"Error - printing" from one PC but works fine from other devices

[brosenblatt]

I have spent over 4 hours with 3 different tech support reps who have been unable to solve this problem.

This printer worked fine for a few months since I bought it. Now I can't get it to print from my PC, even though it works fine from another PC, a Mac laptop, and an Android phone on the same network. It even scans fine to my PC, and I can view the web interface fine from my PC's web browser. But it won't print. I even suspected that it was the router and bought a new router, which didn't help. The phone reps had me do various flavors of uninstall / reinstall. All that did was get it to a state where it said "Driver is unavailable." I looked on this forum and got instructions on how to do a clean ("real") uninstall and got the printer reinstalled successfully. But now I'm back to where I started. If I print anything to it, e.g. the Windows test page, it just says "Error - printing" in the print queue and a message pops up in the lower right corner saying "Error printing on HP9D374A (HP OfficeJet Pro 9010 series)" and "The printer couldn't print Test Page". The diagnostic tool (Print and Fax Doctor) finds nothing. Factory reset of the printer does nothing. 

Any help would be most appreciated. I note that the phone reps refuse to go into internal details like Windows Registry. I am not afraid of this.

Many thanks!

[tonerspills]

Are you using the print drivers downloaded from the HP website? reinstall the printer and try letting the Windows 10 driver store update run- that installs the 6.4 or 6.7 UPD i think- it got too confusing to document because I'm seeing this issue over such a range of printer models.

This is most likely going to be a print driver issue on the particular PC (as you've already identified)- keep trying different versions of PCL or PS Universal driver. The Windows Update may take awhile, but I have several model printers that the HP drivers or full software posted on the HP support web page aren't working.

IE the Universal PCL 6.0., 6.4 or 7.0 version will not work but the 6.7 version will work. Next week when windows 10 updates, get ready to go through it all again- its so rando!

try to PS drivers as well- eventually you'll find one that works- frustrating, but stick with it

(make sure you getting a true TCP IP port and not a WSD port- also breaks itself every week)

[brosenblatt]

Thanks very much, but I don't understand some of this. I've tried installing this thing in various ways. From HP Smart, by downloading from the HP website, by going into Settings (Windows key then gear symbol) and choosing Add New Printer, by going into Control Panel and choosing Add a Printer from Devices and Printers. I have no idea if or how these various ways differ.

What does "try letting the Windows 10 driver store update run" mean? If you're talking about Windows Update, I have my PC set to auto update. How do I choose specific versions of the drivers? Also, what do you mean by "make sure you getting a true TCP IP port and not a WSD port"? What is WSD? 

Thanks,

- Bill. 

[tonerspills]

Someone probably has this documented with screen shots, you can probably google "add printer win 10 control panel" and find a decent guide.

Start by opening the control panel in windows 10. Type "control panel" in your search bar.

Then choose "View Devices and Printers" under hardware and sound. Click "Add a printer" Wiindows 10 should detect your printer for you. If it does not, you may have to manually add the printer.

At this point, Windows 10 should have installed a working print driver. If it does not work, you can change the driver by right clicking on the printer icon and selecting "Printer properties" You find the driver under the "Advanced" tab

This is what I'm talking about with the "Windows Update" The add printer wizard will download current working drivers, and you can change the printer driver type to the various HP drivers that download this way. It will take it a few minuets to complete.

Select "HP" on the left and scroll all the way to the bottom on the right and try the "HP Universal Printing PCL6" driver. 

WSD ports are a technicians worst nightmare. How are you connecting this printer to your PC? If you're using wireless or a wired network connection, that uses TCP/IP protocol and you printer will have an IP address (something like 192.168.1.69)

If you're connecting with a USB cable, then your PC is using a local USB port (USB001). Windows 10 can change your TCP/IP port to a WSD port. Sometimes they work, and sometime they do not. You may have to add a TCP/IP port back to the print driver. A WSD port is basically a failed attempt by Microsoft to have Windows 10 treat a network device like a plug and play device. It has been a problem that's been around for years and has always been broken.

[brosenblatt]

Thanks again! Making progress but not quite there yet. First I tried using the HP Universal Printing PCL6 driver. Nothing. Then I switched the port from WSD to a TCP/IP port with the correct IP address. It worked, but what came out of the printer was gibberish. I canceled the job, set the driver back to HP OfficeJet Pro 9010 Series PCL-3, and then tried another test page. Nothing. It had reset the port to the WSD port. I reset it to the TCP/IP port and it worked. But then reset to WSD port. I tried deleting the WSD port and it wouldn't let me. The error message says "Selected port cannot be deleted. The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect." Is this something I have to do with Admin privileges? Or how do I get rid of the WSD ports (there are two of them)?

- bill. 

[brosenblatt · Accepted solution]

Actually I managed to figure out how to solve this. I found a post on a Microsoft forum on how to delete printer ports by deleting registry keys. How to delete unwanted TCP/IP Printer Ports (microsoft.com). I adapted this technique to delete the two WSD ports, then I selected the TCP/IP port with the proper IP address. The driver then created a new WSD port but it worked. I tried printing various things and it all works fine now.

What I find unacceptable is that none of the HP tech support reps I talked to went anywhere near this level of troubleshooting. Including three supposed escalation reps. All they did was, at best, take me through various standard uninstall/reinstall scenarios, then they gave up and suggested I call my computer vendor or do a clean OS reinstall. I've gotten appropriate levels of tech support from Epson and Brother, but never from HP.

[tonerspills]

Glad you solved it- Good job! Tenacity, a most honorable attribute. Just remember the process, now that's it using the WSD port, you may have to repeat this process every update or 2. If you can establish a static TCP/P port- those are much more reliable.

It's frustrating, but I try not to get "too" upset with vendors. When you have dodgey OS's and the never ending struggle to keep them secure, it tough for folks to keep up.

[brosenblatt]

Thanks. But in setting up a static TCP/IP port don't you then also have to set the printer up with a static IP address in the router? Or risk it not working if/when the router decides to reassign the printer's IP address for some reason? It seems like a better solution would be to turn off WSD at the printer so that the driver doesn't set up a WSD port and sticks to TCP/IP. I couldn't find a way to do this, but maybe you know of one?