Re: [PCWorks] Should I re-install Windows XP?
- From: "Clint Hamilton-PCWorks Admin" <PCWorks@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <pcworks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 07:57:01 -0500
Yeah you want to try and fix problems first before
reinstalling. You'll lose some things after that.
I don't understand: "Sorry, but I didn't mark it down. I should
have." You can't check it now? Maybe you don't know
how......so, the quick way is just entering services.msc in the
Run command box. Go through that list for anything that has
"HP" or "Hewlett....." in its description. Then you can
experiment with starting & stopping them. Same with the Print
Spooler Service which is there in the list. They'll be shown
as "Started" next to them if they're running, or clicking any
of them will show the status at the left pane, and there you
can start/stop them as well. You can double-click them to get
into the properties to also start/stop them and change the
automatic/manual/disable status.
You can also look at the Task Manager (right click the Taskbar
to see it, or ctrl-alt-del) and under "Processes" see a list of
what's running. But most aren't familiar as I am with what
should be running. ;-) You should be able to look at them to
see if "hp" or similar is in their names. If you don't know,
just search the HD for the name, right click and look at the
Properties to see what they are. The Print Spooler is
"spoolsv.exe" in the list. Most have it running all the time
by default.
So looking at the rest of your emails, this looks like a
possible Service problem. If not that, I don't know, unless
for some rare strange reason those particular printers can't
co-exist. Which would not explain why the former one can't
work now or why the new one can't be uninstalled. (I assume
this is what is happening?) If this is the case, stop all of
the associated HP Services, then try to uninstall all the
drivers. Like I said before, you also may have to START the HP
Services to remove all the drivers, and the Spooler may have to
be stopped, or, running. Then try something like Driver
Cleaner. I say "like" because it won't remove HP drivers. But
I'm sure there's other driver cleaners out there that will
remove any driver. You can also try and search your HD for
files created during the time you installed the new printer,
and files modified. Look at each one to see if it's
proprietary to the OS, or if they are from HP. If from HP,
delete those. But only do that after you've tried to remove
the drivers and software.
Correct, ERUNT can't do anything for you NOW, but it can in the
FUTURE. ;-)
-Clint
God Bless
Clint Hamilton, Owner
http://www.OrpheusComputing.com
http://www.ComputersCustomBuilt.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Grossman"
Answers interspersed.
> Only you can answer that. ;-) It's whenever you get fed up
> with the problems. Each person will have their own limit.
Clint, I guess I'm pretty fed up, but I still want to get some
sage advice
from you and the others in the group :-)
> After answering/following Hugh's advice, there could be an XP
> Service involved. Lexmark, and some HP printers, add a new
> XP
> Service. That Service may have to be running, or, may have
> to
> be NOT running in order to install another printer. You
> don't
> say what kind of error you got when trying to install it, so
> you need to post that.
Sorry, but I didn't mark it down. I should have.
It could be that the Service for the
> previous printer was running and it may need to be stopped.
> Or
> like I said, it may need to be running to install a new
> printer. So try it both ways.
How do I find that service? How do I turn it off?
>
> Also check to see that the "Print Spooler" Service is
> running.
> It has to be running whenever a printer is installed, and
> sometimes has to be running if one is removed.
How do I find the print spooler service?
How do I know whether it has to be running now?
>
> If it's USB, make sure the USB port is enabled and active.
Yes, the USB port is OK.
>
> Otherwise you should have no problems. I've installed
> numerous
> printers on the same PC with no problems.
>
I've also installed numerous printers on the same PC with no
problems in the
past. I'm now using a computer that has 3 printers attached,
and I've never
had any problems.
> Regarding following the instructions fully, each printer can
> have a different way it's installed. Some CANNOT be
> connected
> when the drivers/software is installed, they have to be
> installed first. Then the PC shut down and then the printer
> connected. Some require that the printer be connected, but
> OFF, then turned on a specific time during the
> driver/software
> install. Still others require they be hooked up first, then
> the driver/software installation. So be sure it (they) are
> being installed as required.
I followed the instructions for installing this printer (it was
not
connected until the driver was installed).
>
> No, you DO NOT ever want to delete the registry. You
> probably
> couldn't do it anyway.
That's why my next question would have been - how do I delete
the registry
:-)
>
> While XP's Restore should have worked, I always preach here
> about how limited it is and how everyone should use ERUNT.
> http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/ . It
> would
> have worked for a Restore. It's far more powerful and useful
> over XP's own Restore.
What would Erunt offer me at this point?
David Grossman
> ----- Original Message -----
>
> From: "Hugh Vandervoort"
>
> Did you follow the install directions fully? Have you tried
> deleting
> both printers and starting over with the install?
> Does the new printer work at all?
> Turn off System Restore and reboot to delete all previous
> restore
> points, then turn System Restore back on. It's supposed to
> handle
> drivers, as far as I know.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Grossman"
>
> At what point do you stop fighting Windows and just
> re-install
> the system?
>
> I had a nice XP system on a Celeron computer with 256 MB
> memory. I installed
> a cheapo HP 2180 all-in-one scanner-printer, and it worked
> beautifully. I
> subsequently installed a cheapo HP5610 all-in-one
> fax-scanner-printer, and
> the installation failed, apparently because of conflicts with
> the 2180. I
> could not completely uninstall the 2180 printer from the
> computer, and I
> couldn't delete the 5610 driver. The 5610 and the 2180
> drivers
> were
> apparently inextricably intertwined. I tried System Restore,
> going back one
> date at a time, as far as it would go. It didn't help.
> (Doesn't
> System
> Restore also undo printer drivers?)
>
> Now I can't use System Restore any more for any date at all.
> It
> won't let me
> put back the system the way it was. My printer drivers are a
> mess. I'm
> frustrated.
>
> Why can't the 5610 people at HP talk to the 2180 people, who
> are probably
> located down the hall from each other? How could two HP
> products be
> incompatible with each other?
>
> Everything else on the computer, such as MS Office and Adobe
> Acrobat, seem
> to work OK. I do not have an Internet connection on that
> computer.
>
> I'm about to re-install Windows, but before I do that, I'd
> like
> to consult
> with you. Would CCleaner help, or would it do more damage? Is
> there anything
> else that might work?
>
> What would happen if I would delete the Registry? Would it
> re-create itself
> in a vanilla version the next time I start up the computer?
> Could it cause
> even more damage?
>
> Are there any other things I could try before re-installing
> Windows?
>
> David Grossman
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