Vista - Printer Problem

I have a ASUS M51Tseries laptop that when ANY printer is hooked up via a USB it will not print!!! Vista x86 (32 bit) SP1 (up to date)

Things I have done..
uninstall - reinstall (the 4 printers I have tried "HP, Lexmark, Cannon, HP" restarts in between uninstall and reinstall)

updated drivers for all printers...

updated USB drivers from Asus website...

tech support for lexmark and asus (no help)

install of a HP c8100 over a wireless network (works great)

vista updates current...

AVG disabled during install (just in case)

changed it from a virtual port to a standard LPT port (the printer then will error out)

Not really sure what I should make my next step into making this work... Any input to help support it will be great!!! Thanks!!!

What happens when you try to print, if anything? Error messages?

Do the same USB ports function for other purposes?

Assuming all is OK at the hardware layer, the most likely explanation - since it affects all printers - is a port monitor or some other add-on which came with one of the printer software packages. It has loaded itself into the spooler process and it's interfering with the printing.

Each printer has got plugged into a new USB after installing the software for each printer (or when it asks to plug the printer in) I will try to see what all is in the print spoller but I don't think that has been touched by any of the programs. Its really wierd because I can scan from the printer to the comp thru the USB but cant print... That just seems odd. No error messages acutally show up... It sends like 318k of hte test print page then just says it cant communicate witht he printer and thats it.