HP Deskjet 720C Windows 2000

[preacher_2k 0]

Well, I have the problem, that the driver for the HP Deskjet 720C that is shipped with Windows 2000 is crap and HP doesn't support this operating system.

Any idead which alternate driver can be used or how I can get an existing driver to work ?

[jimf43 0]

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Well, I have the problem, that the driver for the HP Deskjet 720C that is shipped with Windows 2000 is crap and HP doesn't support this operating system.
Any idead which alternate driver can be used or how I can get an existing driver to work ?

You do know that the HP Website does list a driver for W2K. Don't kno if it's any different..but
http://www.hp.com/cgi-bin/cposupport/swindex.pl?p=dj720c&l=en&c=MicrosoftWindows2000

Otherwise you'll have to do a trial and error i guess. Sorry.

[adamvjackson 0]

If you follow that link, you'll see a notice that the current driver is included with Windows 2000, FYI.

[jimf43 0]

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If you follow that link, you'll see a notice that the current driver is included with Windows 2000, FYI.

Yeah, but you don't know 'when' they added that version. It would probably be worth reloading the site driver. Can't hurt.

Otherwise you try to find a driver that is close to the 720c that he has. I can't believe that their isn't something close, but it then becomes a try it and see routine.

Incidently, is the 720c usb or LPT?

[jimf43 0]

Try this:

http://www.hp.com/cgi-bin/cposupport/get...d04838#P16_2755

 

Says to use the 550C driver.

[adamvjackson 0]

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Yeah, but you don't know 'when' they added that version.

Well, if you really wanted to know, you could get the time/date stamp of the file on the Windws 2000 CD.

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It would probably be worth reloading the site driver. Can't hurt.

I agree, but it wasn't on HP's site, and neither is the driver for the 550C that you recommended.

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Otherwise you try to find a driver that is close to the 720c that he has.

I did look for quite some time, to be honest, but since I didn't find anything, I didn't post. Nothing on DriverGuide either.

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Incidently, is the 720c usb or LPT?

Based upon the age of the printer, it has to be a parallel interface.

The latest driver, according to HP, is version 10.3, released May 10, 1999; FYI.

My opinion? It's an old printer, time to upgrade if the Microsoft drivers are not cutting the mustard. That printer was developed in the Windows 3.1 era.

[jimf43 0]

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Well, if you really wanted to know, you could get the time/date stamp of the file on the Windws 2000 CD.

True.

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It would probably be worth reloading the site driver. Can't hurt.

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I agree, but it wasn't on HP's site, and neither is the driver for the 550C that you recommended.

A contrare mon ame ;-).
Try: http://h20015.www2.hp.com/en/softwareLis...&sw_lang=en

Incidentaly it is a parallel interface. Although the 600 series are mostly USB. Go figure?

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My opinion? It's an old printer, time to upgrade if the Microsoft drivers are not cutting the mustard. That printer was developed in the Windows 3.1 era.

Oh come on Adam, Those things run forever . Deskjets are the most reliable thing HP ever made.

[preacher_2k 0]

Thanks for your many replies !

The printer uses only a parallel interface and doesn't have USB.

It is now a bit more than three years old but still working quite perfect. I'm pretty satisfied with the output quality and the speed, especially with the color RET2 drivers that works under Windows 9x and NT4.

The driver included in Win2k is quite poor in functionality and the printing quality especially for grayscale is worse than with the original drivers under 9x. As HP supports none of the printers older than 3 years (or even younger) with current drivers for 2k/XP I wanted to know if any other printer uses a similar command set. I don't think that the printers are in fact that different.

 

So if any printer out of the HP's 800 series is similar, maybe this will work and enable the enhanced printing functions and not only the basics ?

[preacher_2k 0]

btw: i found a windows xp driver on www.windowsxp-drivers.com, a package that contains some dlls and macros but without any .inf. and also i found a driver from hp for the deskjet 830c that had a similar format but with included inf files, which i edited and changed the macro and dll names to match those from the xp drivers i found. it worked to install these, but in fact it seems to be quite the same as the built-in driver for the 720c in windows 2000.