In print queue the status is "error - printing" on HP OfficeJet

HP OfficeJet pro 6830, connected by Wifi on Windows 10 x64 version 2004

This is what I tried:

Removed the printer from Printers and devices, deleted the HP drivers from printer management, rebooted. Downloaded the HP software and ran it: OJ6830_Basicx64_74.exe The setup process went smooth, but I get the error in the thread title. I can send mobile faxes via HP Smart, I can print via Google Cloud Print, but I can't run a normal print job without error. I tried connecting the printer to the network by cable, and I got the same error. HP PrinterDoctor couldn't heal the patient.

The printer is corrrectly identified by Windows, I can ping it, and other systems can print from it. Just not this system.

I can see in the screenshots that something is going wrong with the HP printer driver. HP hasn't published a new printer driver in 2 years for this old, discontinued model; maybe that's part of the problem. I wonder if a newer printer would have better drivers?

1 Answer

You should try all of the following of which you have done some.

1. Reboot PC.
2. Reboot Printer.
3. Try to print config page directly from printer (rules out problems with the printer.)
4. If that works try print test page from windows.
5. Remove the printer from the PC and re add it by specifying the IP Addr of the printer.
6. Uninstall drivers from your PC and reinstall.
7. Restart the printspooler services in the services snap in.
8. For good measure run the windows troubleshooter on the printer. Inevitably it won't fix the issue though.

After those bases are covered if it still not working, you might want to see if you can ping the printer via its IP address from the command line and begin to troubleshoot connectivity issues.

A small tip that is probably not massively relevant here but I find if the box for "let windows manage my default printer" is ticked in settings, things can get funky from time to time.

EDIT- More steps:

1. Check the security tab in printer properties in devices and printers, and make sure that "EVERYONE" is there. Add if not.
2. Check the security tab in properties for your Temp folders which are C:\Users%Username%\AppData\Local\Temp and C:\Windows\Temp and make sure that "Everyone" is listed there too.

Another thing to quickly test is turning your antivirus off for a minute and seeing if that allows you to print and making appropriate exceptions in your AV if it does.

EDIT 2 (The fix): Older printers may not work unless added as legacy hardware. Before this is done you should uninstall any failed installations of the printer.

1. Open Device Manager
2. Click "Action" in the toolbar and select "Add legacy hardware"
3. Select the advanced/manual option from the two options on the next screen.
4. Select "Printers" from the list of hardware being installed.
5. Select an existing port corresponding to the static IP you have set on the printer.
6. Select "Have disk" for your printer driver, and browse to where you have a driver for your printer either on a disk or downloaded from the web**.
7. Select your printer on the next screen and then select "Replace the current driver".

**if you have downloaded the driver from the web you will need to use a compression tool to extract the files from the .exe to a folder prior to installing, as the installer will be looking for an autorun.inf file instead of a .exe.

A more detailed explanation of EDIT 2 can be found in this article.