I had to restore my Sony Vista Laptop PCG-3D1M from its 3-DVD system backup a couple of weeks ago due to a complete crash, these crashes happen every couple of years. Now it won't detect a Dell USB 1100 laser printer which used to work before. It goes ding-dong when plugged in, but gets no further.. The printer still works fine with other various computers so it seems OK, and the Sony still works OK with a Canon USB color printer and peripherals like mice so its USB ports seem OK.

I also tried adding a 4-port powered USB hub in case it was a power problem, but that doesn't make it work either. So its a particular conflict between one printer and one computer. I have restored the complete system like this a couple of times previously and never had a problem with the printer. There are no USB fault indications in device manager.

Any ideas?

thanks

rusty

On Thu, 14 Jan 2016 03:56:09 -0800 (PST), therustyone
wrote:

I had to restore my Sony Vista Laptop PCG-3D1M from its 3-DVD system backup a couple of weeks ago due to a complete crash, these crashes happen every couple of years. Now it won't detect a Dell USB 1100 laser printer which used to work before. It goes ding-dong when plugged in, but gets no further. The printer still works fine with other various computers so it seems OK, and the Sony still works OK with a Canon USB color printer and peripherals like mice so its USB ports seem OK.

Sounds like it needs some more software. What do you see in the
printers section in Control Panel?

Try the auto-detect function he

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/Products/?IsTag=False&IsInvalidSelection=False

Or download the drivers directly: (You didn't say if your Vista was 32
or 64 bit. Check 'System' in Control Panel to find out.

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/product-support/product/dell-1100/drivers

I also tried adding a 4-port powered USB hub in case it was a power problem, but that doesn't make it work either.

No, that probably wouldn't help in this case.

So its a particular conflict between one printer and one computer.

Ok.

I have restored the complete system like this a couple of times previously and never had a problem with the printer.

Could it be the Windows update found the driver before you noticed
previously?

There are no USB fault indications in device manager.

That sounds encouraging.

Any ideas?

Just the above so far. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

On 14/01/16 11:56, therustyone wrote:
I had to restore my Sony Vista Laptop PCG-3D1M from its 3-DVD system
backup a couple of weeks ago due to a complete crash, these crashes
happen every couple of years. Now it won't detect a Dell USB 1100
laser printer which used to work before. It goes ding-dong when
plugged in, but gets no further. The printer still works fine with
other various computers so it seems OK, and the Sony still works OK
with a Canon USB color printer and peripherals like mice so its USB
ports seem OK.

I also tried adding a 4-port powered USB hub in case it was a power
problem, but that doesn't make it work either. So its a particular
conflict between one printer and one computer. I have restored the
complete system like this a couple of times previously and never had
a problem with the printer. There are no USB fault indications in
device manager.

Any ideas?


Mmm now if it were linux it would be easier to diagnose.

Do you need to reinstall printer drivers? If its going 'ding dong' then
its detecting the USB hardware, but that doesn't mean it has a device
driver that corresponds to it..



thanks

rusty



--
Future generations will wonder in bemused amazement that the early
twenty-first centurys developed world went into hysterical panic over a
globally average temperature increase of a few tenths of a degree, and,
on the basis of gross exaggerations of highly uncertain computer
projections combined into implausible chains of inference, proceeded to
contemplate a rollback of the industrial age.

Richard Lindzen

On 14/01/2016 11:56, therustyone wrote:
I had to restore my Sony Vista Laptop PCG-3D1M from its 3-DVD system backup a couple
of weeks ago due to a complete crash, these crashes happen every
couple of years.
Now it won't detect a Dell USB 1100 laser printer which used to work
before.

Not a great advert for either Sony laptops or Vista but then Vista
always was a dog (although nowhere near as bad as it was painted).

It goes ding-dong when plugged in, but gets no further. The printer still works
fine with other various computers so it seems OK, and the Sony still
works OK with
a Canon USB color printer and peripherals like mice so its USB ports
seem OK.

The most likely cause of this sort of behaviour is that the Dozy
registry has got itself in a tangle for this specific USB device. The
simplest fix is to uninstall the printer from the failing machine,
reboot the PC and then reinstall again from a clean slate.

You could go into the registry with a flint axe and hack the broken
misconfigured details but it is error prone and capable of bringing the
system to its knees if you make the slightest error. Vista was prone to
spontaneously corrupting its register leaving devices that would connect
OK and go bleep with drivers "installed" but not be usable.

My HP scanner used to fail with monotonous regularity on Vista after any
kind of wake up from sleep event.

I also tried adding a 4-port powered USB hub in case it was a power problem,
but that doesn't make it work either. So its a particular conflict
between
one printer and one computer. I have restored the complete system
like this
a couple of times previously and never had a problem with the printer.
There are no USB fault indications in device manager.

Any ideas?

Upgrade to a Win7 machines whilst you still can.
Avoid Win8.x at all costs. Win10 isn't too bad either.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 14/01/16 11:56, therustyone wrote:
I had to restore my Sony Vista Laptop PCG-3D1M from its 3-DVD system backup a couple of weeks ago due to a complete crash, these crashes happen every couple of years. Now it won't detect a Dell USB 1100 laser printer which used to work before. It goes ding-dong when plugged in, but gets no further. The printer still works fine with other various computers so it seems OK, and the Sony still works OK with a Canon USB color printer and peripherals like mice so its USB ports seem OK.

I also tried adding a 4-port powered USB hub in case it was a power problem, but that doesn't make it work either. So its a particular conflict between one printer and one computer. I have restored the complete system like this a couple of times previously and never had a problem with the printer. There are no USB fault indications in device manager.

Any ideas?


Remove the printer USB lead.

In control panel device manager there is a way to show hidden or
disconnected device drivers, which if you enable (see google) and then
select from the window menu "view devices by connection", you may get to
see a phantom (greyed out) of your printer's USB driver. Uninstall that
and then try installing your printer again.

The other thing is to check / change your USB cables are good quality.
Some of the very thin long types will behave as if the electrons have
climbed out of the lazy side of bed and bing-bong might be all that you
can get...

--
Adrian C