Printer crashes PC running XP home ed.

I've installed the drivers and can print the test page that states the printer is properly installed...BUT... every time I hit "print" from a program (MS-Word for example) the PC's uninteruptible power supply beeps (as if power was lost for a half-second) and then the PC just shuts OFF. No shutdown, or anything, just off. The printer then spits out a (usually) blank page. Any ideas would be appreciated!

Tony L Aug 21, 2007

The printer is not connected throught the UPS. It is plugged directly into a wall outlet. That, in part, is what makes this so weird.
Tony L Aug 21, 2007

Zt3000 seems to have hit the nail squarely on the head! The beep from the UPS should have been the tipoff for me, but I missed it completely! Thanks!

1 Answer

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76 Answers

With symptoms like that, is the printer power cord plugged into the PC's uninteruptible power supply? NO Laser printer should be connected to a UPS, as the internal heating wand/assembly draws way too many watts, as does the rest of the printer. In this scenario, the PC would shut OFF due to the UPS being momentarily overloaded. Plug the printer into a separate surge protector. ZT3000 "Beta tester of "0"s and "1's"

Posted on Aug 21, 2007

1 more comment
Anonymous Aug 21, 2007

When was the last time you tested your UPS batteries?

If the printer is plugged into the same outlet as the UPS, then what can happen is the printer is drawing enough current to cause the UPS to dip, which causes the PC to power off (since the UPS batteries are or nearly are dead).

Two solutions to this:
Test the UPS batteries (replace if they don't pass)
Replace the electrical fuse that powers this outlet. The fuse is in your fuse box, in the basement, the garage, wherever.

People don't realize that electrical fuses do age, just like people.
Been there, done that.

ZT3000
"Beta tester of "0"s and "1's"
Anonymous Aug 21, 2007

Correction:

Let me correct the previous statement.

"If the printer is plugged into the same outlet as the UPS, then what can happen is the printer is drawing enough current to cause the UPS to dip, which causes the PC to power off (since the UPS batteries are or nearly are dead).
Why does the PC die, because the UPS batteries are old and the UPS beeps because the electrical fuse is dying too."

ZT3000
"Beta tester of "0"s and "1's"
Anonymous Aug 21, 2007

"Zt3000 seems to have hit the nail squarely on the head!...Thanks!"

Just doing my job. :-)

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