Dell 720 Printer Drivers

I have exactly the same problem - no Win98 support for the 720 printer. I have checked the original email advertising this product and the associated documentation emailed to me subsequently, and there was no mention of this limitation at all.

This is a cheap and cheerful printer which is likely to be sought after by people with older systems - and yet there is no warning anywhere.

There must be hundreds of people in this position! I have emailed Dell support for information and await their reply with interest.

Hi I have e mailed Dell and have received a number of replies from them. None of them helpfull, one even suggested that I up date my operating system to Windows 2000 or XP, not the kind of treatment one would expect from a company such as Dell. I have now registered a complaint and wait their reply.

I received a 720 printer as part of the "free printer" promo when I bought an Inspiron 1150 two weeks ago. As I was shopping only for the laptop the printer was incidental to me. But I was surprised by an insert that came with it noting that the manual calls is the Dell Photo Printer 720, it is to be correctly referred to as just the J720.
This suggests to me that Dell has not got all its ducks in a row re this little printer as yet. I can't locate the ink cartridges for it on the Dell store site, either, at least via my Canadian login. Let us hope they are in the process of getting the printer duck, so to speak, going on this issue, as well as print cartridges.

Looking that the price of other Dell cartridges, I don't think my J720 is gonna be anything other than put away after its trial ink supply expires.

One thing about MS operating systems is that Microsoft more tightly controls the operating systems on which its Windows Installer technology will operate now. This is in part because a few years back MS tied the software and driver install process to an installer base they issue and let developers tie into.

Through the MS ability to define the Windows Installer API, MS controls tightly which OSs can be supported in any detail with installers.

MS dropped Win 95 from the ability to create official installs about 2 years ago; support for Windows 98 is now waning in terms of the accompanying modules available to pack with installations for software, as in accompanying Windows controls, APIs etc.. I think the bottom line is that we are gonna see Windows 98 fade faster than Windows 95 in this respect. It could be the J720 is influenced by this.

I operate two Windows 98 PCs, one Windows 2000 desktop, and now my Inspiron on XP Home. I cannot believe, despite what I have just noted, that a product would be sold not mentioning that it would not work with Windows 98. Were the specs not stated at sale? If so, the lesson now is to read all the specs with care.
Tip: Whether we like it or not, we are going to see fewer and fewer software programs from the big name companies that support Windows 98.

I do think that as vendors cold-shoulder Windows 98 more and more, they are likely to have to deal with this kind of issue. I will test my J720 from a Windows 98 machine to see if one can at least print over a peer-to-peer LAN to it from a Windows 98 machine, while the printer is hooked to my Win2k desktop.

 

Message Edited by PolarUpgrade on 08-07-2004 09:27 PM

Taken directly from the dell.com Printer OS Support link:

Which Operating Systems are Compatible with My Dell Printer?

http://service.dell.com/dell/kb/tech_support/view_article/1,,967+5835+12749,00.html

I have just bought a 'bargain' Dell 720 printer, which I now find only works on Win 2000 or XP.

I use Windows ME, so I cannot do anything with it. There was no mention of the OS it used in the advert, but I assumed that it would work with Win 98 or ME especially, as it is not that old.

Tried Lexmark site, but although thy make the printer, they do not seem to have any drivers for the Dell one for ME.

Anyone else any ideas?

 

Following on from my comments above, after a number of hopeless exchanges with the support team I have asked for my money back and have been given a number to call. £10 isn't a lot but there is a point of principle here! I'll post a description of the response I get.

I have also borrowed an (apparently) appropriate Lexmark installation CD and tried battling with that - but got nowhere. Given that the printer itself seems to be a badge engineering job, it seems odd in the extreme that Dell would modify things to ensure that no-one takes advantage of that.....?

Message Edited by markalanpitchford on 08-10-2004 01:39 PM

Th experience of not being able to use Lexmark cartridges or Lexmark drivers underscores a new trend toward the use of copyright-dependent lockouts that effectively repurpose copyright/patent restrictions to compel consumers to use only the OEM brand of supplies for products.

This is not unique to Dell of course, but it is a disapointment at the very least.

The reasonthat U.S. firms can confidently build locks into their products to prevent cross-brand use is that the U.S. DMCA Act makes it a crime to circumvent such locks. So, there is a legal incentive to lock down we consumers. Anyone who tries to get around it--including such firms as 321 and Elcomsoft in other software and hardware areas, get prosecuted and civilly sued to the hilt.

There is a huge irony incidentally in the case of a firm called Elcomsoft. Adobe had one of its programmers arrested under the DMCA when he visited the U.S.A. Eventually said programmer was let go on a promise to return to the U.S. for trial. Since then the firm has, possibly as a retort, released easy-to-use software that can crack the secret passwords on Adobe PDF files.

Myself I will just exercise my consumer right and stay clear of the Dell printer line. My purchase experience in buying a laptop was good, but the firm's poor judgement on the driver completeness issue is something I find troubling.

Dell have also agreed to refund my £10 and to let me keep the printer. It has restored my faith in Dell. And I will still consider purchasing a fourth Dell from them now.

Sorry forgot yhe Lexmark site URL

http://www.lexmark.com/lexmark/product/home/56/0,6970,204812589_297392274_214944952_en_1_4,00.html

Try the Lexmark Z615 to see if those drivers work.  It appears to be the same animal as the Del 720.

Print cartridges also look similar.

I got the 720 as a free promotion and wanted to set it up on a computer with Win ME with no luck. Have tried the Lexmark site, they do not have a driver for the z615 and the one for the z515 will not work. Have just e-mailed Dell and am waiting for thier resopnse.

Once again for those who missed it:

None of the Dell inkjet printers support Win98/Me and were never advertised to support it.

Taken directly from the dell.com Printer OS Support link:

Which Operating Systems are Compatible with My Dell Printer?

http://service.dell.com/dell/kb/tech_support/view_article/1,,967+5835+12749,00.html

Sorry to disagree but if you go to

http://mystoragespace.port5.com/

You will find the information and resources to install the 720 on either Win98 or ME