Troubleshooting HP LaserJet Printing Under Windows 3.1 (84036)

MORE INFORMATION

1. Verify that there is a SET TEMP statement in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Verify that the directory that SET TEMP references actually exists, and that at least 2 MB of free space exists on that drive. If you are using a temporary swap file, check this value from inside Windows to ensure that you have enough disk space after the temporary swap file has been created. You may need more disk space if you are using applications that create their own temporary files. Aldus PageMaker, for example, can create several megabytes of temporary files when it is working with large documents.
2. Make sure the correct printer driver is installed for your printer. To find the default printer, choose the Printers icon in Control Panel. To check the printer driver version number, choose the Setup button, choose the Options button, and then choose the About button. If you are using an HP III printer (HPPCL5A.DRV), the About box should say:

   version 31.x.xx for Windows 3.1

   If you are using an HP II or earlier printer, the About box should say:

   Universal Driver version 3.1
   HPPCL version 1.1

3. Make sure the Printer Time Out (seconds) value is set as follows:

          Option                 Setting
          ------                 -------
   
          Device not selected:   15
          Transmission retry:    45
   						

   These can be set by choosing the Printers icon in Control Panel. These settings may need to be increased to 30 and 120 or higher for printing complex graphics images from some applications such as Arts and Letters, or when printing over a network.
4. Check your printer settings in Control Panel. Choose the Setup button and make sure the graphics resolution is set to 300 dots per inch (dpi) for testing. You should see more fonts available in Windows applications when the resolution is set to 300. TrueType fonts may not show up at lower resolutions. Keep in mind that when Windows version 3.0 is upgraded to Windows version 3.1, printer driver settings are often reset to their defaults.
5. Check the available memory on the printer. Memory problems can occur when printing large files, such as Microsoft Excel for Windows charts, if the HP LaserJet has limited memory. In Excel, the chart may only partially print. Make sure that the memory setting you have selected in Control Panel matches the amount of RAM installed in your printer.
6. When the printer driver is properly configured, test the configuration by attempting to print a simple line of text from Windows Write. Progress to printing bigger documents with graphics pictures/images.
7. If you are having problems printing TrueType fonts, try selecting the Print TrueType As Graphics option. To change this setting, choose the Setup button, choose the Options button, and select the Print TrueType As Graphics check box.
8. Disable third-party printing software: If you are experiencing general protection (GP) faults or corrupt output while using Publisher's Power Pack, try disabling it.
9. If you are not getting any output, try disabling the Fast Printing Direct To Port option. To do this, run Control Panel, choose the Printers icon, choose the Connect button, and clear the Fast Printing Direct To Port check box. If you cannot print with Fast Printing Direct To Port disabled, try printing to the hard disk instead of the port. To do this, run Control Panel and choose the Printers icon. Choose the Connect button, and select FILE: as the port. You will be prompted for a filename. Type a name such as TEST.PRN. Exit to MS-DOS and copy the file to the port. The following syntax will copy a printer output file called TEST.PRN to the default parallel printer port, usually LPT1.

   copy test.prn prn

   If Windows prints correctly, the problem is in communication between Windows and the printer. If the printout is still incorrect or absent, the problem is the printer driver. It may be the wrong version, incorrectly configured, or corrupt or damaged.
10. Check the BIOS address for the port being used. If the BIOS is setting the incorrect value for the port address, Windows will not be able to print. For more information on this subject, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    cannot and print and port and address and BIOS

11. Determine if the LaserJet is physically connected to the computer's parallel or serial port. If it is not, try physically attaching the printer to the computer for testing purposes. Switch boxes or networks can be the source of the problem. For more information on this subject, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    switch and boxes and troubleshooting and printing and networks

12. If no output or poor output still occurs, check the cable (perhaps try another) and check the hardware documentation for proper configuration.

Other Considerations

The following is a list of less likely solutions; however, these may correct the problem if you are experiencing printing problems:

• Make sure you are using a supported operating system. If your hardware manufacturer has an OEM version of MS-DOS, your system may require that version of MS-DOS. For example, some COMPAQ machines may require COMPAQ MS-DOS instead of MS-DOS.
• Remove all terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) programs and device drivers that are not absolutely essential to the system's operation from the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files, then restart the computer. It is possible for some TSR programs to interfere with Windows communication with the hardware.
• If you experience printer problems after upgrading to Windows 3.1, open a document saved under Windows 3.0, open the application's Printer Setup dialog box and select a Windows 3.1 printer. Save, close, and reopen the document. The file should now print correctly. Some applications, such as Ami Pro and Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows, save printer-specific information in individual document files. You will need to perform this procedure for each document saved in this type of application.

If you cannot print from MS-DOS, contact your hardware manufacturer.