Reorder installation to solve scanner and printer problem

Fix Your Computer, Hardware Issues

Question: I have a Pentium computer with 32 MB of RAM loaded with Windows 95. I’ve attached a Hewlett Packard ScanJet 5P scanner. Using an HP 722 printer, I successfully printed a small picture that I had scanned.

If I try scanning two or more pictures and print them, my computer freezes up and I have to reboot. I am able to print on my HP DeskJet 660C printer.
I have no problem with the 722 printer with any other print jobs. This problem occurs only when using the scanner. Do you have any suggestions? Because of the above problem, I have had to return the 722 printer. I’m very impressed with the quality it gives me and would like to repurchase it if I can get it to work with my scanner.

Answer: The general rule of thumb when it comes to attaching printers and scanners to a computer is that you should always install the printer before the scanner. In this case, the HP DeskJet 660C printer was installed before the HP ScanJet 5P scanner.

The HP DeskJet 722C printer was the third item to be attached to the system. That’s a no-no in the HP world and is probably a good rule of thumb to follow with any brand of printer and scanner. “This might explain why the DeskJet 660C printer worked well with the ScanJet 5P scanner and not the DeskJet 722C,” explained Linda Blakely, home imaging product manager for Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Ltd.

Here’s a fix, as provided by Hewlett Packard. Uninstall both printers and the scanner and start from scratch. To do this, go to Start > Programs > HP DeskJet printer and choose the HP DeskJet Uninstaller.

You can also run the set-up CD or floppy disk that came with the printer and choose the Uninstall option and follow the steps that appear on the screen. This should take less than five minutes, noted Blakely. The printers and scanner should be uninstalled physically, so unplug them from the power outlet and the computer. Your computer should now be free of any HP printer and scanner software and not connected to any of them. Now start the reinstall process.

Install the DeskJet 722C printer first. Load the software and then plug the printer into the power outlet and the PC. Print a test page to make sure the PC is communicating with the DeskJet 722C printer properly. Now, add the HP ScanJet 5P software and connect the scanner to the PC and power outlet.
“Once these steps have been completed, you should attempt scanning and printing multiple images – there shouldn’t be a problem,” said Blakely. According to HP’s technical support team, the most common difficulties with scanners seem to be related to communication with the PC.

Here are a couple of tips that HP came up with to ensure the scanner communicates with the PC:

  • Make sure that the scanner is plugged in.
  • Be sure that the scanner is connected with the appropriate cable to the PC.
  • Check that the SCSI (pronounced “scuzzy”) interface card is inserted properly. That’s a card that plugs into a slot inside a PC that the scanner attaches to from the outside.

Blakely notes: “Some people are leery about opening their PC to insert the interface card. HP ScanJet scanners come with easy-to-understand step-by-step directions that make inserting an interface card an easy task.”

Finally, HP has what they call “customer care service” that includes the HP service and support line at 1-905-206-HOME. It’s open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until midnight, and from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Pre-sales assistance is a free call at 1-800-387-3867. More information about Hewlett-Packard’s home products can be found on the Web at www.hp.com. You can also find technical support there.