11.5. Printer Troubleshooting If you're having a problem printing, the first diagnosis you must make is whether the problem is related to software or hardware . A software problem means the driver files have become damaged. A hardware problem means there's something wrong with the printer, the port, or the cable. Test the printer by sending it a generic text file from the command line. To perform such a test, locate a text file or create one in Notepad. Then choose Start  All Programs Accessories Command Prompt; send the file to the printer by typing copy filename.txt prn and then pressing Enter. (Of course, remember to type the file's actual name and three-letter extension instead of filename.txt .) If the file prints, the printing problem is software-related. If it doesn't work, the problem is hardware-related. For software problems, reinstall the printer driver. Open the Printers window, right-click the printer's icon, and then choose Delete from the shortcut menu. Then reinstall the printer as described at the beginning of this chapter. If the problem seems to be hardware-related, try these steps in sequence: -
 Check the lights or the LED panel readout on the printer. If you see anything besides the normal "Ready indicator, check the printer's manual to diagnose the problem. -
Turn the printer off and on to clear any memory problems. -
Check the printers manual to learn how to print a test page. -
Check the cable to make sure both ends are firmly and securely plugged into the correct ports. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION
Microsoft XPS = Adobe PDF | | What, exactly, is Microsoft XPS? I see an icon for it in my Print dialog box . Well, you know how Microsoft always comes up with its own version of anything popular? PalmPilot, iPod, Web browser, whatever? Its latest target is the PDF document, the brainchild of Adobe. A PDF document, of course, is a file that opens up on any kind of computerMac, Windows, Unix, anythinglooking exactly the way it did when it was created, complete with fonts, graphics, and other layout niceties. The recipient can't generally make changes to it, but can search it, copy text from it, print it, and so on. It's made life a lot easier for millions of people because it's easy, free, and automatic. And now Microsoft wants a piece o' dat. Its new Microsoft XPS document format is pretty much the same idea as PDF, only it's Microsoft's instead of Adobe's. To turn any Windows document into an XPS document, just choose File Print. In the Print dialog box, choose Microsoft XPS Document Writer as the "printer," and then click Print. Youre asked to name it and save it. The result, when double-clicked, opens up in Internet Explorer. (Yes, Internet Explorer is the new Acrobat Reader.) You might not even notice the two tiny toolbars that appear above and below the main browser window, but they offer the usual PDF-type options: save a copy, find a phrase, jump to a page, zoom in or out, switch to double-page view, and so on. Microsoft plans to release XPS readers for other versions of Windowsand, eventually, other kinds of computers. Even so, Microsoft has a long battle ahead if it hopes to make the XPS format as commonplace as Acrobat. But then again, long battles have never fazed it before. |
-
Test the cable. Use another cable, or take your cable to another computer/printer combination. Another way to check all of these conditions is to use the built-in Windows troubleshooter a wizard specifically designed to help you solve printing problems. To run, choose Start Help and Support. Type printing troubleshooting into the search box and press Enter. Click "Troubleshoot printer problems" to open that article. If none of these steps leads to an accurate diagnosis, you may have a problem with the port, which is more complicated. Or even worse , the problem may originate from your PC's motherboard (main circuit board), or the printer's. In that case, your computer (or printer) needs professional attention.  |
