HP Software wants P/C/S online

I have a HP psc 1210 3-in-1, and have no complaints about its price or performance. However, it has A LOT of software. It has seized all of my image files (even put a pretty HP logo in the background to comfort and reassure me that it knew what it was doing) I would like to use the other programs I have for my image files, but it won't accept a change in the default, which is always HP.

Unless I am using the device, it has no need to be a running process, but if I get it out of the startup folder, the computer doesn't load everything else correctly, at boot. The reason I think it does that is that it wants to go online. because all the HP programs try to phone home. I could find no way to stop it from within the software itself, so I have been using Norton to block its access. It's not using up much space, or resources, so I guess I'll learn to live with it, but it's the principle of the thing.

My mother bought an HP OEM, and I plugged it in and ran Spybot. It found 137 hits. What are they DOING with all this data? Why are we, the consumers, letting them?

If anyone knows how to "put my printer offline" until I want it, I would be very interested. TIA

Johanna

 

Download and install Startup CPL - Michael Lin's control panel application that will handle this problem and so much more.

http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml

 

Thanks, but I have it. And if I use it to disable all the hp stuff, the comp can't boot correctly. Same if I do it diagnostically through MSconfig. Now, if I unplug the printer cable, the comp will boot fine with the hp software disabled in the start up. I just want the printer to sit there, idle, until I call on it, not to run 5 processes all the time.

Johanna

 

Ouch, wonder what it's reporting to the mothership?

One thing that may get you round it. See if they have a driver installation program on their website. It may come without all the spyware.

Matt

 

Hi Johanna

Checked the HP page for your model(s), they all have the same "Full Solution driver" for download... 173 MB's... that's alot of driver software. Might want to take a look at there Software Cleanup Utility. Look on your install CD and see want you can find for drivers... Google hits suggest hpij printer driver (1.4.1)., hopefully it's there with some additional generic options. If you can find the driver(s), use the complete uninstall utility from HP and load the driver from your install CD. Hopefully you can tame the "HP call Home ".

 

Pete, you are right- my mom's comp is full of it- but no backweb on the printer software. Whew!

Johanna

 

Maybe you need to look a little beyond just the basic HP software and drivers. Check dependent services running with each of the HP elements you tried to disable. And, how about Iris, Omni Page or whatever OCR software came with the bundle - also, what are you showing for Twain drivers and settings? Dependencies?

Have yet to meet one that can't be disabled, but haven't met this PSC1210 before either. Good Luck ..........