Just a heads up for anyone thinking of buying a HP product:
I have 3 computers, an IBM desktop with Windows XP, a Toshiba laptop with XP, and a Fujitsu laptop with Vista Home Premium.
I bought an HP 2605 DN color laser printer, not cheap, to network with my computers, and paid a tech to set up the network. I bought it because I wanted a laser color printer, and because it will network and print double sided (that's what the "DN" stands for; double sided and networkable). The printer networks fine with all three computers, and they all network with each other fine.
Problem is with the installation CD, which works on my XP machines but won't install on my Vista laptop. All of my other new peripherals installed on the Vista laptop just fine, with no problems, and so do my other applications. The HP install CD only goes part way though the install, then I get error messages that tells me it can only install on an XP machine. FWIW, in installing it, I disabled all of my firewall, AV, and antispyware applications, and even tried to install it in "Safe Mode". Nothing helped. So I contact HP Customer Support by phone and tell them what's happening. After getting nowhere with them after almost 30 minutes, they tell me to use the online Customer Support" system. When I E-mail that support operation, and explain my problem, they tell me they have a new CD made for Vista that will be out in 2 weeks. I wait. When it arrives, I get the same error message. I E-mail them back again,and send them screen shots of the error messsages. They send me another of the same CD. It won't install either, and I get the same error message telling me it will only install on an XP machine.
I contact HP again, and they tell me they've done all they can, and that it must be my computer. They've washed their hands of it, and I'm screwed. Almost $400 for a printer that has no installation software that works for a Vista computer. Interestingly enough, they tell me that I'm the only one they've ever heard of that has this problem. I think I've heard that before from other companies that can't resolve a problem. It ranks alongside the old "They all do that" as an excuse for inability to address an issue competently.
I DID get drivers for the printer, and they work on the Vista machine, but I can't get HP's "Toolbox" like I have on my two XP machines.
This is my second bad experience with a HP peripheral. The first was with an expensive flat bed color scanner. I had similar problems installing their CD, and it only works using their drivers, while their "Toolbox" software doesn't install. This is on the IBM Windows XP desktop.
While HP has a good rep for their printers and scanners, I can tell you that if you buy one of their products and have trouble with installing or using it, you will get no meaningful help from their so-called "support" people. To make it worse, the woman in "Customer Support" was snotty about the whole thing. I think she must have been a DMV reject based on her lousy attitude.
Not asking for help, just warning everyone that may be in the market and may be considering HP for ANYTHING.
Caveat emptor.
Not Q45 related, but info if you are considering any HP products
HP hasnt been the same after the Crapaq merger. Oh, and thank you Carly Fiorina for that sh*theap.
We got a new monochrome HP laser printer at one of my mom's offices that routinely chewed up paper as it came out, because it caught on a hinge of some sort. To avoid the chewing, you had to use your finger to intercept the paper as it came out. Serious defect. I cant recall the model number.
My old 6MP is alive and kicking, though it had a paper feed design flaw that I had to correct myself with a repair kit. $20 and an hour later, I was back in business. For the average consumer however, who doesn't know how to fix printers, it was just a crappy product that they had to throw away. In fact, I got my 6MP for free with a full toner from some guy who hated it and wanted to throw it out.
Oh, and those HP PSC all-in-one printers? We've had two, and they like to pretend the ink cartridge isn't there. As scanners, they're barely mediocre. As copiers, again, they randomly act like the cartridge isn't there.
I ended up buying a Brother laser printer for work, despite the HP costing half as much.
"Innovating the HP way" is a bad idea.
We got a new monochrome HP laser printer at one of my mom's offices that routinely chewed up paper as it came out, because it caught on a hinge of some sort. To avoid the chewing, you had to use your finger to intercept the paper as it came out. Serious defect. I cant recall the model number.
My old 6MP is alive and kicking, though it had a paper feed design flaw that I had to correct myself with a repair kit. $20 and an hour later, I was back in business. For the average consumer however, who doesn't know how to fix printers, it was just a crappy product that they had to throw away. In fact, I got my 6MP for free with a full toner from some guy who hated it and wanted to throw it out.
Oh, and those HP PSC all-in-one printers? We've had two, and they like to pretend the ink cartridge isn't there. As scanners, they're barely mediocre. As copiers, again, they randomly act like the cartridge isn't there.
I ended up buying a Brother laser printer for work, despite the HP costing half as much.
"Innovating the HP way" is a bad idea.