Possible causes:

• Printer is not plugged in, turned on, connected to the computer, or set to On-line.
• Printer is not set as the default printer for Windows 95.
• Other drivers are conflicting with the printer.
• Docking bar is not configured or defective.
• TSR or memory resident programs are conflicting with the printer.
• Software corruption is not sending correct information to the printer.
• Printer’s external cable or switch box is defective.
• Printer is defective.

Basic troubleshooting procedures:

Check all connections and power to the printer - If the printer is not attached to a working outlet, and put On-line, if applicable, the printer will not print. Make sure the power outlet the printer is plugged into is working. If the printer is plugged into a surge protector or power strip, plug the printer directly into the wall outlet to make sure the printer has a good power supply. Make sure the printer is turned on and on-line. Check the documentation that came with the printer for location of power lights on the printer. Make sure the printer cable is securely attached to the back of the computer.

Perform a self-test on the printer - It is important to make sure the printer performs a self-test. This isolates the problem to something other than the operation of the printer itself. Refer to your printer’s manual for instructions on performing a self-test on your specific printer. If the printer fails to do a self-test, try disconnecting it from the system or if possible, try the printer hooked to another system.

Check the LPT1 settings in CMOS - If the printer port is not properly identified in CMOS, the printer may not function properly and you may receive errors when trying to print. Check your computer’s User’s Guide on how to enter CMOS. Once in the Setup utility, locate the LPT1 settings. The address setting for the LPT1 port should be 378h. The IRQ setting for the port should be 7 and LPT1 should be enabled in order for the printer to print correctly. Once you have checked these settings and changed anything that required it, exit CMOS and reboot the system.

Check the cable connection on the printer and the computer - If the printer cable is not securely attached to the computer, printing may be intermittent or garbled characters may appear on the printed media. Remove the printer cable from both ends and reattach the cable to make sure the connection is solid. If the printer is attached to the computer through a switch box, remove the switch box to make sure the printer box is not causing the difficulty. If possible, try another printer cable to ensure that the cable is not defective. The Gateway Solo has a SCSI port for the docking bar, as well as a standard parallel port, confirm that the correct port is being used. Check your portable computer’s User’s Guide for the correct port to be used on the computer.

Resolving Printer Problems:

Printer Drivers for your printer - If no printer drivers or incorrect printer drivers are installed, the printer will print out garbled characters or may not print at all. Click the Start button in the lower left hand corner of the screen. Click the word Settings that appears on the menu, then double click the word Printers to open the Printers window.

If you have not installed printer drivers for the current printer:

• Double click the Add Printer icon to start the printer installation wizard. The Add Printer Wizard window appears on the screen.
• Click the Next button on the bottom of this window. Select the printer Manufacturers in the left hand column and the type of printer in the Printers column on the right hand side of the window.
• If the type of printer you have is listed, click the Next button to continue and use the Windows 95 driver. Proceed to step 5.
• If your printer is not listed, click the Have Disk button and use the diskette provided by the printer manufacturer. NEVER use printer drivers made for Windows 3.x. They will not work correctly. If you do not have Windows 95 printer driver diskette, contact the manufacturer of the printer to obtain these drivers. If you have diskettes for your specific printer, proceed with the instructions.
• The next screen prompts you for the port that the printer is attached to. Make sure LPT1 or the comparable COM port is highlighted and click the Next button at the bottom of this screen.
• The following window asks for a printer name. Under this the screen asks you whether you want to use this printer as the default window. Make sure the bullet beside Yes is darkened and click the Next button at the bottom of the window.
• The final screen asks you if you want a test page printed once you finish. Make sure the bullet beside Yes is darkened and click the Finish button. If the files for the printer are not on the hard drive, you will be prompted for the Windows 95 CD disc. Simply insert the disc and click OK to complete the printer installation.

If you have installed printer drivers for the current printer:

• Right click the printer icon for the type of printer you have attached to the computer. Make sure that there is a check beside Set As Default setting on the menu. Click the word Properties that appears at the bottom of the menu.
• Click the Print Test Page button in the lower right hand side of the screen. If the printer does not print correctly, continue to the next step.
• Across the top of the printer properties window are several tabs such as: General, Details, Paper, Graphics, and Device Options. Click the Details tab to go to that section. Verify that the Print to the following port: setting is set to LPT1: (Printer Port). If it is not, change the setting by clicking the down arrow to the left of the Add Port button and select LPT1.
• Click the Apply button on the bottom of this window. Click the General tab at the top of the screen again and click the Print Test Page button.
• If the printer does not print correctly, click the Details tab at the top of the screen in the printer’s properties window again. In the bottom center of the window, click the Spool Settings button. In the Spool Settings window, click the circle beside Print directly to the printer setting to place a bullet there. Click OK to return to the printer’s properties window. Click the Apply button at the bottom of the window. Click the General tab at the top of the screen again and click the Print Test Page button.
• If you used an emulation for your specific printer, consult the printer’s documentation and choose a different emulation driver.

Printer and application limitations - If you are able to print a test page but cannot print from anywhere else, try printing a smaller document from the application to see if the problem is with the amount of memory in the printer. Try selecting a different font for the document. Some printers may have difficulties with fonts that are not recognizable to the printer. Try printing your document from Notepad in Windows 95. To open Notepad, click the Start button in the lower left hand side of the screen, then click on Programs. Click the word Accessories, then click the Notepad setting on the menu to open it.

Third party applications - If you are able to print from Windows 95 applications but not from applications that you purchased elsewhere, make sure that the printer is configured within that application. If you are unsure how to do this, call the manufacturer or distributor of that application.

TSR and memory resident programs - Memory resident programs such as virus scans and other programs that automatically start when Windows 95 starts may interfere with the printer drivers. To alleviate this problem, consult the documentation that came with these programs and temporarily disable the program from starting automatically. Once these programs are disabled, reboot the computer. When you enter Windows 95 after rebooting the computer, try to print again.

Docking bar is not configured correctly - If the printer was configured on the system before the docking bar was attached, the system may not be able to see the printer through the docking bar. Once the docking bar is attached, the system recognizes a new configuration and the printer is no longer configured for the system. To configure the printer to work with the docking bar attached, click on Start, Settings, and select Printers in the Printers group. Right click on the printer being used, select the Set As Default option, and make sure the Work Offline option is not checked.

Loose or defective cable - If the drivers are configured correctly and you are unable to print, the problem may be the cable connecting the printer to the computer. Power the system off and reseat the parallel cable on the printer and the back of the computer. Power the system back on and try printing again. If the cable is making the correct connection, when the computer resets, most printers will reset also.

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