Where's the HP ToolBox after upgrade to Vista?

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My wife has a new computer running Windows Vista and an ancient printer (DeskJet 930C).

The printer works, but I can’t find the “HP ToolBox” which, according to the (old) manual, should be under Programs.

Do I need to download a new ToolBox, or is it somewhere (where?) on the new computer?

J

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My wife has a new computer running Windows Vista and an ancient printer (DeskJet 930C).

The printer works, but I can’t find the “HP ToolBox” which, according to the (old) manual, should be under Programs.

Do I need to download a new ToolBox, or is it somewhere (where?) on the new computer?

I’m sure you could go to the HP sites and download it, but you ought to search the drive a bit before you do. I’m assuming you’ve looked at the Start Menu for either “HP” or “Hewlett-Packard” and it’s not there. The reason I say both is that I have an older 970c and a fairly new 6980 and the installation software created those two different naming conventions in my start menu.

Unfortunately, I never installed my 970c in Vista and I have the 6980 installed in Win 7. But this may help in your search. On my XP drive, the HP Toolbox seems to be a file called hpztbx04.exe which is located way down in the WINDOWS folder. I won’t bore you with the location since it’s probably different in Vista. But, you could use the letters in that file name to see if you can find anything close (or exact) such as a search for “hpztbx” or something on that order.

In addition, here’s an HP page that may help: Select your operating system HP Deskjet 930c Printer – HP Customer Care (United States – English)

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My wife has a new computer running Windows Vista and an ancient printer (DeskJet 930C).

The printer works, but I can’t find the “HP ToolBox” which, according to the (old) manual, should be under Programs.

Do I need to download a new ToolBox, or is it somewhere (where?) on the new computer?

If you did not install any HP software and Vista recognized the printer it is using a basic driver that is supplied as part of the OS. Selecting the link BigAl provided takes you to Installing the Printer Driver Located in the Windows Vista Operating System HP Deskjet 930c Printer – HP Customer Care (United States – English) which states:

“There are no drivers to download for your product. However, the Windows Vista operating system installed on your computer contains a basic driver solution for your product.With the basic driver, the buttons on the product do not function and some of the advanced product features are not available. However, using the workaround procedures in this document, you can still print from a software program. You can also import and view images on a memory card, if your product has a memory card slot.”
Looks as though you are out of luck. When Vista was released, HP decided to NOT supply “full” drivers for many older printers. They were/are trying to get you to buy a new one.

Joe

--Joe

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Thanks to both of you … I ended up cleaning the printer cartridge manually, which seemed to solve the immediate problem.

J

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Thanks to both of you … I ended up cleaning the printer cartridge manually, which seemed to solve the immediate problem.

J

Do you have the driver disc that came with the printer? Although the drivers may be for XP there is a possibility that they might work in Vista using compatible option when installing.
Haven’t been able to try this but maybe worth a try. Maybe can just install the toolbox from Cd using compatibility options.

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I had an HP 960 on an XP machine. When I tried to install the printer software onto Vista, I found out HP had discontinued updating drivers for new OS, hence the 960 had to be left on an XP machine to get full functionality including Tool Box. In Vista it would still work, but with geberic drivers and very little capabilities to speak of. I would suggest your situation may be similar.

Oh sorry, after posting I read Joe’s input above which is very similar to what I added, sorry for any duplication.

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