Win7 issues

[Kev Williams]

Because of speaking my mnd in the "XP is going away" thread I guess I jinxed myself because my office XP computer blew out its motherboard over the weekend. Found a computer shop nearby that sold me a couple of pretty-okay HP desktops with Win7 Pro 64 installed. A couple of months ago I needed a computer for the new machines in my garage, it's similar, with Win7 Enterprise 64 installed. Been getting used to it, Win7 seems okay...

...until today.

Can someone explain to me why my "garage" Win7 will connect to, and load drivers for my 2 laser engravers with no problem whatsoever, but the 2 new Win7's WON'T? All computers are on the same network, firewalls are all the same, all security measures are all the same, best I can tell...

example of what I get:

Garage computer: add new printer: choose from list: chose the small laser: connecting, then in about 2 seconds I get "connected to L1Smlaz on IBM-DOWN using the OPTIMA driver"...

Other computers: ditto until I choose small engraver, then I get "searching Windows Update for driver", which it doesn't find, hit next, then get "cannot connect to the printer", with a the very stupid error "0x00000000a"...

What am I not doing?

[Brian Ashton]

Have you tried either of these: http://www.noelpulis.com/fix-cant-connect-to-printer-error-0x0000000a/ http://support.microsoft.com/mats/printing_problems/en-us

[Jerome Stanek]

do you have a disc with the drivers on it. See if you can copy the drivers from the computer that is working over.

[Kev Williams]

Tried the easy fixes above (thanks guys!), to no avail...

I have the drivers in several files on my network so I can get at them any time.

Here's the basic issue, best as I can explain:

My LS900 driver has a setup program. Normal procedure is to run the setup, click "install", the driver files then copy and load, and it's done. Afterwards, "Gravograph" and "L-Solution" are now listed in the printer's mfr. directory. When adding a printer, if it's 'local' just pick it from the directory. If it's on the network, pick it from the network printers list. Either way, just hit okay and "success". The garage Win7 and all my XP's do this flawllessly...

My 2 new Win7's- and my Win8 for that matter, DON'T. What happens is this: I run the setup program, hit install, and instead of copying driver files, I get taken straight to the printer's directory to pick a printer. Since "install" is subverted by this, there's no Gravograph printers in the list. Can't load what's not there, so all I can do is hit "next", and then I get "cannot connect to the printer". All I can do is start over, it repeats--- it's just an endless loop!
:confused:
Trying to load the Univeral laser's "Optima" driver works no better. While there's no setup program, I do have all the driver files. When I ask for a new printer, I hit "have disk", and when I pick the file it asks for, I get " the file does not have the correct driver information..." -- But no problem with the XP's and garage Win7...
http://www.engraver1.com/gifs/nilly.gif

[John M Wilson]

Just a wild stab...

I had a somewhat similar issue with my daughter's Win 8 computer -- some programs just wouldn't run. Later, I figured out that her account was not an Administrator account. I changed it, and all ran as it should. I know you aren't supposed to have to do this, but I think some programs aren't as well behaved as Microsoft would like them to be.

It's a shot in the dark, but easy to check out...

Good Luck!

[Tom Stenzel]

I don't use Win 7 but you post made me look up the difference between Pro and Enterprise. And I'm... baffled.

John might be right that it could be a permission s issue. The one thing I can come up with is to see if there is networking thing not running like NETBEUI or something of that ilk.

Sorry 'bout the sad state of the help from this corner.

[Kev Williams]

One thing I've noticed is that USUALLY-- when Computer#2 connects to a printer hosted by Computer#1, #2 gets the driver from #1-- Not so my 'bad' computers, they look for drivers on the Windows Update website. This is fine and dandy for an HP or Canon printer, but 'update ain't got squat for a Gravograph!

I agree, I think it's a permission issue, it's as if my computer isn't allowed to get the drivers from the host computers...

Along the same lines, I've noticed ever since Vista, is how many "you don't have permission to access that file" messages I get. Even if I set ALL permissions to allow EVERYone ALL access and sharing, I still can't access some folders. The drive that was in my blown up office computer, I can't access nearly half the files on it from the new computer, I have to copy them backwards TO the new computer FROM the old drive (that's in an XP)... ARRGGHH..

I understand the need for some security, but good gawd... Doesn't Bill and his gang realize that a good percentage of computers are for PERSONAL use, which means me, the guy who bought the computer, I AM THE ADMINISTRATOR, and I shouldn't have to ASK the computer to believe that I AM the administrator? And because of that I have ZERO need for 10 million security features or passwords or homegroup settings or child locks or intranet zone settings or file sharing protocols or ANY of that crap! How about a "click at your own risk" button that turns EVERYTHING off, and just lets the computer RUN like in the old days??? BILL??

(sorry, rant off! :D )

[Jerome Stanek]

Do you have your computers shared. both have to have permission to see one another.

[Brian Elfert]

Windows 7 Enterprise has a couple of extra features specifically for large companies using Windows 7. DirectAccess allows a computer to connect to the corporate network from any Internet connection. It also has some other features like BitLocker to encrypt the hard drive of a PC.

[Kev Williams]

All computers are shared. I'm NOT using the "homegroup" thing in Win7 (and 8). My network is a "workgroup" with the old MSHOME workgroup name. All computers in the group show up on all computers. All the printers show up. All printers are shared. 4 of the printers are my machines, 2 are connected to one XP, the other 2 to another XP. Now, on every other XP machine, EVERY shared printer shows up automatically, don't even have to add them. But not a single shared printer ever shows up on my Vista laptop, ANY win7 or the win8.

I WAS actually able to connect my office win7 to one of the laser drivers via the garage win7, but I haven't actually succeeded in sending the laser a job.

I didn't want to, but I'm afraid I'll be running the virtual XP on the new Win7's. I'm tired of messing with this issue. Besides here, and thanks all for responding! -- I spent all day yesterday scouring the internet for any kind of fix for this. Haven't found one yet.

[Kev Williams]

UPDATE! --in case anyone cares, or may face the same dilemma's ... ;)

The wife's oldest son is an IT guy, knows computers pretty well. He's stumped.

Here's where I'm at: Win7 64 will not run the fax/scan portion my perfectly good HP laserjet. The HP driver will make it print, but HP offers no 64 bit driver otherwise. This means I have to print all junk faxes rather than have them sent to the computer first. Cost to replace the printer, $300+...

Win7 64 also will not run my 2005 version of Quickbooks. There's a workaround that allows you to load it, but only for about half a day. Cost to replace Quickbooks, $200...

And, I cannot connect to my lasers, nor my 5 engraving machines with Vista, Win7 or Win8. Cost to replace engraving equipment with something compatible with 6-year old and newer computer operating systems-- Somewhere north of 100 grand...

And I also wasted a bunch of time downloading and installing the XP virtual machine. What a joke. It's pretty much Win7 that makes you think you're using XP. Virtual XP won't load or run any of the above either.

So after 5 days of tearing my hair out, I'm done with Win7.

Cost to remove Win 7 and install a fresh, uncorrupted-by-any-updates XP-Pro-- zero.

Cost for Avast anti-virus so I can use it on the internet? Zero.

How much more of my money Bill Gates is ever getting? Until someone at Microsoft starts seeing there might be some value in reverse-engineering some OS software--- big fat ZERO.

[David Masters]

I understand your frustration. I ran into similar issues when I bought a new computer with Vista on it. Unfortunately I don't have any advice. I was going to suggest you load a 32 bit version of Windows 7 if your having driver issues, but you say your Vista computer isn't running the drivers either, and I'm pretty sure that is still running 32 bit.

I have an old HP scanner with a document feeder that only runs on XP, a programing environment for an old home theater remote that has the same issue. I also have a mapping program for a handheld GPS that only runs on Windows 2000. I've just setup old laptops with the various OS levels I need to run the older programs. However, the laptops are starting to have issues as well, so I'm looking at using a VMWare utility to capture the systems on the laptops and put them into a virtual machine on my Mac. I've verified that the HP scanner driver runs in an XP virtual machine.

I think all you can do is to keep the old OS running as long as you can and lockdown the firewall or create a proxy that isolates the old OS from the Internet. Hopefully your wife's son will know how to do that.

[paul cottingham]

Make sure internal (computer) firewalls are turned off. (You do have a hardware firewall between you and the Internet, right?) can you see the other computers using the run //computername/sharename command? Can you see the printer doing the same thing? Don't use network neighbourhood, it is too unreliable.
What protocol does the printer require for communicating with the network? Is it installed?
sorry if you tried all this.....

[Kev Williams]

My stepson literally forced drivers onto one of the win7 machines. Still wouldn't work.

Right now, I'm on the Office computer, which is now an XP Pro machine. Win7 is GONE. I'm still going thru the BS of downloading drivers, browsers, and all that, most of which I have to do anyway. I put on Avast free anti-virus (on my other machines too) and so far I really like it. For all the drivers I decided to spend $30 and had an online driver checker do it's thing. That was $30 well spent. Hardest part was the Ethernet card had no driver, so no internet at first- so I had to figure out what card's in the machine and download a driver from another computer. Put it on a flash drive, installed it and my network and internet came to life! My screen res is perfect, my printer loaded up COMPLETELY, my Quickbooks installed with nary a hiccup, it's seeing my network just fine, and MAN is this thing fast! I can cycle thru 5 megapixel photos as fast as I can push the arrow button! Old computer was like a 2-second wait. Can't wait to get Corel and Gravostyle loaded up!

The second Win7 is next on the chopping block. No qualms at all... :)

Since the garage 7 seems to want to run all my machines as is, I'll just leave it be!

[Jerome Stanek]

is your garage computer windows 7 32 bit you may want to try to put a 32 bit version on those 64 bit ones. My wife's computer came with windows 7 64 but also had windows 7 32 cd with it. We downgraded to windows 32 and a lot of her stuff works now including Quicken that would not run on the 64 bit OS

[Curt Harms]

Would it be practical to dual boot? I don't know how you work but if it isn't too much of a pain, you could have a 'work mode' using XP and an 'internet' mode using something else. Personally, I'd have reservations about letting XP near the internet after April 8. I wouldn't be surprised to see a bunch of crapware released that's been stored in anticipation of XP no longer being patched. There's one exploit that will be part of the last XP patch. It involves using a 'doctored' .rtf file in Word/Outlook to compromise P.C.s. How many more of these are known but will never be patched for XP? Keeping XP off the internet seems like it would reduce the risks a LOT, continue to use it for things for which you have no practical alternative.

I'm doing this post running on a USB key with a SolydX Live install on it. I don't even need a hard drive - at all. I can web surf, watch videos, do whatever else I normally do on the internet. The likelihood of picking up crapware is there - flash exploits are cross platform - but the odds are much reduced. I could reboot, remove the USB drive and be in XP in less than 5 minutes, maybe 3 minutes.

[Kev Williams]

There's 2 things I own that are worth more to me every day: my XP Pro disk that I can run on any computer, and my Win98se disk and separate 'service pack' that includes every 98 update and upgrade...

I have- what some may call a dumb- idea I'm going to try-- I'm going to install Win98se as a virtual machine, strictly to use for internet access, and keep XP off the net. Everything I need the internet for will work on 98, which is basically a firefox browser and an email download client. I'm running 23 year old graphics software that requires nothing newer than winME to run. I've had an old HP pavillion running 98se that's been connected to the internet for over 2 years with no antivirus software of any kind. I figure with the Avast AV software and a basic antimalware program on a 98 computer that hackers don't care about, I shouldn't have much to worry about!

My "main" internet computer can be my Win8 HP. Might as well be, since I can't do much else with it!

[Kev Williams]

The 2nd Win7 is history. Drivers all loaded within 1/2 hour. I installed SP3, which is it for updates. With clenched teeth I started the networking process... other computers showed up, check... add printer, L-solution. Done! Ok, Vanguard Optima... Done! Now the acid test, send jobs to the lasers-- YES! Finally, I copied in the 25 year old DOS software that runs a 31 year old engraving machine, plugged the machine's serial plug into the back, ran a quick job, and the machine got the job and ran it...

So I have to ask Mr Gates-- why can't Vista, Win7 or Win8 do any of that? Maybe I wouldn't get so pi**y about it, but these machines are how I make my living! :mad:

[Curt Harms]

There's 2 things I own that are worth more to me every day: my XP Pro disk that I can run on any computer, and my Win98se disk and separate 'service pack' that includes every 98 update and upgrade...

I have- what some may call a dumb- idea I'm going to try-- I'm going to install Win98se as a virtual machine, strictly to use for internet access, and keep XP off the net. Everything I need the internet for will work on 98, which is basically a firefox browser and an email download client. I'm running 23 year old graphics software that requires nothing newer than winME to run. I've had an old HP pavillion running 98se that's been connected to the internet for over 2 years with no antivirus software of any kind. I figure with the Avast AV software and a basic antimalware program on a 98 computer that hackers don't care about, I shouldn't have much to worry about!

My "main" internet computer can be my Win8 HP. Might as well be, since I can't do much else with it!

Is there any antivirus software that will work with Windows 98? I don't know but would be surprised. I suspect your Windows 8 machine also likely uses UEFI and/or GPT to which Windows 98 is gonna say "Huh?". Certain linux distros installed on a USB flash drive will boot on Windows 8 machines and will do everything internet related you need. Others may not boot unless you're able to disable Secure Boot. And they're from this century. And there's no significant malware threat even without Antivirus.