Printing Errors or Lights & Stuck Print Jobs

Hi folks,

I'd like to talk about a very frustrating situation with our HP Envy 5540 printer.

This problem has been going on since 2018.

We have changed computers several times since.

We even addressed this here on the forum earlier, but to no avail.

We get the 'printer offline' error, followed by the 'printer out of paper' error.

Both of these are not true, because neither is the case.

It's just a terrible driver and it always stops working.

Every time there is a Windows update, the printer driver goes for a toss.

You launch a print job and before your very eyes, the print jobs get deleted.

I uninstall the drivers, then I run the following:

• Win + R and
• services.msc (Print Spooler restart)
• spool (delete print jobs)
• clean out temp files
• delete the HP folder in c:/programdata
• remove the driver in printui.exe /s
• Reboot
• Reinstall the driver (usually the basic one, but I've tried the other one too)
• (At this point, since there's no point running the printer, since everything remains the same regardless, it's best to run the Scan Doctor).
• After running Scan Doctor, the result is that it prints a test page, but then it's still deleting the print jobs.
• Repeat this same process again.

Each time I have to waste another hour or two sometimes.

By a stroke of luck, many times it actually works, so I'm okay for a few days - until it happens again. Then it's back to the drawing board again with the same process all over.

The same problem happens a few times a month, several times a week too at times.

I have probably had to redo this process at least 60-70 times a year.

As if I don't have other things to do, but hey! HP never ceases to disappoint. As soon as you breathe a sigh of relief once it's working again, it's back to square one.

Not sure why HP service is so pathetic that they cannot build proper drivers.

I've posted earlier, but HP support is useless.

I've been sent PMs, with big promises that it will get sorted out over a call with a company representative. But nothing!

If I contact HP UK, they want £40 to look at it.

Heck! The printer is not even worth that much.

The problem is that HP just makes poor quality software that goes with their products. I don't know why we persist with a piece of utter junk, but I guess we are suckers fo the Instaprint scheme.

I ought to take my wife's advice and chuck it in the bin and swear to stop buying HP products ever again.

Still, maybe I am a sucker for more punishment and I'm back here - hoping that some benevolent soul will take kindly to a kindred sufferer and take pity to put me out of this misery once and for all.

Thanks!