Is Linux THIS Retarded?

[*John*]

Last night I was printing out some envelopes to send my CV off to a dozen or more companies. I was using Windows Vista, Office 2007 and a hp psc 1355 printer/scanner/copier.

After about two successful prints, the third envelope jams in the printer. I cancel the print, and remove the blockage. I go to print again, but Vista has recognised the paper jam, and is now refusing to send any communication to the printer at all. The jam is clear ffs, I FIXED IT!!! Alas, there is NO options to tell Vista that the jam has been cleared. The only solution seems to be......restart my computer? Surely not, this is 2007, and i'm not using Windows 95 ffs!!!

I do some research, and there is indeed NO options to tell Vista that the jam is clear. It won't detect that the printer is in good working order either. At this point I was annoyed, I had lots of windows open, a few tabs in firefox (that's where I was C+P'ing the addresses from) and a few bits and bobs running that I needed. So I had to shut them all down, and restart the computer.

When the computer starts, success, it detects that the printer is normal again! So I reopen the windows and tabs etc... and carry on my printing. 5 envelopes later, the printer jams again. Simple, I clear the blockage and what the hell... Vista recognises the paper jam again, and again refuses to do sweet FA until I restart. AGAIN.

This happened every 5/6 envelope prints for the duration of my printing. I was crawling up the wall with rage. I wanted to take a baseball bat to my printer and computer tower.

So my question is, does this happen in Linux? I've been tinkering with Linux Live CD's for years, and have been actively following it's development over the years too. I think it's time for me to start dual booting and taking it from there (Y)

So, does Linux do this? Or is Linux able to print after you've cleared a paper jam without requiring a restart. I hope it does, because i'm just about ready to torch all things windows, and there MUST be another way to stress free computing. Or at least computing that isn't so retarded :(

Any help, opinions or similar experiences appreciated (Y)

[kinetix63 Veteran]

I think you'll find that you need to do something on the hardware to clear the jam as being registered.

I don't know how it works with HP inkjets, but we use several of their laser printers in our office. In order to clear the paper jam you either have to:

1) Open and close the top cover

2) Press the "Go" button

3) Press the Online/Offline button.

According to the user manual for the printer you just press the "Resume" button on yours to continue (the power button, just push it once)

[DreadBoat89]

i'm pretty sure its your printer that tells vista whether its jammed or not... you are getting mad over something that is beyond microsoft's control.

i was in the same situation a few weeks back... but my hp told me to clear the jam then press the ok button on the printer...

[neufuse Veteran]

Yes Linux would be that retarded, considering windows is only doing what the hardware is saying... until you tell the hardware its fixed, the OS wont have a clue

[Hankyone]

Lots of printers have a Go/green/action button to make the printer resume the printing if it stopped for any reasons (paper jam, no paper, etc)

[*John*]

I tried all that, and visited the HP website for troubleshooting information. The printer was fixed and good to go, the printer display registered as much, but once Vista registered a paper jam, it was stuck with it regardless as to whether the printer was fixed or not (N)

So linux will be the same then? Once it registers the printer has a problem, it will refuse to print because of the problem, even when the problem is fixed? :(

[Chimera]

I tried all that, and visited the HP website for troubleshooting information. The printer was fixed and good to go, the printer display registered as much, but once Vista registered a paper jam, it was stuck with it regardless as to whether the printer was fixed or not (N)

So linux will be the same then? Once it registers the printer has a problem, it will refuse to print because of the problem, even when the problem is fixed? :(

Unplugging the printer and reconnecting it to a different USB port would probably have solved the problem. I agree that it seems unnecessary, but this does sound more like the hardware is not reporting to Vista correctly, if you put it in a different USB port Vista would detect it as a new device.

[matty13]

My printer when theres a paper jam theres button which flashes red i have to fix it put paper in press red button to continue then it restarts and prints that page it got jammed on again

[tao muon]

Did you turn the printer off and on like HP says here?

[CPressland]

+1! you just press the button on the printer, I've got the exact same model and am running with Vista.

And another thing, it should continue printing regardless of what vista says because the document would be stored in the Printers Cache.

[Zyphrax]

Restarting the Spooler service might be faster than rebooting :)

But that's insane, there should be a button or something to fix it.

Hmmm I think back of my beatiful HP scanner, it had this easter egg so that it would play "song of joy" by moving the scanner head. It was the last thing the scanner did :)

[markwolfe Veteran]

I'm not sure, but it sounds like there are suggestions here that this could have been resolved at the printer, using the button.

If you wanted to test this in Linux, I am pretty sure you can boot Knoppix or Ubuntu as a LiveCD and try printing something and "force" a paper jam by holding onto the paper somewhere.

[*John*]

To what everyone said, tried it tried it tried it :D

You name it, it was tried, and Windows just constantly registered a paper jam regardless. Rebooting was me admitting defeat, as that was the only option left :(

What about Linux? Does it behave this way when handling printers?

[SIE]

If your sure you've done everything that you can do then i'd suggest trying to find a diffrent driver for your printer, see if that helps.

As people have said this has nothing to do with Windows, when my canon jams i can either press OK on the printer or click OK in the popup box that tells me theres a jam.

[hotdog666al]

I would say, Linux probably wouldn't, mainly because you'd be using different drivers...

[Daedalus]

On my HP Deskjet 5740 - quite a cheap printer - I have a button to press to get the printer to resume after a jam, it is not done in software.

[PNWDweller]

Haven't printed in Linux, that much, but do love the error code which was documented one time which I don't know if it is still there. But it would say the Printer was on Fire.

http://www.eeggs.com/items/1037.html

[*John*]

To those still trying to help with the problem:

Thanks, but I really do know that Vista was the problem. It registered a paper jam, and refused to communicate with the printer until the computer was restarted. The printer was fixed as per HP's instructions, and the printer display registered it as error free. The problem here was the computers refusal to communicate with the printer. It was a windows problem.

What I REALLY want to know, is whether Linux behaves the same way. If I was to dual boot with Ubuntu say, and the printer got jammed, would ubuntu then keep registering the paper jam eternally until restart. Is there even an option in Linux that allows me to "tell it" that the printer is in fact fine and error free, and it can go right ahead and communicate with it fine?

Thanks :)

[Bazenga]

Why are you still asking? You said you plaid with LiveCDs ... well, USE IT? How hard can it be? And then you'll know if Linux does the same error.

[*John*]

Why are you still asking? You said you plaid with LiveCDs ... well, USE IT? How hard can it be? And then you'll know if Linux does the same error.

Because the point of this thread was for me to get everyone's views and experience on Linux printing :/

[Daedalus]

Thanks, but I really do know that Vista was the problem.

Since it doesn't happen to me, then surely it is a HP driver problem, not a Vista problem?

I suggest trying your printer in Linux if you can, since your experience may differ, unless someone with the same printer as you can comment.

Edited August 29, 2007 by Daedalus

[+virtorio MVC]

Thanks, but I really do know that Vista was the problem

Not for me and my HP Photosmart printer.

As for your question, I've never successfully printed anything from within Linux, but last time I tried was years ago.

[MrA]

I'm thinking no, you wouldn't need to restart the computer because the printing system (like everything) is disintegrated from everything else. So if you do need to restart something, it would be just the printing system (CUPS) instead of everything.

[temp2]

Probably.

[MKR]

It would be very unusual for any function of Linux to not have a way to force something like that. You might want to check out the CUPS documentation.