Locally connected Printer shows as offline on Windows 7 network after initially working

See my post Dec. 23, 2014.

Has always worked for me.

See if you bothered to read beyond my very last post, you would have the answers to all these questions.

Again, In Windows 7, I setup the printer....I print to it....a few hours later I try to print again, now Windows 7 says the printer is OFFLINE. I turn off the firewall to see if something changed there, and fine nothing. I turn off the anti-virus and that does not affect it. I reboot the computer and as soon as windows loads up the network print starts printing.

Hmm, maybe it was a setting that had not taken affect. It's the end of the day so I think oh well and go to bed. I leave my computer on over night. Then next morning I try to print again, and again the printer is offline. I know that nothing has changed from the night before. So I open Windows XP mode and try to print from there, and it prints right away. Hmm that is funny, Windows 7 (the host computer running the virtual PC) says the printer is offline?!? Now if there is a firewall setting blocking Windows 7, then surely it would block any hosted virtual machines as well?

My printers are on statically configure print servers. Because I know dynamic addresses can change and cause printers to be offline. The file and print sharing is enabled. The printer was added by the wizard in the devices and printers group, and the driver used was provided by clicking Windows Update button (because the printer is NOT listed in the initial list of printers. After waiting for a while for the larger list of drivers from Microsoft's Windows Update is downloaded, the printer is list in the new list.

See one of the funny things, is the problem always goes away with a reboot. The problem always returns when the computer has been up and running for sometime. The printer is offline and will not return to online unless the PC is rebooted. This happens to both my HP 2600n (built in jetdirect) and my two printers on my Netgear print server, a HP 5p laserjet and a Panasonic dot matrix printer I use for carbon copy paper. Though the Panasonic is very rarly affected as it only prints invoices very occasionally. In fact the 5p only started after the 2600n stopped. HP finally released a driver on their site, instead of the one built into windows (via the update datebase).

Another thing is I have had at least 10 customers with the same problem, only one of them had an HP printer. All of them had older printers who manufacturer was not making Windows 7 drivers. The only driver that was available is when you add the printer and you click the "windows update" button and it downloads the larger database list and then downloads the drive direct from Microsoft. (You know, the list of "built-in" drivers, the ones that come with windows.)

Now security settings and firewalls can all be blamed for network printers. How exactly do you explain the same problem with a USB printer? Oh sure, maybe the printer went to sleep, except that I reached over and turned the printer on first and the green light is on. I even tried unplugging the USB cable ( from both ends) and plugging it back in. But even after the cable has been plugged back in and windows has made it's little chime confirming so, the printer is still listed as offline!?! Now firewalls have nothing to do with USB, same goes for file and print sharing settings.

Got any more bright ideas? Please, before you respond to that, go back to the beginning of this thread on the forum, and find and thoroughly read all my previous post detailing the problem.

See this was all covered in the post you replied to as well as the first few, including the one that a Microsoft employee replied to as well. I am not a dunce I've been doing this of over 20 years, and have several certifications (comptia, cisco, and microsoft) and degrees that back my knowledge. I am not some person who assembled one of two computers in their parents basement and then decided I was a computer tech. I started back when you had to know how to address DMAs, IRQs, and such, back before plug'n'play did the configuring for you. When techs had to actually know what they were doing.

You really didn't put much thought into that rebuttal. If the manufacturer submitted the driver late, then it would not have been in the Microsoft Update database. If they submitted a driver for test, then Microsoft added a driver that did not pass which would make it Microsoft's fault for adding a faulty driver. HP did not provided the initial Windows 7 driver on their site at all, it was ONLY available via the Microsoft Windows Update database. Which means, that if it was programmed by HP, then they did submit it to Microsoft, and they tested it, and put it on their database. If the driver was not finish, then why did Microsoft put it in their database? That makes no sense! See you keep digging yourself a hole.

Hp didn't finish the drive for testing and that is why it is faulty, but it was not on HP's website until two year later and many customer complaints about the drive in the Microsoft Windows Update database? Again, if HP is the sole faulty party for making a bad driver, then HOW did it get in the Microsoft database? Hmmm? I guess that would mean Microsoft FAILED to test it properly before adding it to their database then wouldn't it? Well since HP has NO control over Microsoft's database, that is NOT HP's fault now is it!?! Now wait just a minute, it's all HP's fault...Did HP screw up Lexmark's drivers? What about Canon and Epson? How did HP cause those companies to have faulty drivers that have to exact same problem? Wait I got it! Their must be a common thread somewhere?

Actually I do get who makes what. You clearly are not aware that Microsoft programs drivers for hardware that is not theirs. I have that direct from Microsoft tech support. (Or at least once upon a time they did...and I assume they still do.)  I have run into several specific cases where Microsoft and a manufacturer got into a pee contest over who could legally and correctly write the drivers. Canon is among the most frequent offended parties. I have had several Canon printers who's drivers got lost in litigation, which was part of why I stopped buying Canon printers

Further more You clearly missed the fact that it was not just HP. The HP 2600n was just one personal example. When it is one manufacturer or one computer, maybe it has nothing to do with the OS. Maybe you could blame the user if it was ever computer that user owns or runs. When you have five or more printer manufacturer, over 30 or more separate users/owners, in different locations with the same problem and the only common thing they have in common is the person they called to find out why the printer they have had for several years is now having problems.

I blame Microsoft because they had no answer either on support forums or when I called an paid the per instance fee for a fix. After they refunded the money because they could not fix the problem I knew where the blame laid. I contacted Microsoft by phone assuming I was missing something. I went in the support forum assuming they also missed something. Since sometimes determined users find fixes that the OS provider missed and the manufacturer also missed. I did not come to the conclusion that it was OS fault anywhere as lightly as you came to the one about HP. I assumed you don't like HP because you keep choosing to ignore the fact that I have mentioned other brands that this same problem occurs with.Since you do not like HP and think they are just bad, it has to be them, or the tech and not your precious Microsoft who is at fault.

If you read my post from the beginning, you will see that at first HP was choosing to not support that printer beyond Windows XP. Something they have done before with other mid to high end home/business equipment. Then after much clatter from customers they back down and finally offer support. That is why it took them 2 years.

I'm not a blame Microsoft first person, but I know they do screwy things. I have even called them with Windows generated error codes and had them tell my they were going to refund the pay per call fee because they knew that specific error coded existed but were not able to reproduce it in their labs and thus had no fix. Seems damn funny to me. As someone with experience coding, I know that error codes basically have an if this happens then do this setup. Programs don't generate error codes randomly.

I am not a Microsoft hater like the idiot Mac fanboys, or the Linux people. Windows may not be the OS that I liked the best, but it is what I use 95% of the time, and what my customers use. I am also not and idiot that assumes that the maker of my favorite things is perfect and never makes mistakes. I have had lemons from my favorite manufactures too. I like HP, but thought poorly of them when they bought out Compost (Compaq). I've not seen much from Compost that was work owning. So don't think I'm some HP fanboy, because I'm not.

Next time don't just read that very last post someone wrote and assume you know why they are making the claims they are. Look as see if they have most that one post and then read the other post, maybe there is a history there that will give you better insight on why they are blaming who they are blaming.