[MAXn3]

I have a HP 7550 photosmart printer & operate on a Win2000 laptop. Almost from the start, I have gotten an error message "unable to start driver for hphipm11.exe" every time I start this computer. I have now uninstalled the 7550 software & , with HP's help, have even removed the relevant registry lines. I still get the darn error message! HP suggested it might be some virus but I have run about 4 types of AV programs on it. No virus.

There is some other HP software on the machine. It runs a different (newer) printer & seems to be working fine

Anyone know what this is or how to fix it?

[rrlr420]

The error message may display every time the computer is started, or only occasionally. After closing the error message, the printer may or may not print and allow access to the card reader properly.
Solution
If the person logging onto the computer is using a restricted account ( limited user type), try logging on as a user with full administrative privileges (the first person to set up the computer, or any user name that is known to not have any restrictions added to their account).
Printing should be allowed for limited users but other features such as access to the toolbox may not be, depending on the printer model and driver version.
If the issue persists, there may be a security (antivirus or firewall) program on the computer that is interfering with the start up procedure. If a program like this is installed, try the following:
Find the feature in the security software that allows programs to be excluded from protection. Contact the software maker for assistance if the feature cannot be found.
The name of the HP program that is trying to start HPxIPMxx is "PML Driver". Make the choice to allow this program unrestricted access for all settings available.
Some security software may also have a separate feature that determines if the chosen program is allowed to start other programs. Choose to allow this as well. If any other HP programs are found on the list, also allow them unrestricted access. Some examples are (there may be some variation in the wording of these):
PML Driver
HP Device Object
HP Flight Recorder
HP Event Manager
After these changes are made, restart the computer to determine if the issue is resolved.
If the issue persists, the security software may be blocking all start-up programs of this type until the computer has finished starting. It is also possible that other programs or hardware devices are competing for computer resources during start-up, causing some items to fail. To determine if one of these is the cause, perform the steps below.
Right-click My Computer on the main screen, or in the Start menu, then click Manage.
Click the Plus (+) sign next to Services and Applications, if necessary, so that Services is visible.
Double-click Services, then double-click PML Driver (or some variation thereof) in the list on the right side of the window.
Change the Start Up Type entry to Disabled, then click Apply, and then OK.
Restart the computer. The error should not occur this time.
Repeat Steps 1-3, and then continue with step 7.
Change the Start Up Type to Manual, then click Apply.
Click the Start button just underneath Service Status (not the Start button on the main screen).
If the error does not occur now, then the cause of the issue may have been determined. To attempt a resolution, try the following items:
Try to confirm that the security software is the issue by disabling or uninstalling it, then restart the computer. If the security program is the cause, contact the security software maker to verify if there are any updates or information about this type of issue available.
Uninstall the printer and the security software, then reinstall both. If the issue persists, uninstall both items again, then reinstall them in a different order. Some security programs may require that specific files be found and manually deleted after the software is uninstalled, or an older version of the program used instead. Contact the software maker for details if a normal uninstall and reinstall does not help.
If the issue persists, uninstall programs no longer used and unplug other peripherals on the computer one at a time (cameras, scanners, other printers, cable modems, docking stations, etc...) to determine what device is conflicting with the printer. This procedure will likely resolve the issue even if the error still occurs after the test described in Step b, or if printing is not possible after the error occurs.
Workaround
If the resolutions above do not help, leave the PML driver service set to Disabled. Most if not all printing functions will work without it, and print quality and speed are not affected by this. However, other functions of the printer driver may be disabled. If a feature is noticed to be missing, the PML driver service can be manually started as described above. Remember to disable the PML driver service again before restarting the computer.