Hewlett Packard – Are the Chimps Running the Asylum?

If you are one of the people who have made the plunge to Windows 7, you might have found that for at least one brand, printer divers are still a problem.  I had used a Vista driver for my HP, but have not done much printing, so, other than a really fine test page and a report or two for my daughter, I can’t say for sure.

A story from ComputerWorld sounds as though Henny Penny has been out stirring up things again, and the sky is certainly falling.

Windows 7 users may find there are no drivers yet for their Hewlett-Packard printers, although the company said it expects to release some new compatible drivers soon.

HP is recommending that some of its newer products should be used with Windows 7, which was released Oct. 22. Unfortunately, for some people, that will mean buying a new printer.

“Older products may have limited driver support, limited features or both,” according to a page on HP’s Web site that provides a list of products that either have drivers available or will soon. “If your legacy product is not listed, no support is offered for Windows 7.”

Users have been griping on HP forums about the driver situation for months. In some cases, HP is not developing drivers for products that had drivers for Windows Vista, Windows 7’s predecessor.

Unfortunately, HP is one of those companies that can treat its customers like dirt, and they will take it, because their printers are that good (That is not the case with anything else they make.)

This is not new for HP, as there are many printers that people have, from HP, that work nearly as well as the day they were purchased, yet there are no drivers for them. This is one time that the words blessing and Microsoft can be uttered in the same sentence, as Microsoft knows how many HP printers would be abandoned if not for their generic Windows drivers.

Next, the story gives a typical printer of recent vintage, for which HP blatantly states that there will be no Windows 7 drivers -

“According to HP’s compatibility lists, there will be no support for HP Laserjet Color 3600n under Windows 7,” wrote user FastasFlash200 in September. “Is this really true and if so, for heaven’s sake why? We bought this device not so long ago for our small business office and waited desperately for upgrading computers and devices to Windows 7, but it seems HP won’t support this.”

Another user wrote that his LaserJet 3600 has a manufacture date of June 2008. “I’m going to make a big stink to everyone,” wrote MorePissedOff in all capital letters early last month.

Though I am usually the kind that would be first in line to write off HP, and use another manufacturer’s product, who is there for many things? If Seagate becomes problematic, there is Hitachi, Western Digital, or Fujitsu. If there are problems with a Viewsonic monitor, there are Dells and Acers, among others, that substitute without any tears.

If you want a laser printer, sure, there are many cheap alternatives, but then, that is what they are, cheap alternatives. How many 10 year old Brother laser printers are anything but fodder for the rubbish collector? Name another printer manufacturer that has workhorse printers that are not considered commercial, or cost thousands, that work for as long as a typical HP laser.

In the inkjet market, what other printer works as well? Lexmark? Please. That company can’t get a printer that doesn’t cock the paper through the path on a consistent basis. Canon? Have you ever tried to find printer ink for them at 11 PM on a Sunday night when your child’s report, complete with many full size color pictures, is due Monday morning?

There are other printer manufacturers, and they make perfectly usable products, but, in the world of printers, near anonymity is not a good thing – especially if you ever have an inkling (no pun intended) of moving to any form of Linux.

There is also the HP line on things -

The delay with the drivers HP is building “really has to do with making sure that all the drivers work smoothly for the customers who make the Windows 7 change,” according to an e-mail response from a spokeswoman on behalf of the company. “HP worked with Microsoft to make sure that the majority of current/recently launched products supported Windows 7 at launch and continues to work with them to ensure the smooth transition moving forward. “

HP isn’t saying which of the absent drivers may be released first. The best advice is for consumers is to click through to the actual product page and see if one is available. At least some of the drivers should be available within a couple of weeks if not sooner, the spokeswoman said.

So, HP might be a company you love to hate, but what can you do if you need great printing, and can’t wait for the rest of the printer manufacturers to catch up?

While their are great minds building the printers, the driver division acts like it has dropped down the rabbit hole, and Alice is nowhere to be found.

With HP, you either suck it up, and buy a new printer when they tell you to, or, buy a version of Windows 7 with XP emulation (Pro, Ultimate, Enterprise), or, learn to do a lot of generic printing.

I have a felling that many people are gritting their teeth, cursing under their breath, and crossing their fingers, waiting for those promised drivers.

§

⌘

⌘

Death is a very dull, dreary affair, and my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it. William Somerset Maugham

•