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06/10/2005 10:07:23 AM · #1 |
I received my new HP 1320 laser printer yesterday and last night I installed it on a machine running Windows 2000 (this same warning, however, applies to XP).
Part of HPs driver install, if you use the disc they supply with the printer, is something appropriately called HP Toolbox. After I installed and rebooted, this program simulated the effects of attaching a 80 lb toolbox to your PC and tossing it in the river. Seriously.
Once I rebooted, as needed, the PC became unresponsive to almost any action. Just switching to a different window could be a 5 minute task. It took me several hours to diagnose this, partly because the normal diagnostic methods, using task manager to see who was hogging the PC, killing tasks, could not be done in "real time". Anything you did on the PC, you had to walk away for a few minutes and then come back.
I would have just uninstalled the drivers completely immediately, but I did want to use the new printer. But for you, here's the skinny:
Without getting into details, the HP utility suite that's installed when you want to install a printer is at best a bloated hunk of garbage. At worst, it's a boat anchor for your PC. You don't need it. (I'd be happy to hear about anything useful I missed out on, but killing the usability of a PC in order to install a printer seems counterintuitive to me.)
So here's what you do when you get that new HP laser printer (and it may apply to other new HP printers.
Go to their website, and download the latest version of the printer driver only. They seem to be up there that way too. Besides the text, it's easy to tell: the "full printing solution" is 10 times the size of the driver itself. (That should be clue right there that you don't want it.)
Once I uninstalled the CD based "printing solution" and just installed the driver, I had everything I needed anyway. I can still network the printer, and access all the features, including duplex and booklet printing.
Just a friendly heads up! |
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06/10/2005 10:15:32 AM · #2 |
I have the same problem with my HP all in one officejet G55, and I'm using a dual processor G5 powermac.
all HP drivers fot the Mac are crap, I can print without the driver, but I have to install it to be able to use the scanner :(
it seems that HP drivers are only made to cause problems.. the printer is so slow that HP makes the computer just as slow so you get used to the printing speed :) |
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06/10/2005 10:39:20 AM · #3 |
| hey, i said to get a Brother. stop complaining! lol. |
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06/10/2005 12:09:58 PM · #4 |
I most recently had a problem installing a HP printer. My issue was that I had some missing system 32 files, but in the 12 hours that I was on the phone with HP I learned a few things...
1. You can only put so many HP components on your computer before the softwares start to clash and not work together. Something about shared files or something.
2. If you have HP components (printer, scanner, camera etc) Don't buy a HP computer. If you ever have issues with the components and have to do a full uninstall on any of them, it uninstalls major computer files as well.
So, I bought a new computer (gateway) with winxp and everything seems to work fine now.
*shrug* |
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06/10/2005 12:15:54 PM · #5 |
I scrapped mine HP5550 and I'm very happy about it.Canon 9900 rocks !
5550 printer driver was always giving me and my pc trouble :-( |
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06/10/2005 12:53:17 PM · #6 |
The problem isn't the HP driver itself; it's the tool bundle that is misleaadingly bundled as "part of a standard install" by their installer.
From what I have read, I surmised that the problem is that they have built some extra tools, which may or may not be useful (I won't ever know because I'll never install it again), as an "all-or-none" architecture, designed for an "all-or-one" printer/scanner/copier. My research indicates that the architecure includes a scanning layer, for example, and it installed something for scanning, even though I dont have an HP scanner. That would be wasteful enough, but I also discovered that hoardes of people have problems when installing this bundle. Shame on you HP for letting this go out as is and wasting your users time.
Message edited by author 2005-06-10 12:54:13. |
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06/10/2005 09:17:29 PM · #7 |
I have to say (and didn't want to start a new thread) that double sided printing, in booklet form, which is an option of the driver, IS WAY COOL!
I just printed a website tutorial in booklet form. It came out of the printer perfect, ready to be folded and stapled. It's quite nice. Like a professional booklet. Printing was quiet and very fast!!! |
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