Getting a HP Photosmart Premium Printer working on Windows 98

[Izak86]

We have just bought a HP Photosmart Premium Printer. It works fine on our two Windows Vista PCs and on our iMac, however, it isn't supposed to be compatible with our old Windows 98 PC but I have sort of got it to partly work with it.

Both the printer and the Windows 98 PC are connected to our home network. I installed the 'HP Network Printer Install Wizard' on Windows 98 which found the printer. I then tried several different drivers including the 'HP Laserjet III' drivers which I read would work with most printers, but it doesn't on this one! I then, by chance, tried the 'HP Deskjet 850C' drivers which actually partly work the printer! It prints text no problem at all and in different colours too. The problems start when I want to print graphics. Even if I alter the different settings available in the Printer Preferences in Windows, all graphics print really dark (nearly totally black).

Is there any drivers that will work the printer and allow me to print both text and graphics on Windows 98?

 

[Zoron]

In a word: no. If there is no official support for Windows 98/ME on the box (as is the case with most new USB consumer printers), then you're likely out of luck. The text works because HP printers all basically speak the same language... but more advanced features require the driver specific to that printer. It's time to ditch 98 and get one XP machine to replace it... vendors just do not support unsupported operating systems... especially at the consumer level.

 

[Izak86]

In a word: no. If there is no official support for Windows 98/ME on the box (as is the case with most new USB consumer printers), then you're likely out of luck. The text works because HP printers all basically speak the same language... but more advanced features require the driver specific to that printer. It's time to ditch 98 and get one XP machine to replace it... vendors just do not support unsupported operating systems... especially at the consumer level.

Thanks for your reply. As I said in my previous message, we already have two Vista PCs and an iMac the printers works with (and we bought the printer to primarily use with these)

We still have the Windows 98 PC (and use it regularly) as we have some software that just won't run on XP, Vista, etc and it was just a curiosity really as to whether I could get it to work properly or not. There was nothing to loose if it didn't. I just felt like a challenge!!