BleepingComputer.com: Excel 2003, + Printing Problems

Okay, this is a wierd one. First, the stats:

Home made computer, Gigabyte Motherboard, 3 GHz P4, 512 MB DDR, Windows XP Pro, Office 2003 Pro, Printer is an HP DeskJet 820 Cse

Problem seems to be recent. May be tied to a specific file (or 1 of 2) in Excel. Computer has been scanned with Norton with up-to-date definitions - no problems found. Also, Adware Remover Gold, Spybot, and HijackThis - some problems found and cleaned.

The systems seems to print fine from Word at first.
Some older documents in Excel print fine. But, after creating a new Excel file, or opening a couple specific files, most things in Excel no longer print, including anything new. After that, anything new created in Word, WordPad, or get this - Notepad, will not print. Oddly, email from AOL still prints okay, and so it seems at least existing files from Word, and some (but not all) existing files in Excel. But - nothing newly created.

Now, as further description, it's not like the printer just doesn't work. It "acts" like it's printing - all the movement and sounds like it's printing. Even takes the same amount of time. Just, no ink lies down on the page.

I've already tried some troubleshooting. Uninstalled and reinstalled Excel, since that seems to be the constant. I know there are updates for Office that haven't been installed, and I will be taking care of that. But, I wanted to get this question posted first, as we are still on dial-up here - so the updates are likely to go all night into the morning.

If anyone has encountered something similar, or has any ideas, please let me know. If the problem seems to correct itself after the updates, I will post that here.

Thanks.

Cor

Have you tried re-installing you printer?

If your going to update your office with dialup it's about 75MB and will take all night.

I reckon there's no problem with Office or Windows. it might be something to do with your printer. You could try contacting you printer maker to see if they have any idea.

Yeah, thanks. The printer has been reinstalled. As far as print drivers are concerned, HP's website says to just use XP drivers... They don't provide drivers for XP from their website, nor that special HP Toolbox software if you say you have XP. I suppose I could say I have an older OS to see if I can download the Toolbox software.

Updates have all been done, as well, now, and the problem persists. Now have additional info. We have an old copy of WordPerfect that is still used occasionally to create labels. Well, at least newly created docs from it won't print out either - just like Excel.

I imagine contacting HP directly won't help much for a printer that is, several years old. I know we won't be paying $35 for a fifteen minute tech call. Might try email.

I also originally thought it was the printer. But, it is a basic printer, as far as memory and processing is concerned. It's all handled on the PC. So, since somethings print fine, and others - of the same file types and in the same apps, do not print - I still think it's something on the computer side of the printer-cable.

It's like the printer is getting the signal to print, to feed the paper properly and move the head back and forth for each line, letter, and word; but, it's not getting the signal to actually spray the ink. Or, it's thinking it's printing in white fonts (it's not, I've checked several times.)

Anyhow, thanks for the reply. I hope maybe the additionally info might help generate some other ideas.

Cor

Well i can only recomend getting a new printer. they start from $89 but depending on what you are wanting you may want one for a better quality print. Old printer can sometimes can't support new software and is why we need to update. i know people who still use Windows 95 because they don't want the new XP. but they have trouble with new programs that won't work. So if problem still happens. i'd get another printer. i got a Canon all in one (Print/Scan/Copy) $179 and get a very good text print. and even colour isn't too bad as long as you use the right paper - Canon paper for a Canon printer. But it's all up to you. Good Luck.

Quote

1. Since you mention that you can see the printer going throught the motions of printing, can we assume there is something to print in some of those Excel files? that it's not a blank worksheet.
2. Can we assume you can do print preview and see the contents of the worksheet?

Perhaps you can pin it down by comparing printout setting for old and new Excel file, as follows:
Main menu: File, Page setup, select Page tab, Options, Advanced - take a note of all the settings. Are there differences between the documents that print and those that don't? If so, some could point you into what to change, MAYBE

Going further, I'd look into the printer settings on the IE side. Perhaps something there broke your printer.

Actually, I hadn't thought of IE causing a problem. I'm sure it isn't page or print settings in Excel because - new things in Notepad, which is very basic, don't print either.

Yes, there are items (text) in the documents being printed.
Yes, we can see things fine in print preview.

As I said before, it's not just newly created documents, but also some older, existing files - that don't print out. Yet, some older files do. Also, AOL email seems to print fine. Makes me wonder about that.

Anyhow, one of the troubleshooting ideas is to try another computer. I had forgotten that they have a barely year-old laptop here. It use to print fine when connected to that printer in the past. It's been a few months since the laptop has been used. Also, no files shared between the laptop and the desktop in more than a few months. So, if it's an infection problem on the desktop, it shouldn't have been passed on to the laptop. Anyhow, I just hooked up the laptop to the printer and... Nothing newly created will print - not in Notepad, Word, Excel... So, I think it is the printer and not the computers or software. Funny that it will still print some things fine.

Anyhow, they just went out to buy a new printer. Maybe spent more than they needed to, since they could have gotten something 3x better than the old one, and smaller, for under $100... I'll see when it get's here.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Cor

Oh, just as an added note, I forgot.

Besides not verify in my postings earlier that I made sure that there is text to be printed in the docs, and print preview works fine (sorry.) This problem seemed to just start within the last couple weeks. One of the existing Excel documents that won't print was created last year, no modifications since October, and it was printed fine back then. So, without verify differences in page settings on the document, I can say that a document that printed fine in say October/November 2004, with no changes since then, does not print out now.

Just wanted to add that info incase anyone wanted to chew on the problem for curiousity's sake. I'm expecting the new printer to solve the problem. And if now, well, I guess I'll soon be posting something more.

Cor

I seem to have the same problem. What did you finally find as a solution?

Den