a few times out of an abundance of caution.  The animations appear to be simply guides, not part of the steps required by the Setup process.

7. Depending on where I am in the animation, when one segment finishes, the Back arrow is visible, the Replay button, and a Next button.  Sometimes just the Replay button.

8. The Back arrow takes me back to step 1.

9.The Replay button simply restarts the last animation.

10. The Next button starts the next animation.

11. After both animations have played, the Replay button is the only one available.  I have to power cycle the printer to get any other action out of it (i.e., return to step 1).

I would perform another reset if I could exit this one.  I am hoping that there are a set of keys and/or a sequence of selection that will cancel the current reset process.  Or a set of keys that would manually force the printer directly into one of the reset options.  One online discussion advised that touching the unlit wi-fi button and repeatedly touching the Forward arrow would cancel the current stuck reset process, for an HP 8500 I think.  That did not work for me, but it makes me optimistic that such a set of keys and actions might exist for my printer model Pro 8600 Premium.

If you know of such keys and actions, or if you know someone I can contact directly to get these keys, please advise.  My printer is long out of warranty so I have not contacted HP Support other than to access the online support website.

I have already performed several maintenance steps on the print head, but until I have regained control of the printer, I cannot determine if these efforts have been successful or even helped.

Thank you again for your suggestions.

Please advise if you have other recommendations.

%MCEPASTEBIN%

[Betty0610 · Accepted solution]

Let's try removing the ink cartridges and the Printhead: https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/hp-officejet-pro-8600-e-all-in-one-printer-series-n911/4322914/...

Let me know if this helps.

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the Accepted Solution and Kudos buttons, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

[staplers]

I have removed and reinstalled the print head and ink cartridges multiple times, often using the same presentation on the same link you provided, and at other times in sequence with the printers setup animation, hoping that there were sensors that might detect whether I had performed the activities or not. None of these activities produced any change.

Are you implying that the printer ink error is stopping the setup process from concluding? I wanted to finish or exit the setup process to see if maintenance I have already performed on the print head had improved the situation. My problems began when I got the “missing printhead” error, but those have gone away and now the only error messages are concerning printer ink problems.

I have already installed new HP ink cartridges in all positions, despite not being low on any of them. Some online discussions state that a problem in an individual ink cartridge could cause missing printhead and/or printer ink problems. Unless I installed a new defective HP ink cartridge, the cartridges are not part of the problem. I have also cleaned all accessible contacts with rubber erasers. This means I have dissembled the print head to access all electrical contacts. Some of them were slightly oxidized from several years of exposure to room air. None of my actions changed any response. Somewhere early in “troubleshooting” the print head message went away, but not the printer ink message.

If I knew for certain that replacing the printhead with a new $120 hp printhead would solve the problem, I might do this. But until I can get the machine out of the setup loop, I am not going to spend $120 only to find the setup loop problem still exists. The setup problem has to be resolved before I will invest any more money in this printer.

At this point I am not asking for assistance to resolve the printer ink error. Maybe later, but not now. I am asking for assistance now to exit the printer setup loop.

Please provide keys and sequences so that I can exit the printer setup loop.

Thanks

[Betty0610]

@staplers

There are no further sequences to add. I recommend you contact the HP Support Team as this could be a hardware issue.

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

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the Accepted Solution and Kudos buttons, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

[staplers]

O.K.  The HP software has failed and I am stuck with a printer that cannot be rescused from an endless setup loop.  Not happy that there are no official HP backdoor methods to break the loop, but I guess I will have to accept it.  I am now investigating newer HP printer models that have similar features to the one I have, but the specifications are confusing.  Different people apparently wrote different specs and sometimes used different nomenclature to describe the same functions. 

Is this the correct forum to ask questions about various printer specs?  If so I will submit another request with the specific printer models and features that are not clear to me. 

Thanks for your attempts to provide assistance with my old 8600 workhorse.

Please advise.

[Betty0610]

@staplers

If you need help selecting a Printer, I recommend you contact the HP Shopping Team: https://store.hp.com/us/en

Do get back to us in the future for further assistance.

Have a nice day!:)