[cstallard]

Dell XPS T650r running Win98. Brand-new HP OfficeJet R60. Parallel port set to ECP as per HP's instructions. Followed R60 set-up exactly, using parallel cable supplied (hooray!) with R60. All connections firm. R60 prints cartridge alignment page fine. Parallel port works fine with prior printer. Win98 Device Mgr reports no parallel-port problem.

[LarryCore]

So, what happens? Do you get an error during installation or what?

Does this new printer have USB too or just parallel?

[cstallard]

During HP software installation, and at any time thereafter when I bring up the HP OfficeJet printer properties and click Print Test Page, I get an error dialog that reads as follows: "Product Error: Two-way communication with the product cannot be established. Click Troubleshoot for problem solving information". Clicking Troubleshoot yields only these suggestions:
"HP OfficeJet is not on. Check the power and cables.
The parallel cable is not connected properly. Verify that the parallel cable is securely connected."

Well, yes, the printer is ON. And, yes, the parallel cable IS connected, securely and properly.

The R60 does not come with a USB option.

[phobiussno]

You mentioned using the supplied cable which usually are not IEEE1284 cables and you have port set to ECP...That seems to be consistent with the error message...Until verifying or getting a new cable I would disable bi-directional support in your spool settings under the printer properties and see if this helps...BOL

[cstallard]

Thanks for the suggestion. HP literature that came with the R60 assures that the cable is IEEE 1284, and insists that the supplied cable be used.

When I bring up spool settings, the radio buttons for bidirectional printing are _greyed out_! (Therefore I cannot change this setting.)

[cstallard]

On a whim, I tried adding a new printer, letting Win98 configure it using its own pile of drivers rather than what's on the HP CD-ROM. And I _can_ successfully print a test page using this printer instance! Spool settings on this one also have the bi-directional buttons greyed out. The only diff I can see is that the spool data format is EMF instead of RAW. Does this make any sense?

[phobiussno]

If no longer receiving error messages then perhaps the win98 drivers are more up to date

EMF is another (metafile) format...I use RAW, but that is up to you I suppose (EMF is faster, but not necessarily more reliable--RAW is printer specific)BOL

[cstallard]

Well, that worked only _once_. Now every time I try to print a test page from the new printer instance, nothing happens except the LCD display on the printer keeps saying "Turn printer off then one again". I do that, but nothing transpires as a result.

[cstallard]

Doesn't work with format set to RAW, either.

Ack!! I go back to the HP-installed printer instance. Printer LCD says it wants to be turned off then on again. I do so. I set spool format to RAW. I test print. It works; but as soon as the test page has printed, an error dialog comes up saying "Product Error: The computer has lost communication with the product. Cancel printing, turn the product off, then back on. Try printing again."

Makes me wonder whether HP actually tests any of their stuff!

[phobiussno]

It is always possible that you got a bad IEEE1284 cable...Is there another you can try
so that proper bidirectional com. can be established...
You got port set properly and have already tried uninstall/reinstall of CD drivers and win98 drivers so I am running out of ideas so
far...

[cstallard]

Oh, here's a good one. If I click Troubleshoot on the Product Error dialog, I get this:

Two-way communication was interrupted during processing.

1 Check the power and cables.
2 Turn HP OfficeJet off.
3 Close all programs and restart Windows.
4 After Windows restarts, turn HP OfficeJet on.
5 Try processing your job again.
6 If the message continues to appear after you have completed these steps twice, contact HP.

Twice?? Is there some sort of black magic going on here? Why not eye of newt and toe of frog, for good measure? Bah! All I want to do is be able to PRINT (and scan, and copy; which functions I have not yet tried, oh woe).

[phobiussno]

No switches...
Port to ECP
Format tried both EMF and RAW
Removed/reinstalled both manufacturer/OS drivers
IEEE1284 cable used...

The only three things I can think of is to ensure that no other programs are trying to utilize drivers...Close everything (except explorer) in startup and then try test page.
If resolved then you will have to narrow it down...
Next try a new cable because it is not guaranteed that the supplied cable is good...
(This is not necessarily a bad reflection upon HP as all companies have bad items slip through or the product may have been marginal and still passed)
Finally (you got a bum printer--that would be a bad reflection upon a company or at least the distributor)
BOL

Doubtful but 4th option just thought of is that your port actually went bad so if you still have that old printer you might want to
eliminate that (extremely bad coincidence if this is the case)

[This message has been edited by phobiussno (edited 01-27-2000).]

[cstallard]

Can't try a diff parallel cable; HP's has a special connector on the printer end. Sigh...

I have been able to print a couple of things by powering off the printer, unplugging it, waiting, plugging it back in, powering on, then printing. But this works only once. Second thing I try to print, I get the "lost two-way communication" error message. And sometimes when it _does_ print I get a different message: "Power button was not used to power off product. If the product was printing when it was powere off, the life of the print cartridges may be reduced." This, of course, is a bare-faced lie. I did indeed power off the printer--that being the only way to approach the possibility of ever printing again.

[HowdyBubba]

Just a shot in the dark but...

Try reseating the print cartridges. This worked for me with a similar HP deskjet 720 problem.

[cstallard]

Well, um, I can reseat cartridges only when the printer is powered on, because otherwise they are inaccessible; and when I open the cartridge door, the LCD display orders me to close it! I cannot find info anywhere about _reseating or replacing_ cartridges; only about installing them when unpacking the machine and setting it up for the first time.

Is it OK to mess with the cartridges while the printer is on?