HP Deskjet 840c USB Problem Solution

Generic Problem:
Cannot print to printer from Dell laptop or desktop via the USB port.

Solution Overview:
All HP drivers and software need to be removed from the Device Manager and the Programs list. The printer needs to be unplugged from the computer. Windows needs to be restarted. At the desktop, the printer should be plugged back in. If the Add New Hardware Wizard does not come up, in the System Configuration utility, all Startup Group items need to be disabled, printer unplugged and the computer restarted. After full restart, printer should be plugged back in and the Add New Hardware Wizard should come up. The HP install CD should be in CD drive. After walking through the HP install and running a test print, go back to System configuration utility and re-enable all unchecked items in the Startup group.

Initial setup:
- Make sure the printer is plugged into the USB port unless otherwise noted.
- Make sure the HP Printer CD-ROM is in the CD drive unless otherwise noted.

Step by Step Instructions:
Removing HP drivers from Device Manager (may not be any)
1) Make sure the USB Printer is plugged into the computer.
2) Go to the Start button > Settings > Control Panels
3) Double click on the System control panel.
4) Click on the Device Manager tab.
5) At the bottom, if there is one, click on the (+) symbol next to USB Hewlett- Packard Deskjets device.
6) Select anything beneath this and choose Remove, then OK.
7) Close the System window.

Removing HP Software (may not be any)
1) Go to the Start button > Settings > Control Panels
2) Double click on the Add/Remove Programs icon.
3) If there are any programs in this list that begin with HP, select it and click the Add/Remove button.
4) After the software has been uninstalled, the computer will prompt you to restart the computer.

Removing Startup Items
1) Unplug the USB printer.
2) Go to the Start button > Run > type in "msconfig"
3) Click on the Startup tab.
4) Uncheck all items in this list.
5) Click Okay.
6) Choose to restart windows.
7) After the desktop of Windows appears fully, re-plug the USB printer.
8) The Add New Hardware Wizard should appear telling you that it has detected an 840c printer.
9) If the CD-Rom is in the CD drive, the computer should start the HP installation process. If, at any point in the installation, the computer asks for drivers, click the browse button and point the installer to the CD-Rom drive and into the win98usb folder.
10) After the installer has finished, run a test print page from a word processing program like WordPad.
11) Go to the Start button > Run > type in "msconfig"
12) Click on the Startup tab.
13) Check all unchecked items in this list and click Okay. The computer should restart.
14) Printer should now work.

Resources & Links:
http://support.hp.com/cds/showpage/cat_id/25781685/id/bpd08121.html {Body Area}