Author Topic: Update: Printer problem in OS 10.2.5 & 10.2.6 (Read 2256 times)

MamaMoose · « **on:** May 08, 2003, 01:03:00 AM »

As I wtote a few days ago, I cannot get my laser printer to print in OS 10.2.5 and now in OS 10.2.6. Here is a summary of my findings on this nasty problem, as of today:

I have a GCC Elite 21N laser printer. It works fine in a) OS 9.2.2; b) OS 10.2.4; and in Classic. However, it fails to print when in OS 10.2.5 or 10.2.6.

After setting up, I try to print and the job panel shows data prep and then data being sent. But, nothing happens as the printer soes not respond. This started in OS 10.2.5.

So, what I did is repair permissions, three times!!! Then I ran a utility called Print center repair which stated there was a problem with one of the tests - Repair Spool Directory:

:Error type 1. /bin/chmod:/private/var/spool/lpd: no such file or directory"

What the test tried to do was repair permissions in the above file and found it missing. This was not surprising since the job panel had a message "empty print file". Note, using the regular repair permissions, there was no indication the above directory (file?) was missing.

So I then updated to OS 10.2.6 and tried to print my test document (Word for X). It worked!! I was happy but still suspicious so I tried to print again and sure enough, no print output. Still does not work even though I repaired permissions 3 times in OS 10.2.6. I did try Print Center Repair and got the same error message as above

My guess is after the first attempt to print, the above /bin/..... directory gets wiped. My question is why. I have talked to GCC and they are very puzzled as they have had no cusatomers with this problem. They also follow and use all of Apple's prnt prtocols and drivers - they just furnis a PDD file for the Elite.

My only work around is to go into classic and print some documents from there. However, that still does not solve how to print from locally generated stuff such as e-mail. Quicken accounts, etc. I do have an Epson 820 which works just fine but it is slow and costly to use.

I am nominating this problem as the TS stumper of the year

Any ideas? Thanks,

MamaMoose

kps · « **Reply #1 on:** May 08, 2003, 01:41:00 AM »

I don't know a fix to your problem, but I can help with a few tests.

First, /bin is a directory that contains the command chmod or "change mode" for permissions. What's missing is the lpd directory in /private/var/spool/

I had a look at my lpd directory and it's off limits to all but daemon, a background program. No doubt a print daemon.

Have a look to see if you have it. In the Finder-->Go Menu-->Go to Folder...

Now type /var and press enter
navigate to 'spool'
do a Get Info on lpd (if it's there)
check Ownership

If it all checks out, use Process Viewer to see if the daemon is running...

i have cupsd and slpd running in 10.2.6.

You can also run this unix command in the terminal to give you complete details of all your printer stats.

In the terminal type:

lpc status

My results:

code:

[KARCOM:~] karl% lpc status
CX5200hUSBi:
        printer is on device '//dev/null' speed -1
        queuing is enabled
        printing is enabled
        no entries
        daemon present
Stylus_COLOR_740:
        printer is on device '//dev/null' speed -1
        queuing is enabled
        printing is enabled
        no entries
        daemon present
Stylus_CX5200:
        printer is on device '//dev/null' speed -1
        queuing is enabled
        printing is enabled
        no entries
        daemon present

Compare with yours...is daemon present? is queuing enabled?...etc.

MamaMoose · « **Reply #2 on:** May 08, 2003, 04:36:00 AM »

kps,

I followed your instructions and found the following:

A) There was no lpd folder in /var

B) I did find lpd in:
OS X (jaguar) > Previous Systems > Private >/var
> Spool > lpd
I did try to open this lpd folder but was refused since I
did not have permission.

C) Therefore the lpd folder is missing from my system.

D) I then checked the Process Viewer but found none of
the 57 processes had daemon in the title. From this
viewpoint the daemon was not running.

E) Finally, from the terminal mode I got the following
result:
________________________________________________
Last login: Wed May 7 22:41:41 on console
Welcome to Darwin!
[My Computer:~] mamamoose%
lpc status
Elite_21_Series_0523DB:
printer is on device 'pap' speed -1
queuing is enabled
printing is enabled
no entries
daemon present
SP820_SerieshUSBi:
printer is on device '//dev/null' speed -1
queuing is enabled
printing is enabled
no entries
daemon present
Stylus_Photo_820:
printer is on device '//dev/null' speed -1
queuing is enabled
printing is enabled
no entries
daemon present
______________________________________________

I haven't gone in OS 10.2.4, bvut I bet when I do I will find the lpd folder in /var of the main system.

So, I am totally puzzled. But, your brilliance in diagnosing the problem up to this point is just incredible. Thanks to you, I can talk to Apple - if they will even talk since I am out of warrenty.

Something killed lpd f in 10.2.5 & 10.2.6. But, I feel this may be an ionsolvable problem. Thank God, Disk Warrior 3 will arrive this week (I pre-ordered it) and maybe it will rescue me as it has done so many times in the past 10 years.

Thank you so much for your help. We sure have a terrific crew in TS and I am very proud to be a founding member.

Regards,

Tom aka Mama Moose

kps · « **Reply #3 on:** May 08, 2003, 09:39:00 AM »

MamaMoose, your printer is pointing to pap, which I found is a Perl script that drives a netatalk command to talk to AppleTalk printers. I don't think netatalk is installed in OS X, it doesn't need to be because netatalk is for linux and other unix systems so they can communicate with AppleTalk printers.

Do you have AppleTalk enabled? This may be a config issue.

pap is located in /urs/libexec/cups/backend. Do not touch anything in that directory...FYI only.

Does that printer need to use pap? I don't know. There are ways to configure this in the CUPS interface, but I don't know if it'll work for you.

I did find a very good link that delves into some of these "backends"... CUPS EXPLAINED

kps · « **Reply #4 on:** May 11, 2003, 09:03:56 AM »

Well...what's happenning? Did you get it to work...called Apple?

<insert missing bump smily>

taliesin · « **Reply #5 on:** May 11, 2003, 11:47:27 AM »

I don't know whether I can help - yet.
But my Epson P1650 scanner stopped working, not the printer, with 10.2.6.
Image Capture refused to recognise it until I fiddled with the preferences and rebooted.
I thought this was a banal and easily fixed "routine glitch" before I began to notice other people reporting a range of USB-linked device problems (including no less a busy, computer-savvy fellow than Rainer Brockerhoff, maker of X-Ray and Zingg. He apparently hasn't worked out his own scanner problem yet, but since there seems to be a connection, I'll ask him whether he has a moment to drop by here).
What's most intriguing is that 10.2.6, dixit Apple, purports to include "USB, FireWire and SCSI device compatibility enhancements."
I'm beginning to wonder whether the update has hosed one or two things beyond my comprehension.

taliesin · « **Reply #6 on:** May 14, 2003, 09:21:29 AM »

Bumpity-bump!

Anyone made headway with this? Have I missed something?

FWIW, when I did get to running the 10.2.6 combo after the "small" upgrade, Image Capture played up with my scanner again.
Or didn't rather, since it said I lacked one.

This time around, it was not as easy as the last; I had to set aside (then safely trash once it worked) a whole bunch of preference files (for both Image Capture and the scanner software) and do a couple of reboots before the thing started functioning again.

pendragon · « **Reply #7 on:** May 14, 2003, 12:50:20 PM »

Print Center Repair released an updated version (v2.0.5) today. It may be worth a try.
http://www.fixamac.net/software/pcr/

Harv

MamaMoose · « **Reply #8 on:** May 15, 2003, 03:05:40 AM »

I spoke to Apple and they said the "driver" (PDD file) for the Elite 21N is too old! GCC says no way it works fine. Apple said they have seen situations with a new OS where the printer wikk work fine indefinitely or stop working suddenly. They Apple believe it is the PDD file and I believe I may have found the trouble spot in the PDD:

*%XML: <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">

*%XML: <plist version="1.0">

Note these refer to a first version plist. Perhaps it is in there? In any case I got no joy and the two companies are going to fight it out. I am now, with great aggaravation, moving back to OS 10.2.4.

Mad Mama Moose

kps · « **Reply #9 on:** May 15, 2003, 08:51:57 AM »

QUOTE(MamaMoose @ May 15 2003, 4:05 AM)

*%XML: <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">

*%XML: <plist version="1.0">

That only refers to the XML version, in this case version 1.0. It's the same thing as in HTML 3, 4 etc. All property lists are written in XML and need to be interpreted by XML savvy apps...that just tells them which version they're in, exactly like a browser will read the HTML version of a web page. A .plist is a preference file, it is not an executable file. There is no code.

It's sad you have to deal with this kind of cr*p from both Apple and GCC...and without any tangible results from either.

News:

Author Topic: Update: Printer problem in OS 10.2.5 & 10.2.6 (Read 2256 times)

MamaMoose

MamaMoose

MamaMoose