Vista - HP 7410 problems on Vista

Can anyone tell me if they have gotten the HP 7410 "all-in-one" printer/scanner working properly with Vista?

I have (what is advertised to be) the HP7410 driver software updated for Vista, but have been unable to get it installed and working properly. It *appears* that a driver already installed in Vista is taking priority over the HP software, possibly even preventing it from loading properly. The Vista driver that is apparently contolling the 7410 provides only rudimentary operation.

Any help/advice that anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated.

In article <joewwaters.34a4b8@xxxxxx-mx.forums.net>, Joewwaters wrote:
This happens with USB connected devices so you have to install the
software before you plug the USB cable into the PC. Only plug it in when
the installation software tells you to or when you get to [Finish]

Before you try again make sure you remove any HP printer icons in
Control Panel / Printers (and scanners if you don't have a Home version
of VISTA) and uninstall any HP software relating to the printer that
appears in Control Panel / Remove Programs.

Then reboot with that cable unplugged and install the HP software. I
recommend downloading the latest from the HP website and using Runas
Administrator when you right mouse click on the downloaded file -- use
Downlaod only/Save, not Install now or Run.

Get the Critical update to prevent unexpected printer uninstall and the
diagnostic utility while you are there and install the Critical update
as soon as you have installed the downloaded HP Full Feature Software
and Drivers file.

Hope that helps.

huwyngr: thanks very much for your reply.

But I don't think what you mention is really the problem. My 7410 is connected via wireless LAN, not USB. The HP software (that I bought from them, advertised as being for Vista), finds the printer OK during installation and apparently completes installation OK (thourgh step 4/4 "configuring your product" - although I get *no* "successful installation" message).

But after installation, the "HP Solution Center" (which is supposed to interface with the proper driver) gives back message "No HP Devices have been dected" (even though the installation found the printer OK) and closes. My computer then can still use the printer, but only in the rudimentary fashion that is (apparently) the capability of the pre-installed driver. In fact, I can tell *no* difference in operation of the printer when I uninstall all of he HP software with their uninstall program (which I do before each attempt at installation).

(The HP 7410, which I bought about 3 years ago, operated fine, with full capability, under Windows XP on my old computer - and still works fine from my wife's XP computer that is also networked to the printer via our wireless LAN.)

Thanks, again, for your reply. I welcome any other suggestions that you might have.

did you download the HP update that addresses the issue you are
experiencing?

"Get the Critical update to prevent unexpected printer uninstall"

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/search/?adv=1

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

"joewwaters" <joewwaters.34dbl0@xxxxxx-mx.forums.net> wrote in message
news:joewwaters.34dbl0@xxxxxx-mx.forums.net...

Just shows how much it helps to have full information at the beginning!
<g>

Sorry but I've no experience of network connecting printers. Mine are
USB connected to my desktop. The LAN works between computers and the
laptop on it can use the printers via the desktop / Router although the
laptop needs to install the printer also to do this.

I don't know that Alan's suggestion will help since I don't think your
problem is the driver uninstalling but certainly try it. I'd make sure
that your software is the most uptodate on the HP Website (where you
should not have to pay to download; just to get a CD), downloaad it by
SAVE not RUN and install it again on your PC using Run as
Administrator.

HP has some software that will detect when the network is "down" and
uninstall the printer and the driver. HP also has the fix available.

Previously just disabling the HP service software would correct the issue
but now that HP has the fix, everyone who has this configuration should get
the update from HP.

The update? www.hp.com


Description

This update will correct an issue where your
networked printer software uninstalls itself without warning.











--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/search/?adv=1

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

"huwyngr" <Hugh_Wyn_Griffith@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:VA.000005cd.01cbd122@xxxxxx

Thanks for that explanation.

I knew about the fix and have referred people to it here but didn't
actually know what it was that triggered the problem and so needed
fixing!

Let's hope it deals with joe's problem

BTW I find this a more useful and rapid link to give people because it
takes you straight to the page where you input the name of the device
you have and then get to it's support pages.

http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/...isplay=drivers

Although it's Software and Drivers as I'm sure you know you can access
other information on troubleshooting, manuals and so on when you get to
the specific product pages.

Alan, thanks very much for your comment - and Hugh, thanks for your additional one.

Per Alan's suggestion: I didn't think that my problem was caused by not having all the latest Vista updates (since my computer is configured to automatically check and install updates), but to make sure, today I downloaded and installed all updates from MSFT that were detected as being needed. This had no effect on my problem.

To recap, I am trying to properly interface an HP 7410 "all-in-one" printer/scanner to my new Dell XPS M1330 with Vista Home Premium O/S. The HP 7410 worked fine with my previous (employer's, I am now retired) computer that used Windows XP. From the start the HP 7410 worked only in a very rudimentary fashion with Vista, and with only a small fraction of its complete capabilty (that I experience with previous computer using XP).

So I bought from HP (after downloads took too long) a CD with software drivers that were advertised to make the 7410 work "fully" with Vista. The "new" HP software *appears* to install correctly (although I get *no* message saying "successful installation - should I have expected this?), but there is no change in performance of the HP 7410 device. Although the installation program says it finds (and configures) the device, after installation is "finished", the HP program ("HP Solution Center") that is supposed to interface with the 7410 comes up with an error message "No HP Device has been detected" and closes - although I know by other checks that the 7410 on the network is visible to the computer. I've gone through this whole process more than 10 times now, with the same (inadequate) on each try.

I would have thought this was an HP problem, but after *many* sessions with their on-line help, we have not found a solution (and, I don't think have identified the real problem). After lack of success with HP, I tried Dell Support, and got no satisfaction there. Now I am searching around the web to see if anyone can help.

It seems to me that it may be possible that whatever driver for the HP 7410 is installed in Vista may be preventing the HP software from taking control, and perhaps from even loading properly. But this is just speculation, as I am no computer expert.

Alan, I have not yet tried Microsoft support, since I did not think this was a Vista problem. But now I'm beginning to wonder. Since you seem to be associated with MSFT, is there anyplace there that you might suggest I go. At this point I feel bounced around between HP and Dell and fear the same might happen if I go to MSFT.

Thanks for any additional suggestions that you (or anyone else!) might have.

At this point I would appreciate hearing from *anyone* who has gotten a 7410 (or any 7400 series) HP device working properly/fully with Vista - so that I know it is at least possible.

- Joe Waters

In article <joewwaters.34fxc3@xxxxxx-mx.forums.net>, Joewwaters wrote:
You're welcome.
Alan will comment I'm sure but the update he referred to is not one you
would get via Microsoft. Go to the HP webpage for the 7410 and download
the specific fix file which may not be on or incorporated into what you
purchased as a CD.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/s...n&cc=us&dlc=en
&product=391202&lang=en

Critical update to prevent unexpected printer uninstall

09-2007 1.0.0.0 - 838.8k

If you compare this with the entry for the CD you will see the difference
in dates. Anyway you will do no harm in trying to install it!

And I suggest you get the utility:

» HP Printing Diagnostic Utility

01-2008 1.1 - 625.67k

See what Alan has to add and good luck.

PS Can you seperate out Printer working OK and Scanner working OK? I
suspect you may find it easier to get the printer working than the scanner
.... So I'd concentrate on getting the printer working first.

Hugh, thanks again. I unloaded/installed the updates you pointed me to on the HP site. But these did not help.

In fact the "HP Printing Diagnostic Utility" that I downloaded, upon running, returned message that it could not find a printer on the network - even though I had just run (*apparently* successfully) the HP installation program -which indicated that it had found my device and "configured it". However, as mentione in an earlier posting, I never have gotten a "successful installation" message - so this *may* be indication of problem.

I also tried plugging the printer into the computer using USB port (instead of connecting via my wireless LAN, which is my usual means of connection). When I plug the printer in via USB, the computer detects the devices and says in installs software to drive it. But when I immeciately run the "HP Printing Diagnostic Utility" it can't find any device!

Some other symptoms in current situation (which has been like this since I bought computer in September 2007!): I routinely get (1) printer going off-line for no reason, and I haven't been able to get it back on-line except by doing reinstall, (2) "HP Network Devices has stopped working" and (3) "Host Process for Windows has stopped working". These happen about once a day on average. I hope some of them may now be fixed by the HP "Critical update to prevent unexpected printer uninstall" that Hugh pointed me to. But I doubt it because that update was dated 9-2007 and I bought the HP 7410 Vista-update driver CD from HP in 12-2007. (The reason I bought the CD is that I could never get the device working with the driver directly downloaded from the HP site - but after getting the CD it gave the problems/symptoms as the download.)

As mentioned earlier, I am able to communicate with the printer in a rudimentary fashion - but some crucial features do not work, mainly being able to print as "fast draft" and as "duplex" (double-sided pages) for which my printer is capable (and worked fine under Windows XP).

On my previous XP machine, I used a program called "HP Director" which communicated with the printer/scanner (and also had other features) - and worked just fine. The "HP Director", as I understand from HP, was replaced by "HP Solution Center" which gets loaded when I do the installation with the CD of new software. But "HP Solution Center", so far, has always returned the messsage "No HP Devices have been dectected" and closes. Again, this happens even though the installation program has just detected the HP 7410 Device on the network, and goes through its step 4/4 "Configuring Your Product" bit. (This says it gets through 100% of this step but, again as mentioned earlier, I get no "successful installation" message - so I am wondering if the installation really completed successfully).

So the symptoms point non-expert me into thinking that either (1) the generic driver for this device loaded on Vista is preventing the HP software from taking control of it or (2) somehow the installation of the new HP software is not competing properly.

Any further suggestions (from anyone) most welcome.

- Joe Waters