“So simple, even a caveman can do it!” All right, this statement may apply to car insurance, however, I simply don’t feel that those three-in-one printers can claim the same level of simplicity.

It all started yesterday when an ex-client of mine called me with complaints that their three-in-one stopped printing as it should. The printer had ink, was plugged in and was even being seen by the printer manager. But the driver kept giving errors stating that it was “not connected.”

Frustrated on behalf of this person, I headed over to see what the problem could be. After doing a little tinkering, I was able to determine that the problem was indeed related to a couple of conflicting drivers. Apparently the drivers from their previous Epson printer had risen from the dead and were suddenly conflicting with the existing Epson setup. As expected, I was able to get them up and running quickly enough once the old driver was remove/disabled.

You know, it’s funny. I have often wondered if, after retiring from the repair biz, I would one day become a little fuzzy in the memory department as I simply don’t work within Windows that often any longer. But I was both happy and perhaps even a little surprised to learn that I did, indeed, manage to maintain my basic troubleshooting skills. As it turns out, most of these perceived “skills” are more instinct than actual ability.

This is good to know should I ever end up in a pinch someplace else with another situation. I may not repair PCs any longer, but it’s sure good to know that I am not totally out of the game just yet.