printer handle invalid

[sierrajohn2]

I have a customer with an hp 2210 all-in-one USB connection, running in Windows XP Pro, that worked fine for several months. I found the printer was no longer recognized and, after attempting to uninstall/reinstall the print driver software, I get a message that "the printer handle is invalid". What does this mean (these error messages never tell you how to fix them!)? The machine tells me the handle is invalid.... any one else have this happen? How do you fix it??

[Nepomuk]

This sounds like an error in the printer driver to me. Have you tried using the newest drivers from the HP website? If they don't work, I'd contact HP Support (email is normally a good way to do these things) and ask them. This error is mentioned here and is related to the .NET Framework 1.1, so I'm guessing the driver was written using .NET in some way. However, I'm neither a .NET expert nor have I ever written a hardware driver, so I can't give you more information there, sorry.

Greetings,
Nepomuk

[DonRayner]

Try following these steps

1. Download the latest drivers for the printer from the manufactures site and use something like winzip to expand the files to a location of your choice.
2. Clear any documents in the printers que.
3. Power down the printer
4. Restart your print spooler service.
5. Uninstall the printer.
6. Remove any of the printer multifunction functions from your device manager.
7. Plug you printer into a different USB port on your computer. and power it back up.
8. Reinstall the printer using XP's add printer wizard and when prompted to use drivers already installed chose no. Then navigate to where you expanded the new drivers and choose the appropriate .inf file.

Hope this helps.
Don

[sierrajohn2]

@Nepomuk
Hi,

Thanks for the reply and sorry for my slow reply (I've been swamped) to you. I've already tried/done all of these ideas and NONE of them work. I tried to re-install net framework, did an "over-install repair" of the OS, I have all of the latest drivers, etc.

Talking to HP is about as much help as talking to a power pole, so that didn't solve anything.

Thanks anyway,

sierrajohn2

[sierrajohn2]

@DonRayner
Hi,

Thanks for the reply and sorry for my slow reply (I've been swamped) to you. I've already tried/done all of these ideas and NONE of them work. I tried to re-install net framework, did an "over-install repair" of the OS, I have all of the latest drivers, etc.

Talking to HP is about as much help as talking to a power pole, so that didn't solve anything.

By the way, the printer installs with the same drivers, etc. on another computer that they have. The original machine that the driver gives the error message on is Windows XP Pro and the one that the printer installs and functions on is Windows 98SE. Go figure!

Thanks anyway,

sierrajohn2