Canon Printer & Windows XP

[SamSnell]

Hello,
This seems to be a fairly active board. I hope someone has some insight into this...

I've spent way too much time on this already, but its driving me crazy because I can't figure it out. I have a Canon Multipass C530, which I don't even like, but that I want to put in my restaurant kitchen so I can plug in my laptop if I need to print something out. I really don't want to buy something new for this. I don't want to be mad when a bucket of salsa gets dumped on it, and since I already hate the Canon...well, you get the idea. Anyway, my Laptop (Toshiba Satellite) runs on Windows XP (which I'm also not sure I like yet, but that's another story). There was no pre-installed driver for the Canon, so I went to Canon's web site and downloaded their supposed solution for the XP/C530 incompatibilty. I followed (or tried to) the instructions exactly, which were basically to run a setup.exe file, re-start, then run a setup2.exe file. The problem was, when I tried to run the 1st exe. file, I got an error message saying that the printer must be connected before set up could proceed. I tried again & again & again, and each time, I got the same message. I checked all the obvious stuff. Yes, the printer was plugged in. The cable was connected properly. The printer port was functioning. I even plugged the printer back in to my old computer to make sure it still worked. It did. But for some reason, the program on my laptop would not recognize that the printer was hooked up to the computer. What could possibly be the reason for this? Oh, and I tried to print from an MSDOS prompt, whatever that's supposed to prove. No success. Any thoughts?

I'd really appreciate any insight. Its going to bug me until either I get it figured out or I pour salsa on the printer myself!

Thanks,
SS

 

[BTS '76]

when you installed the printer, did plug and play pick up on it? If so, did it give any errors?

 

[SamSnell]

Well, when I first plugged it in the port, A "Found New Hardware" box came up. I cancelled out of that initially, because the directions from the Canon download didn't say to go through the wizard. After I got frustrated with trying to make the 1st exe. file from the Canon download work, I decided to go to Control Panel. With the printer plugged in, I went to "Add Printer" wizard and followed the instructions. I chose "Look for plug & play" and it said that it was unable to detect a plug & play printer. I then chose to "install manually". From here, I chose "LTP1" port, and then it prompted me to choose the appropriate driver for my model. My model was not listed. I guess this is what the non-functioning download was supposed to provide. I then closed out of the Add printer wizard and restarted my computer with the printer plugged in.

When the system booted up, a "Found New Hardware" wizard came up, and I decided to hang around with it for a while. It searched automatically, and appeared to detect a Canon Multipass C530, which it then warned me hadn't passed the XP logo testing. I said "continue anyway" (since the Canon instructions had said I should do this if I got such a warning) and it then said I was missing a PmGx310.DLL file. Okay, ARGH.

Back to the Canon download, which when extracted, lived in c:\temp. This is where I had browsed looking for that DLL file, by the way. I tried again to run setup.exe, and it again said my printer was not connected. So I figured, why not just run setup2.exe just to see what happens. When I did so, a new folder called "update" appeared in the temp folder, along with the missing DLL file (My printer model was also then listed as an available driver in the add printer wizard as well). Also appearing in "Control Panel, Veiw installed printers" was an icon for the multipass printer. When I opened Notepad to do a test print, though, nothing happened. No printout, no error message. Nada. So, I tried to run the first exe. file again, hoping maybe it would all work backwards, and it still told me my printer was not hooked up.

Sorry, that was long winded! But that's everything I tried (I think). So, I guess the answer is, no the plug & play didn't pick up on it. ???

SS

 

[BTS '76]

I don't like the 'warning hasn't passed xp logo testing' have you had anothr printer on this computer before this one? Try unplugging the printer, and then removing anything that has to do with the printer(programs,or installations) shut down.

Plug printer back in, let the wizard install if it can. I had a canon printer and I'm running xp, and It wasn't listed in the wizard, so I just picked the closest model name to it, and it worked. Also, make sure that there is a check mark on it, in the printer screen.

 

[SamSnell]

When I bought my laptop, I also got an HP printer, which works fine. It plugs into a USB port, though. It is for use at home, too, not at the restaurant.

I wasn't sure about the XP logo testing, either. But the instructions for the Canon download specifically said to "continue anyway" if I got that message.

I tried unplugging/uninstalling everything. I even restored the computer to an earlier time before any printer had been installed, including the new HP, and went through the wizard & all that DLL file stuff again, but still no printing. My friend has a multipass C5500 (I think that's the correct model name) and it looks almost exactly like mine, so I tried running the driver for that model. Still no luck. I'll try one of the other Cxxx models listed & see if it works.

If I were being paid by the hour to try to get this piece of junk to work, I'd have been able to buy 3 HP's by now! I just can't leave it alone. It bugs me that I can't figure it out.

This is probably a stupid question, but is it possible that the Canon software is looking to a USB port to find the printer instead of the parallel port? It doesn't make any sense to me why this would be the case, but is it possible? If so, I wonder if I can re-direct it somehow? The Canon setup doesn't offer me the option of choosing the port. It just tells me I haven't hooked up and I can either "try again" or "cancel installation".

SS

 

[BTS '76]

No, it would only look for usb if it was plugged into that port. Try cleaning the connections to the computer and printer. I use a coffe filter because it's link free and you can work it around the connectors. And then shut down, plug printer back in and reboot.

If that don't work, I would be out of ideas. You can probably get a new printer for about 50 bucks or even a used one off e-bay or something. Good luck. Also check device manager for any (!)next to a device. Check it with the printer installed and without it.

 

[SamSnell]

I decided to run the original disk that came with the printer, and got the same message. "We cannot communicate with your printer." This is the software that came with it!!

Do they make (readily available) an adapter to plug a printer cable into a USB port? Is it possible there is something wrong with the parallel even tho I ran a test & it said it was fine? I don't see how that could be, though, since when I run Hardware wizard, it seems to know its a Canon C530.

Tried the coffee filter thing. That's a good tip. Thanks. The printer cable was a little dirty, but still, no tengo printo.

 

[BTS '76]

Not sure if they make one from parrallel to usb, I know the have ps/2 to usb, so I'm sure there's something for parrallel. You could buy a parallel card for a pci slot or usb. click here