Dell 968 & 968w All-In-One Printer owners thread (W7)

jds10011,

First, I have a Dell 964 printer connected to a Dell 3300 wireless print adapter and I also have a Dell V715w Wireless printer. I will use the V715w printer, since it's already wireless.

On most Dell printers, Dell offers the Vista drivers as the Windows 7 drivers. Installing them in the compatibility mode, has been such a great sucess for most of the inkjet printers. I hav made wners threads for each printer, with instructions on how to install the printers in the compatibility mode.

On most of Dells older Dellinkjet printers, there is a patch(printer cleanup utility). This printer does not have one. So you have to just uninstall this printer. Usually using the control panel, programs and features works. It may have an uninstaller in the start, all programs Dell Printers, your printer.

The instructions for Manual Printer Driver Removal on Windows 7 machines, you need to go to Hardware and Sound, view devices and printers.

You should then see a screen like this.

You can right click on the printer, if it's there and remove it. Some people have found 2 or 3 versions of the printer here. I then have them install the printer using the Vista drivers in the compatibility mode. With the wireless printers, I was told that the computer should be online to be able to download additional drivers.

So the basics are that you can download the Windows 7 drivers and choose network, then follow the instructions. If the printer does not install, then try using the vista drivers in the compatibility mode.

I really don't know where the other person got the Virtual port thing from. I have a Dell Studio and have Vista 64-bit on one partition and Windows 7 64-bit on the other. The Vista has the virtual port, but my wireless printer does not use this.

And the Windows 7 64-bit partition does not have this.

So I can't use what I didn't have. I can uncheck the verified answer but it may help someone and it might not.

.Rick

Uninstall the printer, restart your computer. Try installing the Windows 7 drivers. If they do not work, then try the Vista drivers in the compatibility mode.

Right click on the drivers file, left click properties, left click compatibility. Change the compatibility to Vista. Then right click on the drivers, left click run as administrator.

***To install drivers, sometimes the file unzips and does nothing. You have to look for the setup.exe file, right click on it, then left click run as administrator***

Thanks for the well thought-out reply.  The screen captures are helpful, too.

I did not get attempting a wireless installation of the printer today, but I'll let you know how it goes when I'm able to get to it (soon).

My Control Panel was (is) set to 'Large Icons' rather than 'Groups', so I didn't see 'Sound and Hardware', but we do get to the same place eventually.

Another interesting thing about when this printer installs as 'Dell Printer 968 XPS', it does not appear in the Programs list (Start/All Programs).

I appreciate your help.  I'll let you know how the wireless attempt goes.

Jeff

Today, I successfully installed the Dell 968w AIO printer on my Insprion WIndows 7 Home Premium system!  All done!

Thank you for your help and consideration.  I'm off to print something now!!

Jeff

OK, it looks like my solution above may need some clarification.  When I said that you must select the USB0001 Virtual Printer Port, I did so, because when I first tried this solution and just picked the default LPT1 port the computer told me that this USB printer would not work unless it was on the USB port.  So I tried the sequence agaion, this time selecting the USB0001 port and it worked. 

Oh, and btw, I'm running a Dell XPS 420 desktop w/ Vista 32-bit. 

Hmmm, I just tried "Adding a Printer" thing again, and it looks like something has changed since I found this fix a few weeks ago.  I'm wondering if some Windows Updates have changed this recently, because the pull-down menu looks like it's formated different with the available port selections.  

jds10011,

Glad you got it working! :emotion-21: Thanks for posting back.

Take care,

Lincoln6Echo,

If you think you need to change any of the information in your post, just click the edit button and edit the information so it's correct, that would ba a big help for other members.

I guess you saw my screenshots and they all came from the same computer, just a different partition, so some versions of Windows 7 do not have the Virtual Printer port.

Rick

Hello,

I have a problem with my printer: Dell 968 AIO.
This problem has always worked on my old PC with operating system Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit.
Now I have recently purchased a new PC running Windows 7-64 bit.
However, if I want to print or scan, then I always get the error 'job status window interface has stopped working "and then hangs the program / command.

I have compatibility modes aagepast / downloaded drivers / windows updates done / etc.
My suspicion is that it really is a problem with the 64-bit version of Windows 7 in combination with this type of printer ...
Does anyone have something similar for it?

Thanks for the help.

 barshad,

Make and model of your computer and operating system.

Please tell me the firewall and virus program you're using.

Rick

Rick,

I have a Medion Pc
AMD Phenom (tm) 8450 Triple-Core Processor 2.10GHz
3.00GB Ram (2.75 available)
Windows 7 Ultimate 64Bit

antivirus + firewall: Eset Smart Security 4.2.40.0

I've also tried with firewall off (temporarily), but this did not help.

barshad,

Do you have an AMD USB Audio Driver Filter?

Rick

Rick,

I have no idea if I got that driver.
It tells me all the way nothing, and certainly not as a USB driver.
Is there a simple way how I can check?

Sorry, but my computer knowledge is therefore limited to the average use: - /

My Dell 968 & 968w All-In-One Printer has stopped working. I upgraded my Inspiron 530 to Windows 7, 64bit,  6 months ago I installed the correct drivers and got the printer to work on USB. Just last week the printer stopped working. I have tried all the suggestions in this tread and so far nothing has solved the issue. I can print test and alignment pages form the printer. When I sent a print job to the printer it loads a page, print heads move into position, then go back to stand by, and nothing prints.

Please help, thank in advance.

hudson7,

When you upgraded the Inspiron 530, did you install the desktop/notebook utility and the chipset drivers first? If not, the rest of the drivers will fail to install. How to Install Drivers in Microsoft® Windows® on Dell Systems If you cannot find Windows 7 drivers, try using the Vista (or XP) drivers and install them in the Compatibility mode

First run Delete Print Jobs

Disconnect the printer.

Download and run the patch(printer cleanup utility) until it prompts you to restart your computer.

Restart your computer. Make sure the printer is removed. Manual Printer Driver Removal

Download the Vista 64-bit drivers and install them in the Compatibility mode You'll get a message, the printer is not connected. Connect the printer at this time(powered on)

Links to the patch/drivers can be found at Dell 968 & 968w All-In-One Printer owners thread (W7)

Rick

Thank you for your very fast reply. I followed your instructions very closely. Which is basically what I did 6 months ago when I installed Windows 7 64 bit. But still no luck, my printer will not print.

Please keep in mind that my printer has been working working on this system (Windows 7 64 bit) for 6 months. It appears to have stopped working around the time of the last Windows update, thanks Bill...

Any suggestions as to where I go from here?

Thanks again.

Bill,

Windows 7 makes a restore point, every time you start the computer. Try using system restore and go back before the last Windows update.

Rick

Dear Pudgy One,

I followed all the instructions on installing the Dell AIO 689w Vista SP2 printer drivers, and it SEEMED to work, although I had to do a couple more steps to get where I am now.

1) During software installation, it asks if one wants to update an existing driver (there seemed to still be something in my computer despite having de-installed the software and printers in the control panel and rebooted a few times) or to install a copy of the driver to use with another printer. I selected "update" (Right?)

2) After installing "successfully" according to the installer, there was only a "Fax Dell AIO 689w" and a shadow of a former AIO printer (Copy 2) that I had previously deleted reappeared in the control panel. I then went to "Install a new printer" and located the printer's IP and installed that printer. It asked me if I wanted to use printer drivers present on my machine and I (assuming this would be the new ones we just installed, and because it said "(Recommended)" said YES. (Right?) The system then installed a smacking new printer icon with no Copy# on it, so it looks legit, right? It then suggested I take it for a test drive and print a test sheet. It went through the motions of printing, but was not registering any ink levels and after I "printed" it said the file was still in the qeue.

I have been fiddling with these connections for a couple weeks now and getting increasingly frustrated. I have two fairly new Dell computers and a not so new printer, and they are not talking to each other. My wife has an old Compaq laptop with Vista installed and it is printing happily along on the same printer, so it's not the printer that is the problem, but rather Windows 7.

HELP?

Frustrated, Peter May