Solved Bidirectional printing failure

[bcdozier]

I have a Dell laptop with Vista Home Premium. I want to use it with my Pixma printer as an event printer at photo events. Printer wasn't being seen by Vista with SP2 so I made a partition and installed Vista without SP2 in the new partition. Printer works with Lightroom just fine.
The printer functions fully on my win 7 desktop.
Seems obvious that there is something in SP2 that is quirky with this printer. (My other printers work OK from the main partition on the laptop.)

I downloaded a software package that could capture the printer data stream. Compared the data streams. From my years ago background in this stuff it appears that the printer is not responding to commands from the laptop. Also, I can put a check in the 'Enable Bidirectional Communication' option on the Ports tab but when I exit 'Properties' the check is removed.
Security settings are proper.

Any ideas? I'm out.

 

[Arvinwebb]

hello, Welcome to the forum.

Have you connected your printer wirelessly? Can you give more info about your printer and Machine?

this link may help you for normal printing problems. Check it.

Normal Printer Problems

Thanks

 

[Dwarf]

Are you saying that this printer works correctly with Vista (no service pack), but not with Vista SP2? Have you checked for an updated driver from the manufacturer?

 

[bcdozier]

It's a Canon iP4820. It is not a wireless printer.
I tried installing just the drivers and not the additional software. They have one driver for everything from XP to WIN 7 32/64. Downloaded drivers, etc. from the Canon site and tried them instead of the install CD. The printer works correctly from the partition WITHOUT Vista SP2. In the Vista SP2 partition all printers - HP PSC 1410 and Epson PRO 3800 - function but not the Canon. I'm certainly not an expert but having captured a working and non-working data stream and noting that the printer is not responding to commands from Vista SP2 and the fact that the 'Bidirectional' option on the 'Ports' tab will not remain selected makes me think it is a registry setting. I tried comparing registry settings from the working partition side to the not-working side but that was chasing the wind.

 

[bcdozier]

Oops! The laptop is a Dell Inspirion 1536 running an AMD dual-core Turion at 2 Mhz. It has 4 GB of RAM.

 

[Lottiemansion]

Hi,

What version of driver do you currently have?

iP4800 series Printer Driver Ver. 2.41 (Windows 7/7 x64/Vista/Vista64/XP))

 

[bcdozier]

That be it. From 09/02/2010.

 

[Lottiemansion]

Hi,

Whilst this isn't your printer please look at these posts & see if you have the same options?

Bidirectional communication with Canon iP4500 printer OK with XP but not Vista

 

[bcdozier]

I didn't have Sharing turned on. For grins I un-installed re-installed the printer driver for the umteenth time. Windows is happy. And the printer icon notes when the printer is online/offline. So there is some communication - obviously one-sided. I am convinced it has something to do with the fact that I cannot enable bidirectional printing via the 'Ports' tab. When I do attempt to print the Canon error message says to enable bidirectional printing. I think that enabling/disabling bidi printing sets/clears a setting in the registry. But where? How does one locate that info? Keeps the MS tech support lines busy I would imagine.

 

[bcdozier]

Found the problem. Running with my instinct I changed my Google search parameters. A forum post led me directly to the registry area where critical data for the printer is stored.
In HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers\Canon iP4800 Series\PrinterDriverData\ there are 68 or 69 entries one of which is 'CnmLM_BidiSupport.' It is set to a '1' in the working setup. However, on the laptop there are only 9 entries in the same key and there is not a 'CnmLM_BidiSupport.' I'm thinking of importing the good key but that doesn't really resolve the problem. What would prevent the install from setting the correct registry entries?

 

[bcdozier]

Located the problem.
Uninstalled the driver again, plugged in the printer with power on and let Windows find the printer and driver and install. Had checked the registry after the uninstall and no trace of the Canon. After the install by letting Windows do it the registry was fully populated.
Still wouldn't print but now I had different symptoms and the 'Bidirectional' print option was automatically selected.
With different symptoms I got different answers at the Canon support site and the fix was to remove the "AMD USB Audio Driver Filter" The Dell 1536 (my laptop) was specifically listed. Hell, that shudda' been the first thing I thought of! Its common knowledge the USB audio filter affects printing. Oh, well - it's printing. Thanks for your assistance.

 

[Arvinwebb]

Nice to hear that your printer started printing. Happy printing. Going to mark this thread as solved.

Thanks.