922 AIO printer - Vista 32 bit Driver Communication error - RESOLVED!

-Uninstall the current driver, also the AIO software

-Download the driver from support website, also indicating the Operating System as Windows Vista 32bit.

-Install the Driver.

-Run the Windows Update

-Select optional updates

-Look for the Printer Driver update

-Update the optional driver update from Microsoft

Sorry Ghetto Child,

 

I tried all those things and it doesn't work.  "Communication Not Available" is the error message.

 

Okay, who's the next tech star that can offer a solution?

 

-- irate Soon2BuyHP

I have a new XPS 410 with Vista Home Premium and I'm in the same boat as you my friend...spent 4 hours with Dell Tech on two different days and still no resolution.  The first tech was pretty worthless, but the 2nd guy seemed to know what he was doing.

 

Essentially, we came to the conclusion that the "updated" driver on the support site dated 3/15/2007 was not as updated as it needed to be.

 

He told me that unfortunately my only recourse is to wait for an updated, "updated" driver. (Thanks Dell)(Oh and thanks to you too Microsoft)

 

I knew there was a good reason not to get rid of my Inspirion 8000 with XP Pro.  At least I can print with that.

 

If I come across a solution I'll post it...

Similar story here, friend.  I have 922 AIO printer and Vista 32 bit.  Got Vista in February 2007 and printer will not work with it at all.  Contacted Dell who told me to wait for upload in March.  March came and went, no upload.  April came, aha upload.  Did everything I should have done correctly.  Still no printer working.  Tried everything I could myself for a number of hours, then called in the professionals (some IT guys I know).  They have spent a total of over 48 hours between them doing all sorts of weird things (hey what do I know - I'm only silver surfer 55 years old to be exact).  And still to date I have no printer working.  The professionals have told me to email Dell and complain bitterly and demand compensation, which I have done.  But all I got back was an automated reply.

I have always bought everything from Dell, but no way will I buy anything else from them in the future.  Why should I have to go and buy a new printer, there's nothing wrong with the one I've got - it's just that Dell have been dragging their feet, instead of being up to date with new Microsoft stuff.

NOW I AM SICK OF IT!!!!   DO SOMETHING DELL, YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!!!!

Personally,

I have been blaming Microsoft the most for the situation we have here.  I wonder if they gave Dell the same "heads-up" preview of Vista that other manufacturers got.  Has Microsoft been playing favorites amounst the PC manufacturers?  Or has Dell just dropped the ball in getting the quality programming done?

 

Oh, I noticed at the top of the forum was a posting by Gina Q. the Dell liason.....She was suggesting that there is a particular order that must be followed & that it works......bunk.  I tried that stuff MANY times.

 

I got this HP/Compaq Presario desktop PC in February pre-loaded with Vista.  I plugged in my "old" Dell AIO 922 printer.....and Vista automatically started to search the web for the drivers.......seems to be the "old" drivers.  I have uninstalled the Dell software using the Control Panel Uninstall Software selection on three attempts now and I have even used the Dell Software Uninstall executable.  I unplugged the printer cable.  I then used Window Washer (Webroot) to delete & wipe the files from my hard drive.  Then rebooted.  Accessed the Dell website, downloaded the March 15, 2007 drivers, installed, plugged in the printer (watch out - Vista automatically searches the web for drivers to any newly installled hardware).  Still get the "Communication Not Available" message.

 

I have really wanted to stay loyal to Dell....but this whole matter is just torquing me off.

I think we can conclude that the 15 march 2007 drivers for the 922 AIO printer for Windows Vista 32 bit just dont work!! I guess we all have to wait for the real update....

Been there, done that too. Not alot of fun. I spent a total of 6+ hrs on the phone with 2 seperate dell techs and all they did was all the same things I had already done. I am by no means a computer pro, but I got a little irate when they ( who are supposed to know what they are doing) couldn't fix the communication problem between my Windows Vista and my All In One 922. After threatening to box my computer up and sending it back to them, I finally got some help. One tech by phone talked me througn resetting my computer to its original state. Luckly I hadn't had it long enough to have alot on it to lose. After reseting it to its original state, another tech got my printer to working using the downloaded driver for the printer. I think, and I am no tech, but I think everything from the original 922 disc needed to be removed from my computer, because after reseting it all the drivers on my original installation were erased completely. Then the new one worked. Somehow by removing the driver and printer ourselves, there was still something left that we couldn't find. I hope this helped in some way.

Success at last!

 

Grudging little apologies to Gina Q. sorry I didn't read the entire thread and ALL of Eric Rendel's posts.  I missed the part about the manual deletions.  See below:

 

1. Click Start, click Control Panel.
   The Control Panel window appears.
2. In the left-hand pane of Control Panel click Classic View.
3. Double-click Printers.
4. Right click the desired printer and choose Uninstall.
   The Confirm Device Uninstall window appears.
5. Check the box next to Delete the driver software for this device.
6. Click OK to confirm removal of the device.
7. Reboot
8. Reinstall the printer using the printer driver for Vista

From Daniel_Hatcher message #20 in the thread 02-08-2007

Too bad for me...you all talk about uninstalling the Windows XP driver prior to installing the new Windows Vista drivers as you would do during a OS upgrade..in my case I have a new fresh installed Windows Vista on a dual boot system. The Windows XP harddisk still contains the XP driver but I cannot imagine this driver interferes with the Windows Vista driver on my second Windows Vista harddisk...or is it?

 

The 15MAR07 driver underVista doesn't work work fine for the printerpart..the scannner part seems to be installed. Under Windows Vista the installation seems to run fine but the printer is never added to the printer list after the installation program has finished completely. When I do try at that moment to add the printer I can select the correct downloaded AIO 922 (15MAR07) by selecting the file (DLBTprc.INF) but after this selection Vista comes back with a general driver installation error.

 

Dell support in the Netherlands told me there is a possibility (but not confirmed yet) that the English 15MAR07 released AIO 922 printer driver does not work fine with my Dutch version of Vista Home Premium..

 

So to be continued for me..

Soon2buyHP -

 

Thanks for the post...like you, I now have a fully functioning 922 Printer.  It seems as though the key is to DISCONNECT from your network.  The steps in your last thread are indeed the same steps the Dell techs attempted; the only difference being that they were connected remotely both times.

 

I would certainly suggest anyone else viewing our little group discussion here should follow your steps and make sure they are NOT connected to the web when they begin the install process.

 

(I'm sure there is probably a way to tell Windows not to try and automatically install devices which may also solve the problem)

 

Victory is ours.

Square4U,

 

If you have dual hard drives, I don't think that the drive with XP is causing problems with the drive with Windows Vista.  I think that Windows Vista is faster at directly downloading the old drivers than it is at downloading and installing the new drivers from the dell website.  And as mentioned by Mr. Eric Rendell, make sure you have first cleaned out the folder  C:\Windows\System32\Spool\Drivers\w32x86 and delete everything contained in this folder.  (Might be a good idea to make a copy of the contents first.)  As NoSurprises said in his post, once you have downloaded the 922 drivers for Vista and started to install, then disconnect from the internet while the installation completes.  You can reconnect to the internet after the installation is finished and you have rebooted your system.

 

Many thanks to Eric Rendel.  He is the one that tracked down the problem with the 944 drivers.

 

I think we should all send that guy a few bucks.  I was prepared to pay a Dell technician... and I must have wasted five or six hours of my own free time with all the multiple un-installs and re-installs.

 

Soon2BuyHP (or not)

YOU ARE A STAR!!!  Soon2buyHP, I think I love you!!! 

I followed your success story and I too now have my 922 AIO Printer working......it is just amazing how ordinary people can sort things out quicker than the guys that are earning more money than all of us lot put together!!!!

Take note Dell.......Oh and by the way, Dell, I will not be buying another product from you ever again....no not even ink.....got some other place a lot cheaper!!!!

Again, Many thanks to you Soon2buyHP for sharing your success!!!!

Here's the fix.

 

Removing XP drivers and LEXBCE from Vista (for the 720, A920, 922, A940, 942, A960, 962, 964 and 966 printers)

I will spare dell the work to make the drivers for the 922 work in other languages than english, german, japanese, french and italian.

 

Here's the fix for dutch :

 

After you tried to install the drivers, there should be a subdirectory called c:\drivers\printer\922\drivers\WIN_XP2K\

 

in here there are 2 subdirectories : common and i386

 

each directory contains a subdir called "english". copy this one and it's contents to a subdir called "dutch" which should be in the same directory ( common & i386 )

 

now open device-manager (Apparaatbeheer in dutch) and locate the printer entry. right click it and select "update drivers" ("stuurprogramma's bijwerken"). select manual installation and browse to c:\drivers\printer\922\drivers\WIN_XP2K\

 

drivers should install without a problem...

 

If you got another language, just look in file c:\windows\inf\setupapi.dev.log after a faulty installation; this file states which files cannot be found....

 

Greets, Frank