Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.print_fax (More info?)
I have a 3-computer home workgroup that connects to the internet via a
Netgear router. I have a Lexmark X74-75 printer/scanner/copier that is
connect to one of those computers, and that computer is connected directly to
the router. The other two computers print to the Lexmark via sharing. This
setup has been working without issue for about 2 years, but in the past week,
everything seems to have gone to hell, including the ability to print. This
description may be a little long, but I have to be everything I am about to
relate is somehow connected. I will do my best to also advise what I have
installed, removed, etc., during that period.
First, to printing from the machine I am writing this on, a Dell D600
laptop. While I can see the printer over the network, and can even explore
the properties, when I try to print now, it comes back with an error message
dependent on what app I am trying to print from. Office apps tell me the
printer is not available. Notepad tells me there is an invalid handle.
Acrobat says some other error occurred, etc. I have uninstalled and
reinstalled the driver about 1000 times, and have done so by letting the
network printer install it (which it does just fine) and by installing via
the Lexmark CD that came with the printer. I have removed everything on my
system related to Lexmark (which is one helluva chore!), including (finally)
getting rid of the LexBce server that wasn't allowing me to use the print
spooler any more or install printers. I removed everything -- every printer
driver, every printer and faux printer (eFax, PDF writer, etc) using
Microsoft's KB as guidance. I then cleaned up the registry using a
combination of Ace Utilities, RegSeeker and RegScrubXP, and started all over.
I can add the printer using the Add Printer function fine, but still have the
same errors and cannot print.
There are other goings-on that might help resolve this for me and others,
all new. I installed Microsoft Antispyware Beta. For the past few years, I
have run Ad-Aware (free version), PestPatrol. In that past few months, I
replaced PestPatrol (which always worked fabulously for me) with Spybot, as
PP was getting long in tooth and I did not want to shell out to get an
updated version, and had been reading a lot of bad stuff about it. That
seemed to work fine as well. But since installed MAB, I have had other
weirdness going on with my system. I uninstalled Spybot to use it, but have
since uninstalled MAB and gone back to Spybot in case MAB had somehow
contributed to this printing problem.
Next, I decided to upgrade to Ad-Aware Plus. In my view, big mistake. I have
not only had performance issues since installing it (especially with
Ad-Watch). I recently wrote to Lavasoft after reading Microsoft's basic
indictment of the product when sending an error report after a Not Responding
problem, but have heard nothing back except to reinstall it.
There's more -- and this might be tell-tale, although I don't know what to
do about it. I was given a gift from Scansoft of Dragon Naturally Speaking 7
about a year ago (I am a global IT strategy director for a large engineering
services company) for trying out its PDF conversion program (which is quite
good, by the way), but had never installed it until a few weeks ago (note how
all this timing seems to point back to a few weeks ago). Thinking this might
be a part of the problems I've been having (and I have one more to relate
yet), I tried to uninstall it. IMPOSSIBLE, and I know what I'm doing. The
Add/Remove always asks for the CD to do the uninstall, and the CD never does
anything but reinstall -- there is no uninstall option! So finally, I did
what I hate to do -- simply trashed the folders and let the registry cleaners
go at it. (In my view, this is a very inefficient way of uninstalling
software.)
OK. You get the picture so far. Can no longer print to the network printer.
Couple other facts: I can print just fine from the local machine to the
printer. However, I cannot print from the OTHER computer I have either any
more, as I can't even get on the home network with it any more, and I've done
NOTHING to that machine -- no software adds, no utilities, no removals,
nothing. It just will no longer connect to the network unless I disable
security (128 WAP -- nothing dramatic). So THAT machine might be a whole
different issue -- but I knew someone would ask if I can print from it.
NOW, the OTHER problem I am having is with IE6 SP1, and this started during
this time as well. (Btw, while I get no error msg attempting to print frome
IE, it does not print, either.) Somewhere between the first and fifth attempt
to access an internet page each time I restart my machine now, the progress
bar will fill all the way up, then the system will just STOP DEAD for between
2.5 and 3 minutes (I am not sure the time is esp meaningful, as I suspect it
is a function of the processor being used), then finally release and all is
well. During that time, EVERYTHING stops. I can't click any icons in the
taskbar, cannot bring up Task Manager -- if I hadn't watched it come back to
life about 100 times now, I would swear it is just the old Windows lockup
problem and reboot. But it DOES come back to life, and is just fine when it
does. I cannot fathom what is causing this, but I have my suspicions about
all the antivirus, antispam, antispy stuff I've described -- along with the
Dragon stuff. Something is trying to do something (or maybe a lot of things
are trying to do something) and they just sort of lock horns for a while.
ANYHOW, can anyone help me? I have been spending hours per day (I am on
disability so have the time) trying to resolve this, and it is making me
crazy that I can't print. (I think I also have a network problem per the
above but don't think that is the problem here -- although I could be wrong).
I have set up the network again, I have reinstalled the router again, etc. I
can't think of anything I've not tried.
One last thing: I made what I now consider to be the HUGE mistake of
installing and using TweakUI for XP on both this laptop AND the machine that
houses the printer. Immediately after installation, I had problems on both
machines accessing the Windows Update stuff -- only to learn TweakUI had
installed Group Policy settings that were keeping the Update stuff from
working! Earlier, I wrote to this group asking if there was a way to return
all TweakUI settings to their original default upon install, and was told
there was not. I have a feeling this MIGHT be playing into this, but have no
clue how. I have explored every Group setting that I can think of that might
be stopping this to no avail, but by no means have I explored all of them.
DAMN those who put out utilities with no means of recovery when a problem
ensues immediately post-install!
Well, there it is. A lot of info from someone who "just" can't print over
the network any more. But I figured putting as much detail in now might help
those with a mind to try to help me, and save a bunch of postings. I am more
than willing to discuss things or try things suggested by anyone who will
stand on a hill in front of firing squads on all sides and swear they know
what they are talking about.
Please, one last thing: If you are having some other problem and this is
kind of like it but different, please don't use my post to tell about your
problems UNLESS THEY ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO WHAT I'VE WRITTEN HERE, but post
separately. Sorry to be selfish about it, but I need answers and suggestions
to this problem.
Thanks.
Bill F
I have a 3-computer home workgroup that connects to the internet via a
Netgear router. I have a Lexmark X74-75 printer/scanner/copier that is
connect to one of those computers, and that computer is connected directly to
the router. The other two computers print to the Lexmark via sharing. This
setup has been working without issue for about 2 years, but in the past week,
everything seems to have gone to hell, including the ability to print. This
description may be a little long, but I have to be everything I am about to
relate is somehow connected. I will do my best to also advise what I have
installed, removed, etc., during that period.
First, to printing from the machine I am writing this on, a Dell D600
laptop. While I can see the printer over the network, and can even explore
the properties, when I try to print now, it comes back with an error message
dependent on what app I am trying to print from. Office apps tell me the
printer is not available. Notepad tells me there is an invalid handle.
Acrobat says some other error occurred, etc. I have uninstalled and
reinstalled the driver about 1000 times, and have done so by letting the
network printer install it (which it does just fine) and by installing via
the Lexmark CD that came with the printer. I have removed everything on my
system related to Lexmark (which is one helluva chore!), including (finally)
getting rid of the LexBce server that wasn't allowing me to use the print
spooler any more or install printers. I removed everything -- every printer
driver, every printer and faux printer (eFax, PDF writer, etc) using
Microsoft's KB as guidance. I then cleaned up the registry using a
combination of Ace Utilities, RegSeeker and RegScrubXP, and started all over.
I can add the printer using the Add Printer function fine, but still have the
same errors and cannot print.
There are other goings-on that might help resolve this for me and others,
all new. I installed Microsoft Antispyware Beta. For the past few years, I
have run Ad-Aware (free version), PestPatrol. In that past few months, I
replaced PestPatrol (which always worked fabulously for me) with Spybot, as
PP was getting long in tooth and I did not want to shell out to get an
updated version, and had been reading a lot of bad stuff about it. That
seemed to work fine as well. But since installed MAB, I have had other
weirdness going on with my system. I uninstalled Spybot to use it, but have
since uninstalled MAB and gone back to Spybot in case MAB had somehow
contributed to this printing problem.
Next, I decided to upgrade to Ad-Aware Plus. In my view, big mistake. I have
not only had performance issues since installing it (especially with
Ad-Watch). I recently wrote to Lavasoft after reading Microsoft's basic
indictment of the product when sending an error report after a Not Responding
problem, but have heard nothing back except to reinstall it.
There's more -- and this might be tell-tale, although I don't know what to
do about it. I was given a gift from Scansoft of Dragon Naturally Speaking 7
about a year ago (I am a global IT strategy director for a large engineering
services company) for trying out its PDF conversion program (which is quite
good, by the way), but had never installed it until a few weeks ago (note how
all this timing seems to point back to a few weeks ago). Thinking this might
be a part of the problems I've been having (and I have one more to relate
yet), I tried to uninstall it. IMPOSSIBLE, and I know what I'm doing. The
Add/Remove always asks for the CD to do the uninstall, and the CD never does
anything but reinstall -- there is no uninstall option! So finally, I did
what I hate to do -- simply trashed the folders and let the registry cleaners
go at it. (In my view, this is a very inefficient way of uninstalling
software.)
OK. You get the picture so far. Can no longer print to the network printer.
Couple other facts: I can print just fine from the local machine to the
printer. However, I cannot print from the OTHER computer I have either any
more, as I can't even get on the home network with it any more, and I've done
NOTHING to that machine -- no software adds, no utilities, no removals,
nothing. It just will no longer connect to the network unless I disable
security (128 WAP -- nothing dramatic). So THAT machine might be a whole
different issue -- but I knew someone would ask if I can print from it.
NOW, the OTHER problem I am having is with IE6 SP1, and this started during
this time as well. (Btw, while I get no error msg attempting to print frome
IE, it does not print, either.) Somewhere between the first and fifth attempt
to access an internet page each time I restart my machine now, the progress
bar will fill all the way up, then the system will just STOP DEAD for between
2.5 and 3 minutes (I am not sure the time is esp meaningful, as I suspect it
is a function of the processor being used), then finally release and all is
well. During that time, EVERYTHING stops. I can't click any icons in the
taskbar, cannot bring up Task Manager -- if I hadn't watched it come back to
life about 100 times now, I would swear it is just the old Windows lockup
problem and reboot. But it DOES come back to life, and is just fine when it
does. I cannot fathom what is causing this, but I have my suspicions about
all the antivirus, antispam, antispy stuff I've described -- along with the
Dragon stuff. Something is trying to do something (or maybe a lot of things
are trying to do something) and they just sort of lock horns for a while.
ANYHOW, can anyone help me? I have been spending hours per day (I am on
disability so have the time) trying to resolve this, and it is making me
crazy that I can't print. (I think I also have a network problem per the
above but don't think that is the problem here -- although I could be wrong).
I have set up the network again, I have reinstalled the router again, etc. I
can't think of anything I've not tried.
One last thing: I made what I now consider to be the HUGE mistake of
installing and using TweakUI for XP on both this laptop AND the machine that
houses the printer. Immediately after installation, I had problems on both
machines accessing the Windows Update stuff -- only to learn TweakUI had
installed Group Policy settings that were keeping the Update stuff from
working! Earlier, I wrote to this group asking if there was a way to return
all TweakUI settings to their original default upon install, and was told
there was not. I have a feeling this MIGHT be playing into this, but have no
clue how. I have explored every Group setting that I can think of that might
be stopping this to no avail, but by no means have I explored all of them.
DAMN those who put out utilities with no means of recovery when a problem
ensues immediately post-install!
Well, there it is. A lot of info from someone who "just" can't print over
the network any more. But I figured putting as much detail in now might help
those with a mind to try to help me, and save a bunch of postings. I am more
than willing to discuss things or try things suggested by anyone who will
stand on a hill in front of firing squads on all sides and swear they know
what they are talking about.
Please, one last thing: If you are having some other problem and this is
kind of like it but different, please don't use my post to tell about your
problems UNLESS THEY ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO WHAT I'VE WRITTEN HERE, but post
separately. Sorry to be selfish about it, but I need answers and suggestions
to this problem.
Thanks.
Bill F
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