UK Amazon Kindle Forum discussion
Agony Aunt
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installing printer
Is there more than one user account Jim? I think you need to be doing it as an admin. I've also heard that on Windows (that's what you're using?) that some antivirus or malware stuff can mess thing up.Good luck. Or you could throw hem both out the window. ;)
Then maybe try installing the software again.
Then maybe try installing the software again.
Messages about the directory service usually refer to machines on a corporate network.However it seems that lots of people have reported this issue online, and there doesn't seem to be a universal fix. Try this one though:
Right Click on Program (Word, Excel etc) Then click on Properties, Then choose Compatibility Tab, Then Check box "Run this program as an administrator", Then Click Apply.
I have had this. Some random thoughts ...Some printers are not recognised by some versions of windows. I had an elderly but otherwise perfectly serviceable laser printer that I couldn't get to work with windows 7 or 8. I googled it and found that lots of people had the same problem. If you google the name of your printer plus the flavour of operating system you might find that other people have been there before you.
In the end, I gave up on that printer and bought a new one. They are not that expensive (the ink cartridges are where the costs are) and it wasn't worth the time and effort trying to get it to work.
Apart from that, the usual remedy is switching everything off and switching it back on again. That sometimes wakes up a dormant printer. Swearing usually helps too.
Other thoughts - does your printer print its test page? Can you print from other software? Are the leads plugged in securely?
Have you updated the printer drivers?
Sometimes it's a matter of trying everything and eventually something decides to start working. Either that or we are back to swearing.
Looked at word and excel. Neither of that have a Compatibility tab :-(When I go onto properties I get 'general, summary, statistics, contents, and custom'
Nothing mentions administrator
There are no user accounts on this machine, there is just me.
The printer won't print anything that I ask it to from the computer, it's been switched on and off several times over the course of a couple of days. It claims the windows wizard has gone on line and found the appropriate software which it then claims it cannot find when I tell it to set up
Okay. let's see if we can delve a little deeper. What's the make and model of the printer? What operating system are you using?
I'm on Windows XP and the printer is a HP Deskjet F380The computer we got in December 2008
Have you tried going to the HP site and downloading the appropriate driver from there?
Yep their system only works on Windows 7 and later :-(
Oh and when I went to the page to download the driver direct it's 507.0 MB!Our internet connection isn't good enough to handle that size of file
It is an all in one printer so that probably explains the size of the file.You could see if XP has any generic drivers that would be compatible with it.
I seem to remember XP has something like a generic text driver that could print plain text on more or less any printer, if that is any use to you.
A quick google (HP deskjet F380 XP printer driver) found this:https://driverscollection.com/?H=Desk...
The large size of the driver seems to be because some of the versions of the driver include the photosmart software suite. If you don't want this, you can just load the driver itself.
I think the one that you need is either the third or the fifth in this list - just be careful not click on the ads!
Thanks both.I might have found a 'generic driver' which I'll investigate. However tomorrow is looking fraught as I'm helping with a funeral in the morning and helping with a concert by the local male voice choir in the evening (Not me singing I hasten to add)
Failing that I might try putting it on a somewhat newer computer I sort of acquired
If I were you, I'd just give Geoff control of your computer and let him sort it. It's not like the unemployed bum has anything better to do.
I'm temptedI'm also watching how Michael does with Windows 10, as it's inevitable that at some point I'll need to go for a new machine.
But given I have nothing with a touch screen and no mobile devices for it to work with I'll want something optimised for desktop use.
And it has to be capable of working when there's no internet connection
Send Geoff a message, Jim.You'll need to download ummmmm.... Thingy.
A programme that'll let Geoff access your computer. He'll tell you what to do.
Will probably take him five minutes to sort it out.
And no worries about him gaining access. He's got all sorts of security clearances. Don't think he's got a licence to kill, though.
Or perhaps he does...
He has a licence to duck.
Hi Jim,from what appears to happen, typically of HP, they delete the old drivers from the site when the operating system ceases to be supported by Microsoft.
I've tried various sites, including the ones recommended by Will and, although they list the printer and OS, they don't seem to let you download them. I just get the hamster wheel. Has anyone else tried in case it's me?
My IT guru is stumped?I'm shocked and appalled.
Geoff is wise. XP may be a lost cause which could prompt companies like HP to stop supporting it. The usual workaround is to go to third party driver suppliers, but that escalates the risk and the faff factor.I had to admit defeat with my old laser printer. It's annoying to have to throw away old kit when it should still work, but sometimes there is no choice.
Geoff (G. Robbins) (The noisy passionfruit) wrote: "Hi Jim,from what appears to happen, typically of HP, they delete the old drivers from the site when the operating system ceases to be supported by Microsoft.
I've tried various sites, including ..."
Thanks for that, at the very least I don't feel as much of a muppet as I did :-)
It looks like I'm due for a new machine anyway. This one is getting slow.So given I have no touch screen technology and no mobile/portable computers, and that whatever I have will need to be able to work when the internet is down, what operating system does anybody suggest?
Whatever Geoff says! He recommended my laptop to me three years ago - it's still doing the duty.
Mac or Linux. Whenever I have to use a windows machine I usually need treatment after.
My last three laptops were Geoff reccies. The one Simon reccied was a dud.We have Macs at work. They do my head in.
If you're looking for something that will just do the basics, a £500 Lenovo will do you fine.Me mam got a Lenovo Z50 recently for £450 from PC World and it's fine. Comes with Windows 8.1.
Others may have recommendations of other brands based on their own experiences.
Are you looking for a new printer, or a new computer, Jim?
I would suggest Lenovo as a brand. Good tough workhorses, but not much good for gaming, if that's your fancy.Do you want a desktop or laptop this time around, Jim?
Have a look at this for a laptop. Well appointed, will probably last you some years. It should also update to Windows 10. Being as it's the Z series they are built a little better as they are business machines.
http://www.ebuyer.com/708331-lenovo-z...
Normally I shun laptops because they just don't last and I hate the touch pads and much prefer a mouse.But if Lenovo are tough I'm tempted.
I never use my computer 'on the move', am happy to leave my email three hundred miles away and don't game on the computer so a desktop has worked fine up until now. My daughter and my late father in law both prefer laptops but they were regularly in for repair.
How does 4GM DDR3 Ram, 500GB HDD, DVD R/RW. 18.5" HD Monitor and windows 8.1 sound?
Lenovo E50 for just over £400
Gingerlily - Mistress Lantern wrote: "Are you looking for a new printer, or a new computer, Jim?"I'd go for the 'set' with printer AND computer because the other is coming to the end of useful life
Oh and which is best Windows 7 or 8?Given I don't do touch screens
Stick with 7 for the moment, and get the update to 10 once it is out for a few months.I have 8, and I had to wrestle it to get it to the point where I could use it.
I had Geoff fix my 8 to work like 7.Must remind Dave to not update the laptops when we get back.
I dislike touch pads, too Jim. Geoff suggested a wireless mouse/external keyboard combo that I bought.
Works great as I can put the laptop monitor at the right height and also have the keyboard properly sited. It's not a touch screen. Or if it is, I've never used it as such.
JimI use a laptop, but only on my terms. I hate using laptop keyboards and touchpads/ mouse nipples. So as Patti/ Geoff suggest, I use a wireless mouse and external keyboard. I've also added in a proper sized screen and a pair of stereo speakers.
This means that the laptop sits behind the screen driving everything but I only touch it when I switch the machine on. It is effectively a desktop PC now.
If the external keyboard breaks it is no hardship to get another. Much cheaper than replacing a laptop.
And as a writer, the three things that I interact with most - keyboard, screen and mouse - are of a decent quality and not compromised down to fit a laptop.
Besides, I am paranoid about bashing away on a laptop with my thick fingers, cos all of the juicy laptop innards are just a few millimetres under the keyboard. The best boy killed a laptop's hard disk by playing minecraft and bashing the keys too hard.
I'm a bit meh about Windows 7 or 8. I spend most of my time inside a handful of programs, mostly Word, onenote, outlook and Chrome. The operating system is not really an issue - all it needs to do is to get me into my programs and I don't mind learning a few new menus and stuff.
I've worn a hole about an inch long in the spacebar of this keyboard :-)(But from memory I think it's older than the rest of the computer, we had to buy a replacement to go with the last machine and kept it when we upgraded :-)
Ah, a trigger's broom?I think I'm in the middle of a bit of a rethink around IT. I used to believe in laptops - both as a portable device on the move and the same machine docked with an external keyboard, mouse, screen at home.
The problem with that is you are forever plugging and unplugging peripherals into the laptop. And all that moving can't be good for it. So I'm now tending more into a desktop PC/ ipad mini pairing, but still with the good quality external keyboard and mouse. When my current laptop needs replacing, I will probably go with a small footprint desktop, but keep the same screen and keyboard.
I see more people at meetings with ipads than laptops these days.
I used to be an advocate for desktops as it meant I could select all the parts myself and build it knowing that I was cheaping out on anything.However, my desktop packed it in a couple of years ago and I ended up buying a budget laptop to tide me over... and discovered that having a smaller, quieter device was far better than the noisy beasts I'd been making for the past 15 years.
I connect it up to a monitor, mouse, and keyboard though.
As an alternative to building it yourself, we've been very happy with a company called chillblast who will build a PC to your specification. They also have hundreds of different pre-selected specs to choose from, so you can choose between a small/ quiet business orientated machine or a hulking games machine. Well recommended.They are also not that much more expensive than building a PC for yourself because they can buy parts in bulk much more cheaply than we can.
http://www.chillblast.com/
We have a local firm which is a bit similar but not so big. I've used them before (for over 20 years). They've also started carrying LenovoHad my work now been what it was ten years ago I would probably be using the Desktop-tablet combination. I'm tempted by it but wouldn't get the use of the tablet to justify it.
At the moment the tablet would be used mainly for reading pdfs in more comfort than at a desktop
Get a cheap kindle for reading your PDFs.
Patti (baconater) wrote: "Get a cheap kindle for reading your PDFs."How well does Kindle do PDFs
A mate of mine wasn't impressed with the way his did them but I've no experience myself
Really well, Jim.You just need to remember to put the word 'convert' into the subject line of the email when you send it.
Plugging the kindle in to transfer the PDF doesn't work as well as emailing it, IMO.
That's useful to knowThanks for that Patti
Most welcome, darling.Font of useless knowledge, me.
What can one expect from one who used to live in Kendal
Will wrote: "As an alternative to building it yourself, we've been very happy with a company called chillblast who will build a PC to your specification. They also have hundreds of different pre-selected specs ..."I know several people who have bought systems from Chillblast They all rated them very highly.
It's another to keep an eye onBecause she absolutely needed it, I coupled old printer to computer and fled.
To come back two hours later to discover it had sort of worked not unreasonably.
Switching them off for a month and storing them on a shelf seems to help
But we're still going to have to go new
The computer now says it has a printer, when I press print on documents it happily does everything but print. The documents just sit in a document queue not printing (and yes it is switched on)
About the only thing I can find that is obviously wrong (other than it not printing) is that when on the print menu I click 'find printer' is that it comes up with an error message 'The directory service is currently unavailable'
Anybody got any idea what is going on? :-(