dead epson 4000

[kurt_eslick]

My school has an epson 4000. With no warning of issues it says please

wait when you turn it on and never goes any further. The computer

doesn't appear to see it. It does the same thing with either type of

cable. The only way to get it to do anything else is to pull out the

maintenance tank(it then gives an appropriate response). any

suggestions. We are a long way fro a service center.

[danny_liao]

check all connections and reinstall driver. that always works.

[mharris]

Is there any chance the 4000 was plugged in BEFORE the driver was installed? Always install the driver before plugging in a USB device.

 

If you have access to another computer install the driver and try it on that.

[jerry s]

What type of connection are you using? USB? Firewire? Ethernet? If it's USB or Firwire, try the following:

 

1. Turn of the printer. Unplug the USB or Firewire cable. Start the printer. If the printer doesn't go to a ready state in a minute or two, the problem is with the printer. Are the printer's menus active (can you use them to select options)?

 

2. If that doesn't work, shut down the computer. Unplug all USB and firewire cables except the keyboard and mouse (you'll need these to restart the operating system!). Restart the computer. Log on, and give it a minute to fully stablilize.

 

3. Turn the printer off. Plug the USB or firewire cable in to the computer, then turn the printer on. Depending on your operating system (MAC or Windows), check to see whether or not the computer is recognizing the printer. In the Windows world, you can check this using Start Menu -> Control Panel -> System -> Hardware -> Device Manager. This will allow you to confirm the *physical* connection of the printer.

 

4. If all looks good, confirm that your operating system is recognizing the printer (in the Windows World, try Start Menu -> Control Panel -> Printers). Try printing a test page.

 

If the computer is not recognizing the printer at all, I would suspect either A) a printer problem, B) faulty cables (it's rare, but they CAN fail), C) a corrupt printer driver on the computer, or D) another problem on the computer that might cause the USB/Firewire connections to fail. Are other USB or firewire peripherals working on that system?

 

I'll try to monitor this thread throughout the next couple of days; please post status updates as you can.

[kurt_eslick]

I have been in contact with epson and they feel like the printer has lost its firmware (like me losing my mind). They are sending a fix via e-mail. I'll let you know how it proceeds. Have been at a John Paul Caponigro lecture all day. Good stuff.