Printing problem. OK from web, no go in Windows

[jaystarter]

Windows Vista Home, HP Deskjet F4180. It will print web pages, mail from Windows Live Mail. But not documents or letters created in Windows Progs i.e. Office 2007 Word, MS Works Word processor, Notepad. Go to file -> print and the printer will start, take the paper, sound as if it's printing but just spits out blank paper. The printer will print a test page.

I have tried: latest printer driver from HP site, HP diagnostics (nothing found) uninstalling printer and letting Windows find it again, new print cartridges, run the Microsoft fixit tool for printer problems (no problems to report). Switching on and off etc...all the simple things...I don't know where to go next.
It can't be the printer or driver if the printer will work by printing web pages (either whole pages or a selection) and emails surely ??

The person this belongs to can't remember when the problem started only that when her granddaughter tried to print out some homework last week was when it was noticed. She had done her printing before with no problems usually from using the Works word processor as they find this more basic and easier to use for their letters etc.

I've exhausted my googling searchs and feel I'm missing something simple so hopefully someone will have an idea?

[HansV]

Which cartridges do you have? There are different types of cartridges for this printer - standard black (21), high-yield black (54), photo colour (including black; 58), tri-colour (22) and another tri-colour (57).

[jaystarter]

21 and 22 standard black and tri colour. The same as the originals.

[HansV]

I found a suggestion that it may have to do with DEP (Data Execution Prevention). This is enabled by default. You can turn it off globally or for specific programs, but I don't know what to recommend - better wait until somebody who knows about this stuff responds.

See How To Turn DEP On or Off for a Program in Vista and Windows 7 and How to Enable or Disable DEP in Vista and Windows 7.

[jaystarter]

Thanks that might be worth a try when I go back over the weekend as we can always revert back if it doesn't work. Why will it print web pages but not simple word processor letters though? What a mystery. But then again Vista.....always seems to have a mind of it's own..... I'm wondering if I uninstall everything connected with HP via Revo uninstaller then try a reinstall again - as if it was installing a new printer on a "clean" machine?

[HansV]

Uninstalling and reinstalling the printer and associated software is worth a try.

[jaystarter]

This is so frustrating: I did not try the turning off/on of DEP as the printer IS working and there are no warning or error pop ups windows appearing, but uninstalled all the HP software then reinstalled using the latest drivers etc from HP support. Just the same.

It will print from the web a web page or an email from webmail. Create a document in Notepad or Word and the printer will go through the motions - take the paper, make the printing sound of the heads moving across the paper, yet comes out blank.

One thing I noticed was the printer appears in Windows Explorer tree under the Network user account. There are 2 accounts on this computer. Is it only being recognised as a network printer or something and stopping it printing from the local computer? it is connected by USB cable though. As you can tell I'm completely confused by this. Any other suggestions please?

HP support give the stock answer of updating driver or reinstalling, no help at all.

[HansV]

I wish I could help, but I'm afraid I don't have an explanation or solution for your problem. Sorry!

[Rudi]

I've been following this thread and I have been scanning numerous pages (and forums...and even the HP web sites), and there are many finds on this issue, but I have not come across a single page that has a valid solution. Most threads just stop half way through without the original poster mentioning if a reply resolved their issue...or the thread is just abandoned without the poster returning to it. It was a frustrating search...so i can believe that your frustrations are even more with this problem at hand. Like Hans, I wish i could add to this thread, but I have really come up empty handed with any hint of a solution.

So sorry....
May be you should go out and buy a Lexmark!

[jaystarter]

Thanks for the input as you have discovered it is not an isolated problem but obviously not enough people have experienced it for anyone to come up with a solution!

May be you should go out and buy a Lexmark

or try another printer which is the next step.....it's so time consuming as she isn't local to me so have to fit in with visits.

[jaystarter]

Would this mean anything? I looked in the C/windows/system32/spool/printer/ folder in case there were stuck documents (clutching at straws, saw it mentioned somewhere)) and discovered "shockwave flash" file of some sort which I deleted but made no difference to the printing.

[jaystarter]

For anyone that might come across this in the future:
This has been on going for weeks spending 1 or 2 hours at a time fiddling about. Eventually it works again. I can't say what in particular remedy worked but the sequence of events was uninstalling reinstalling, uninstalling with REVO Uninstaller and letting it delete most of the HP files...I say most - but balked at the really aggressive uninstall as it's also an HP computer and HP monitor so wasn't sure what related to the printer exactly....using the original software and driver cd that came with the printer to reinstall. Letting Windows Disk clean up clear all of the suggested files and temp files which totalled 6GB reclaimed disk space.

Then it would print OK but would reinstall another instance of the printer every time it was turned on. I found a forum post via google that suggested turning off and stopping the HP cue monitoring/discovery service....and there we are....so far things have been acting normally over the past few days, surviving PC shut down printer turn offs and ons....

So frustrating when something changes a computer setting somehow and there is no obvious reason or solution to the problem.

[Rudi]

TX for the feedback. I'm sure we all go through at least one incredibly frustration PC in our lifetimes, so to upload a solution that can be beneficial for someone else (or to find one if you are in need) is a wonderful reward.

[jaystarter]

Oh as an afterthought reading through the thread......the shockwave flash instance in a post above was a red herring it actually relates to the HP software where you click on a help subject and you get a little video or animation (to change cartridges for example)