PC hardware forum: Win7 and obsolete printer

The other thing he COULD do if he is daring enough, dual boot with Linux I'm pretty sure it would work and of course since Linux furnishes Open Office, there's his word processor. Over the years I have run some pretty old hardware, specifically printers, via Linux. The only items I have run into glitches with have been a couple of scanners, as an experiment. I know it is a little far out but it is fun to give different things a shot just for the heck of it but seriously there is a pretty good chance that would work.

I have Linux installed in my Virtual Box (stellar system) and have used that to drive old gear.
Bob

That doesn't surprise me, I pretty much knew that you would have at least tried something along the Linux experimentation lines, another believer, good deal!!

Unfortunately, since my PC came with 64bit Home Premium version, I would have to spend $130 to buy the Professional (anytime upgrade) on the chance it allowed my $50 printer to work. Printing to PDF would work but is labour intensive: I'd have to send it as an e-mail attachment to my g-mail and retrieve it from a different location. I did try networking but Win7 prefers not to make nice with XP system computers.

The obvious answer is to buy a new printer - or change back to an XP operating system. But thanks for the input Bob. (I don't have Linux either.)

No issue for me. I backup my Windows 7 (Pro) data to a folder on my XP (Media Center) system, and I can copy data from my XP system to a folder on my Windows 7 system. I can even print from XP on the printer that's connected to the W7 machine.
Just a normal workgroup based home network. XP doesn't support homegroups.

Not clear why it doesn't work with you.

Kees

Win 7 does network with XP. There is nothing new or not nice about it. I do find that folk are getting a little spoiled today. A recent discussion is all about connecting 2 wires. It's something that would take a few minutes and yet, they are going on and on as if it's a big deal.

Maybe we are headed to dystopia after all.
Bob

I know this printer. It was a grand experiment in printers with no brains. All the processing and more was done over on the PC side. HP never issued any driver past XP.

Lots of workarounds.
Bob

We've eliminated XP Mode - I have Home Premium Win7 64bit.
We've eliminated PDF unless for very infrequent use - sending by email to another computer.
I don't own Linux op system, nor Virtual Box.
Upgrading to Professional version of Win7 exceeds the cost of a new printer.
HP doesn't produce a driver, and relies on computer to "find" a driver - which it can't online.
Win7 won't ask for the location of the driver, and the driver I have is suitable but for a Minolta Magicolor 2430DL, so it simply installs that printer--and there seems no way to link the actual printer to an installed non-existent one.
I've tried to "Set up a new network" (since the HomeGroup default won't accept XP computers), but all roads lead back to HomeGroup. Obviously I'm using a wireless router connected to my XPs to be communicating to you from my Win7 PC, so Win7 doesn't mind being on the network (but doesn't give me access to its printers).
To which of these "workarounds" were you referring? Or are there two wires that need connecting?
Thanks Bob.

You write "Win7 doesn't ask for the location of the driver". That's strange. If I go to Start>Devices and Printers>Add a printer, the Add Printer wizard after two dialog screens (local printer, lpt1) I get a screen with (bottom right) a 'Have disk' button to go the folder the driver is in (if it isn't in the list in the upper half). At 1:21 in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kfK656hfJQ the mouse pointer is on exactly that button. Can't miss, unless your Windows 7 is corrupted.

But you would need a Windows 7 driver for this printer, while Bob says it doesn't exist.

You don't own Linux, and you don't own Virtual Box. That's true. The various Linux versions are owned by their makers, and Virtual Box is owned by Oracle, if I remember right. But since it both are free downloads, it's possible to use them without any costs involved.

And it's really possible to set up a 'classic' network with workgroups and enable file and printer sharing between Windows 7 and Windows XP, without ever using a homegroup. That's not really different from an XP to XP network. In fact, I've never even used a wizard to do it. You just enable the sharing on the target computer and connect from the other computer to file share or install a networked printer on the target computer from the same Add Printer wizard as I mentioned above.

So it's your choice to either dive in the virtual OS or printer sharing options, or buy a new printer.

Kees

Hi Kees, If I use lpt1 (ignoring that it is a USB printer), it asks for the make/model (which excludes the HP LaserJet 1000) but does let me use the disk. Result: it re-installs a Konica Minolta Magicolor printer; and even if I rename that printer "HP LaserJet", it ignores my printer. I am told (dubiously) that the two use the same driver.
Re Free Downloads, the sight indicates the download is a free trial only. A license for both Linux and Virtual Box would be needed, unless I'm misreading it.
Re Enable Sharing - I've managed to create the Workgroup from the Win7 PC to the other XP PC, but it means having to go to another floor to retrieve anything I print there. In order to utilize both printers, I'd have to install the HP LJ in that room while the Win7 computer is in my room. Not ideal, but better than nothing.
Thanks again for the help.
Pete

It's quite unlikely that a Minolta driver would support an HP printer. I think you have been misinformed.

Virtualbox is free (GPL license): https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
Ubuntu is free: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop
But you would have to see if Ubuntu knows that printer, and if it's practical to print that way.

Kees

Yes, there's just no way to verify it. Got it from one of those other forums.
Oh, and the two wires was from Bob's earlier post on this thread...I can see how one can get waylaid by an inconsequential comment.
Cheers, fellas.

Sorry this has nothing to do with wires. If there is a lot of connections to make it's all neurons.

The titles Virtual Box and Linux are free to use and you don't own them. That may be bad English but as the person at the bridge said "I have 3 questions, choose your words carefully."
Bob