Computers Logical yeah Right

[The PIT]

A week ago I decided to update my Officejet HP software on Vista. Dunno why just felt like it.
The printer is networked and would the software see it. Not all. Vista would see it and install it's own driver but HP software just said no printer detected.

Gave up for a rainy day or when I was doign somethign else. Anyway at work we're all upgrading to nasty office 2007. Since Vista is my toy operating system I installed it on that.

After the first reboot HO Digital monitorign software suddenly pops up. Your ink level is low.
Next popped up the hP installer "Just finnishing install"

So installing office 2007 fixes a broken HP install.

Computers logical my ass.

[Nowhere]

So...time to finally modify your "Linux still sucks but one day" sig?

[The PIT]

So...time to finally modify your "Linux still sucks but one day" sig?

Nah that still sucks and does daft things. When it does throw a wobbler it's a lot harder to fix.
Anyway my linux box is a shuttle so I won't be pushing new hardware into it very often. If ever. So much less need to drop down into command line.

[Nowhere]

So...you'll just continue to single it out, even with all the bitching @Win

[Taz]

I'd point the finger in HP's direction, have had lots of grief with their software/drivers, like it would install the printer drivers of an all-in-one but not the scanning software as it said it wasn't connected

HP's software/drivers are so bloated these days they'll be sending them out on Blueray disks soon

[Nowhere]

Funny thing is - Linux HP software (yes, HP is active in its development afaik) for their printers is actually...the way printer software should be

[High_Jumbllama]

I remember way back finding out that certain Hasbro Interactive games would not function for some people on HP printers. Come to find out they would all work if there had been a test printed on the printer. No test page and the game would never print on that machine.

Grr. Happened upon the solution only by pure chance after many months.

Now whose fault it is I do not know. My money is on HP for the test page being able to cause such a difference.

[MultimediaMan]

HP makes some of the crappiest software and drivers I have ever seen; the retail stuff is intolerable, particularly their AIOs, the SOHO and Business lines are a little better, but my enthusiasm for them is always overshadowed by the near-certain knowledge that they will have found a new way to screw up something fundamental. HP's "support" structure makes Dell's retail support look like a stay at the Ritz-Carlton.

<rant-on>
Just pre-loading their drivers on a PC is an exercise in futility without using their "installer"; which, by the way, will not successfully complete without explorer running in the same context as the installer... they refuse to follow standard inf installer protocols on their USB Printers. Their network printer drivers are not cluster-aware. They don't use a standard TWAIN driver on their scanning solutions, they don't use a standard SNMP MIB for printer management (You're Forced to use their SNMP "interface" - the only saving grace with that steaming turd is that you CAN use it for other Makes of printers)...
</rant-on>

But... they do appear to be learning. I was pleasantly surprised at how well my family's HP 6310AIO has held up. It has never once jammed, it has never dropped a print job. Of course, I only have all of the HP crap installed on only one PC, all others are routed through a Network Print Server, which is using the base driver package only.

[The PIT]

Funny thing is - Linux HP software (yes, HP is active in its development afaik) for their printers is actually...the way printer software should be

The HP inbuilt drivers work just fine.

I still see that getting ATI cards to work under linux is still pot luck. Hence the dark side cough cough splutter splutter. But they work without pissing around in the command window without results.

[The PIT]

HP makes some of the crappiest software and drivers I have ever seen; the retail stuff is intolerable, particularly their AIOs, the SOHO and Business lines are a little better, but my enthusiasm for them is always overshadowed by the near-certain knowledge that they will have found a new way to screw up something fundamental. HP's "support" structure makes Dell's retail support look like a stay at the Ritz-Carlton.

<rant-on>
Just pre-loading their drivers on a PC is an exercise in futility without using their "installer"; which, by the way, will not successfully complete without explorer running in the same context as the installer... they refuse to follow standard inf installer protocols on their USB Printers. Their network printer drivers are not cluster-aware. They don't use a standard TWAIN driver on their scanning solutions, they don't use a standard SNMP MIB for printer management (You're Forced to use their SNMP "interface" - the only saving grace with that steaming turd is that you CAN use it for other Makes of printers)...
</rant-on>

But... they do appear to be learning. I was pleasantly surprised at how well my family's HP 6310AIO has held up. It has never once jammed, it has never dropped a print job. Of course, I only have all of the HP crap installed on only one PC, all others are routed through a Network Print Server, which is using the base driver package only.

I wish HP would be consistent with usb. Some drivers plug the cable straight in others not. Poor direction from the management team.