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General discussion

HP Dumps support for several Color Laserjets from Windows 7

Oct 7, 2009 11:50PM PDT

Full list are LJ 1000, 1010, 1012, 3600, 3500, 3550, 1500, 9850 and 8550 as per the following url ... HP's Windows 7 Laserjet Support page ...

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&taskId=120&prodSeriesId=3463669&prodTypeId=18972&objectID=c01856597

and they clearly state not happening in Windows 7 for these 9 models, yet there are probably upward of a hundred or more models that are supported.

My LJ 3600n is about a year old and has a manufacture date on it of June 2008 (basically new) yet that same support page shows a truly ancient LJ IIp is still supported! Amazing!

HP also did this to me with a scanner when Vista came out, but scanner was some 5 to 6 years old and I didn't argue.

As I stated in a posting in HP's forum ... manufacture date of June 2008, not like I bought some POS laying in the warehouse for a few years and I got what I paid for ... it was brand new from Staples.

I also stated in HP's forum ... I DON'T WANT TO HEAR BS SUPPORT RHETORIC FROM YOU GUYS ... FIX THIS ... and warned them I would shout it from the hills to anyone that would listen that this is not right.

Well HP ... I hope you are listening because the shouting starts here and NOW!

Discussion is locked

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Thank you for letting us know about this
Oct 12, 2009 4:55AM PDT

I will one day kill my Brothers Printer MFC-5440CN that work in Win 7 64 bits with full software, altough it use Windows Vista 64 drivers and software without problems and that is nice to know, PS if the software from the manufacturer work without any need of intervention of the manufacturer, drivers and software toghether there is no need to remake them again for the sake to make then logo approved in Win 7.

Most if not all software that are made for Vista will work in Win 7 without problems at all that included most of the drives also.

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HP Windows 7 Support is Woeful
Oct 26, 2010 6:50AM PDT

Agree totally with you. I have the HP 3500, it's 2 years old. No Win 7 Support or Drivers? That's ridiculous for a $3,000 printer that's only 2 years old.

If this is HP's "planned obsolence" strategy, it's worked. HP is now obsolete to me. I will do as they suggest and upgrade my printer. To one offered by a competitor who cares about their customers.

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I have a question.
Oct 26, 2010 6:54AM PDT

Where do we find staff to write these drivers for the price we want to pay them?

Years ago HP tried to sell updated drivers and the public didn't want to pay. Now we see the fallout.

Those programmers won't work for free and companies won't pay for drivers that don't deliver to the bottom line.

It all makes sense if you take a few steps back.

--> Not buying HP may make you feel better but if you get another printer the story repeats with that next company.

Too bad POSTSCRIPT never gained enough ground to solve this.
Bob

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Ummm.. in the $1,000 you pay for the thing?
Oct 26, 2010 8:41AM PDT

Sorry, I had a typo in my first missive, it was $1,000, not $3,000. The assumption when you buy a product like this is that the cost includes software so that it actually works during its life cycle. The life cycle of a $1,000 business printer is not 2 years, it should be on the order of 5. If HP intends to obsolete a product in 2 years, then they should clearly state that upfront so that I can make an informed decision not to buy the product.

You could also divert some of the 60% margins padded into the $80 cost of ink cartridges into service and support, too.

I can think of hundreds of ways to pay for the programmer to make their product actually work. Or hey, how about diverting the resources of the guy who did the Win 7 driver for the ancient and decrepit LJ IIp (when's the last time you saw one of those?) and instead ask him to work on a more recent product?

In any event, HP seems to be the only company that has all these Win 7 driver compatibility issues. I've surfed the boards for major problems with other printers and there always seems to be some fix/workaround that solves it. You never get the "sorry we don't support that product and don't have a new driver for it" stock answer that HP gives.

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Sorry.
Oct 26, 2010 10:12AM PDT

My older canon didn't get Windows 7 drivers so away it went. HP tends to get flamed more due to the market share.

Maybe Richard Stallman was right about these software drivers MUST BE FREE and OPEN SOURCE.
Bob

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To be honest, I'd pay $10 for a new driver...
Oct 27, 2010 8:05AM PDT

...so the thing works and I don't have to buy a whole new printer.

Unfortunately, that was not an option offered to me.

Mike