Can not print at all

I have a HP Pavilion dv5040 notebook PC running XP Media Center ED. 100 gb hard drive with only 44.69kb used. I am up to date on all upgrades. For 2 years it has printed anything that I needed, using a small HP 3420 color printer. Suddenly it gives a message that 'there is a system error and to restart Windows'. I have uninstalled the printer and reinstalled with the latest driver. It will print the test page of the printer but not a document or graphic from the computer programs. (I have tried different programs.) I don't know enough tech with Windows to try things without advice but do use Registry Mechnic, PC Registry and Cache Cleaner.
What can I do to solve this problem? Thank you in advance, Marie

 

Hi pprater1, Have you been into >Control Panel>Printers and other Hardware to see if the printer is checked as the default printer? If it is checked as default you may have to wait for someone more knowledgeable to read your Post. LOL Neil.

 

thanks

Thanks RetiredLearner, I have done that also. I may have just found it out...
after 2 solid months of fighting with this. Last night, after this post, I found an
option box that had a block on printing and scanning. It is when you go to Windows Security - Firewall - advanced - VOILA!

I use this laptop with my sewing program (downstairs) in the sewing room. As a result of finding this at 11:00pm I haven't tried it yet.

I will let you know if it worked. After talking to 4 or 5 PC techs, no one ever thought of this. (I am a MAC user and have only had PC for a couple of years)

TNX for your response,

 

Still can't print

Well, that was not the problem! I have gone thru all the trouble shooting that there is and now I think it has to be in the spooling or que (what ever) b ut the printer knows it is being talked to because it makes noise and when asked to, it does print a test sheet from the printer install but will not print anything from any program.
So, I figure it is not sending the document...something is missing.

I need HELP!

 

Hi Marie, I see from your posts that you've tried Troubleshoot without luck. From an earlier experience I had with a HP 695C printer which printed garbage and was condemned by an "expert/technician" as being beyond repair, I put the printer away and replaced it with another brand. I went to Cartridge World to get ink cartridges refilled and casually asked the shop owner what to do with this "faulty" HP printer. He asked what had gone wrong and when I told him he suggested I bring it to him and he would look at it and determine whether in fact it was u/s. This I did and he said he had a fair idea what was wrong. On the front panel of the printer there were two buttons, Start button and paper feed button. He said quite often HP printers got confused if the operator was too anxious and worked the jobs too quickly, so he showed me what to do to clear the printer memory. The printer was plugged in only to an AC outlet which was switched on. He then pushed both the buttons in simultaneously and held them in for a couple of seconds, then released them at once together. That was three years ago and the printer is still working perfectly! What he did was NOT in the operators manual or trouble shoot suggestions. It was something that obviously TRUE techo's knew about and did not want us (the users ) to know as it would take away their turnover. I cannot say whether this is possible with your printer as the models vary so much. It's all I can suggest for you to try and I hope someone with more expertise will read your post and help out. Apart from doing the usual uninstall/re-install of Device and drivers through Device Manager I'm not going to be much help. LOL Neil.

 

Check your event viewer (start>run>eventvwr.msc) and see if there's any errors in it related to this.

Also, check to see if the print spooler service (start>run>services.msc) is set to automatic and that it's started. If it says it's disabled and/or not started, set it to automatic, start the service and then try printing. If the print spooler service is in order, try turning off spooling (in the printer applet in the control panel) and then see if it will print.

 

Thanks to you both...

I thank you retiredlearner for the reply. I have already done the things that you suggest.
Mr./Ms. zander, I am praying that yor suggestion works.
The darn thing says, "...a system error has occurred. Restart Windows and try again..." which, of course won't work. I pray that I won't have to reinstall the system. I'll be in a heck of a fix as I don't know that much about the Windows system. I thought that the firewall was the problem. It's not it.
Thanks so very much and I will give it a try. If you don't mind, would you still bear with me? Will get back tomorrow.

 

Well...it Still Won't Print

I give up! I did every thing that you suggested...twice. Even held the printer button down as retiredlearner suggested...to no avail. It has to be in the system or something that is clicked and shouldn't be. I don't know!

 

OK, I did some searching and came up with this. The error message sounds like it may be the same. It worked for a couple people. Hopefully it's the answer for you too.

hp deskjet 3420- system error

 

will try

hey thanks, will try and get back...

 

no dice

did it and did it a couple of times just to be sure...turned the printer and computer on fresh...didn't work.

I have searched the web also but that site didn't come up.

Any help is gratefully appreciated. Thanks again.

Marie...

ppss...get a Mac <<<smile>>> never have this on a mac.
I am bisystemal! Email, pay bills and online things with the Mac because of security and do my embroidering to sewing machine on the PC. I am sitting with the Mac on my lap and the PC on my side...nuts, huh? but not real smart to say this on this forum...

 

go into your services
start > run >services.msc
ensure that the print spooler is turned on ( automatic or manual ) not disabled

 

Mare,

This reply is offered as an outside chance that your printer situation is similar to mine of a few years ago. Mine was not an HP but other conditions were the same. Follow Zander's advice looking for Print Spooler but continue to look in the name column for XxxBce Server where Xxx relates to your printer designation. If it is there it should be turned on to Automatic and started.

 

PRINTING again!

Thank you all so much for all the hints to try. I did every single one of them but to no avail. The thing that worked was as a result of Zander sending the link to
hpdeskjet 3420 - driver. It sends you to the DEP options but rather than turning off one driver (which didn't work) I took the option to turn it all off except that which is basic to Windows. (Sorry that my wording is not exact.) That did the trick.
I have struggled with this for 3 months. Thank you for all the help and specially thank you Zander!

Marie

 

You're welcome and thanks for letting us know what worked for you.