In DESPERATE NEED of help with HP 8100

[Markil]

Greetings All, I surely hope someone can help me with this problem. Recently a friend gave me his old 8100, with a couple boxes of toner and paper. The printer will print a page, but I cant get my computer to hook up to it. Im running XP Version 5.1: service pack 3. I purchased a new cable (USB/Mini-Centronics). I cant add a printer on the computer because it needs a file, hpmopy.ini, and I dont think access to one. All posted helps elsewhere direct me to the HP Download center. No help there with that particular file. Plus, It asks which 8100 I have, or course I dont know that answer. I have no book, and have no idea how to find that info. The sticker on the printer from HP Support Pack just says HP LaserJet 8100 series. There may not be any difference in the drivers, but I would like to know which one I have. And if anyone has access complete setup instructions, that would be GREATLY appreciated. So, can anyone help me get this installed, or should I just trash it, give the toner away and keep the paper. I really would appreciate any help you could give me.



Thanks,

Markil

[cs_steve]

It's a good printer, no need to trash it... you should be able to get it to work.

Never tried that MicroCentronics to USB conversion cable ... maybe they work, maybe not ... when you plug in the USB, it should try to AutoRecognize the printer ... Windows will try to recognize the hardware, if it can't recognize it, it will ask you to point it to a driver file for the new device: assuming you've downloaded a LaserJet 8100 driver for XP from HP.com, then browse to that folder where you downloaded the file and select the .inf file from that folder ...

USB kinda messes things up here ... so hopefully that will work.

An even easier way is if you have a network card on that printer ... you can just plug an Ethernet cable from that printer to your router, give it a few minutes to pick up an IP address, print a configuration page from the printer's Information Menu, and then go to Add a Printer, choose Local Printer, choose Create TCP/IP port, type in the IP address, and then in the step that asks you for the driver point it to the .inf file you downloaded ...

[Markil]

Thanks for the reply. Ill give that a try when I return this evening. As far as the network card, I dont see a hook up for one. There are only 3 connections on the back of this thing, and none of them are for ethernet cards.

[Markil]

The only outlets on this printer are one for accessories, one called FIR and the other is a small parallel. After googling for it, I discovered that it is called the mini-centronics. So there is no other way to cable up other than the mini.

[redcow]

The left side, rear of the printer, you will see three(3) small panels. There will be two screws to each panel. The top one is EIO slot 3. The one below it is EIO slot 2, and the one below that is EIO slot 1.
Pick one of them, any one you want. Remove the two screws and the metal plate drops. The rectangle hole that you are left with is where a Jet Direct card slides in. That card contains a port for your network cable. By the by, that thingy with the three(3) small panels is called the formatter.

Your AC power cord plugs into the connector at the left/rear/bottom. If you turn the printer so that you can see the back/lower/right, you will see a tag with serial number and model number. It should be the same info found when you lift the top cover and remove the toner. There should be another info label in there.

You probably have a C4214A model.

[Markil]

Thanks for the reply. Im about to give up on this. I'm looking at the back panel now. I see all that you described. My problem is that the man that gave me this printer, also gave me the computer that Im using at this moment. And he said that the printer had been hooked up to this computer. There is no Jet Direct Card in the printer. How could he have hooked up without one? Ill buy the card if that will do it, but I wonder how he did it?? And to ask him is going nowhere, he didnt believe the printer had anything other than a regular parallel cable with it. Someone else had hooked it up for him a few years ago. So he's no help. Anyways, thanks for the reply. Ill look up the Jet card now.

[cs_steve]

The guy you got the printer from probably was using this printer with an older computer ... the older computers have a parallel plug, and so he was "half-right" ... he was connecting this printer to his computer with a cable that has a micro-centronics plug on one end, and a standard parallel cable on the other end. But the newer computers don't have parallel ports (I'm assuming yours doesn't), only USB ports, so you have to connect it either via USB or network...

If you've given up on trying to connect it via USB , you can at least connect it via the network, but like Redcow says you will need to add a JetDirect card to your printer...

Here's a JetDirect card that will fit your printer ...
http://printertechsdotcom.stores.yahoo.net/hpjej361.html

Here's a networking tutorial that will make some things more clear as far as connecting a printer via a network:
http://www.printertechs.com/tech/tutorials/networking/networking1.php

[Markil]

Many thanks cs_steve and redcow. Can you believe I have this same request posted on several other forums and you 2 are the only ones that have responded! Im gonna order the jet card today. Glad to hear its only $69. I can handle that. And thanks for the tutorial link as well. This should get me going. You guys are the best.

Sincerely,
Markil

[printerguy]

Get the right cable... it goes from the computer to the 8100. The cable end at the computer in standard parallel, but the connection at the 8100 printer end is an uncommon connector. (IEEE 1284-compliant bidirectional parallel cable).
Once you get to this point, go to HP.com/drivers and downloads and type in: laserjet 8100.
Follow along, pick "XP", and download the driver, noting where it will be "saved" to on your computer.
Then go to the file on your c drive and "run" it (unzip it), noting where it will unzip to.
Now go to "printers and faxes" in control panel, select "add printer", and when you reach the screen that has "have disk" as an option, choose have disk, and select your "C" drive/the unzipped file, and go from there.
It is a bit tricky and somewhat convoluted, but I have found this to be the best way...

I have never had success with "printer wizard/search for printer", and I have serviced almost 2,000 HP LaserJet printers in the last 20-some years!