OfficeJet 4315 on 2000 Server

I just got myself a USB 2.0 card to give my old Compaq AP400 server some necessary speed and ports of the USB pursuasion. Part of my reason for doing this is that I have an OfficeJet 4315 All-in-One printer that I use mainly for faxes. I'd also like to use it as a scanner and networked printer.

To start, I put in the CD that came with it and it came up with an error. The product didn't match the mojo or there was insufficient bling in the system. It doesn't want to install on Windows 2000 Server. I guess it's got something to do with HP and Microsoft's licensing with one another and what's a consumer-level all-in-one doing connecting to a "corporate" server anyway. In any case, I wanted to get this thing going and I thought there's gotta be a way.

I went to the HP website and typed in 4315 in their Drivers and Downloads search tool. After picking Windows 2000, one of the options was HP Print and Scan Drivers: USB Support which looked like the best one. When I downloaded that and ran it, I got the same error.

So I decided to look around to see if the drivers had been unpacked somewhere. I found them in c:\documents and settings\adminstrator\local settings\temp\hpwebrelease. After I pointed a manual hardware installation to look there for the drivers, it worked. I was able to print from the server!

My next task was to share it and see if I could print and scan over the network - a long shot. Didn't get it to scan but I think that's just the way it goes with this printer. If I want to use it to scan, I'll just have to setup an XP or 2000 Professional "server". For now, I can print to it which took a bit of doing and I'll have to leave it at that. Unless... there's something under Linux that'll work...

Tech Support Shortcuts

It happens more often than you'd like. Something you paid for stops working and you need help fixing it. It's under warranty or it's a subscription service so you decide to call Tech Support. You wade through menus, entering the odd piece of personal information, and finally get to a human being...in India, the Phillipines, or if you're really lucky, Utah.

It's at this point that most people's real frustration begins. See you probably didn't just have a problem and right away call tech support. You probably tried to fix it yourself. You tried 2 or 10 different ways to solve this problem. None of them worked so made the call.

It's irritating that the technology doesn't work. It's irritating that all the things you tried didn't fix it. The coup-de-gras of irritation comes now, when the tech support person most likely will have you repeat all the things you've already done. Since you don't want to, here are some ideas to get that CSR out of their script.

1. When they ask you what the problem is, you can run through a prepared list of the strategies you've taken. You don't have to be specific, your goal here is just to prove that you know more than them and use the techiest words you can with confidence. The only thing better than breaking them from their script is to get the level 2 or 3 but of course you can't just ask.

2. You can say you were just troubleshooting the problem on the phone for an hour and got cut off so you've tried all the simple things. You can say "Bob" was just transferring you to "level 2".

3. Did you know that when they put you on hold for a bit during the troubleshooting session, they're just doing their own little google search or IMing someone who has half a clue? It's at this point you know they've not met this problem before. That may mean they are inexperienced or it may mean this is a rare problem. In either case you want to get to someone else.

These tips would be wholly unnecesary if these scripts were just made public. If a company makes money selling support, then I can see why they'd want to run a call center full of level-1 people. On the other hand, if it's a cost center for them, they should just make the script or flowchart available on their website and pay for better level-2 people to create flowcharts and populate a good, search-indexed knowledge base.

What I learned from SalonBiz

I learned that every type of business has their database application. These apps share many features in common but each has their own specialized needs. SalonBiz is that application for salons and spas.

I learned the data an application stores can be accessed by custom built applications or after-market addons. With caution, such data can even be changed and relied upon concurrently without catastrophic effects.

I learned that multi-user, server-based programs can be served through Terminal Services.

I learned that a subscription model can work in the retail space.

Windows OneCare Problem

I got a call the other day from a customer who had just purchased Windows OneCare to protect a couple of his computers. When he installed it on his laptop, it installed ok but when the computer just rebooted, it just kept rebooting. When I arrived and wanted to get out of the reboot loop, I hit f8 while it was loading up and directed the computer into safe mode.

I figured the problem would likely be solved by removing OneCare. Unfortunately, the uninstaller notified me that we can't be in safe mode to remove OneCare. I suspected there was other security software on the computer and a quick look confirmed my suspicions. An expired version Norton Internet Security Suite was still installed on the computer. You can't remove that one in safe mode either.

So I rebooted and tried to grab the name of the offending file or driver. Once I caught it, I searched for and renamed that file so Windows could no longer crash itself when it loaded the driver. It happened to be ar5211.sys - a driver that works with the wireless card. Once I renamed that file to get it out of the way, I was able to remove both OneCare, Norton, and then proceed to rename the file back and install OneCare properly.

My main gripe with this process: During installation, security software should check to see if conflicting products are already installed. When a virus infects a computer, a common first task is to identify incumbant security software. I mean, if virus writers can do it, why don't security software vendors? It only makes sense that if they're selling a product to keep your computer running smoothly, they should not allow their product to be installed if it's going to BSOD or bring the computer to a crawl. Of all vendors, Microsoft should be able to accomplish this most easily since their operating system is the one in question. Does OneCare really have customer computer security as their true one care?/rant

I don't mean to just pick on Microsoft here. This is their first attempt at such a security product for the retail market. On the other hand there are some very established security software vendors that should do this but dont. Symantec, I'm looking at you! Thanks for reading and happy troubleshooting.

Easy Webcam Setup

When I was a kid, my grandfather lived in Idaho. I saw him about once a year when he came down in his RV or when Idaho made it into our summer family trip. What if I could have seen him more often, like each time we talked on the phone? Today, cheap webcams and high speed Internet are making that a reality for millions of people around the world.

The first step is to buy a webcam. For under $40 you can get one and install it when you've got 15-30 minutes. Most webcams come with software to record video, send video-email, or monitor the security of your home office. You can also create video blogs to post on YouTube. If you choose to pay more you may get a built in mic or a motorized aiming and zooming apparatus. As another add-on, some cameras come with software that tries to track the movement of your face or objects on the screen. I've not had great luck with those.

The next step is to download software to run the video conversation. I've used both Yahoo Messenger 8 and MSN Messenger 7. The best luck for me, came with MSN Messenger 7.0 for its speed and the way it shows a mini version of me when I'm viewing my counterpart full screen.

Once you've got MSN Messenger 7 installed, you sign in and add your friend or relative to your buddy list using their email address or user ID. When you see they are online, you can fire up the old land line or cellphone to give the other person a call. It saves the hassle of setting up a microphone on the computer and since it's separate from the computer, your conversation doesn't have to end if you crash the computer talking while trying to reach a new high score in Tetris. To initiate the video conversation, I double click my buddy and hit the Webcam icon at the top of the resulting window. This invites the other party to the conversation so all they have to do is accept and live video should start flowing.

Whether you laugh, gossip, prognosticate, visit or just hang out. I've been surprised after webcamming just how memorable the meeting was. It is a lot closer to seeing someone face-to-face than I anticipated. Plus if you've got a wireless laptop, you can easily show someone around or go to visit different people in the house. So, find a tech-savvy friend or relative to connect to for the first time. It may take a few tries to get it right but when it works, it's all the fun of teleportation without the risk of getting lost in transit.

Links to get you started:

• Download MSN Messenger 7 - my choice to start with
  
• Download Yahoo Messenger 8 - click Get Started on the page that opens up
  
• Camfrog - Video chatrooms - if you feel like meeting some new friends
  

SunRocket Gizmo Troubleshooting

Not long ago, I spent a couple hours on the phone with SunRocket. I had their InnoMedia Gizmo and the VOIP light just wouldn't come on. I had a newer SpeedStream DSL modem there and a Netgear RangeMax router also connected. In my attempts prior to calling, I followed their suggestion to connect the Gizmo(that's what they call all of their VOIP appliances of which I'm told they use Innomedia, Linksys and others for this purpose) directly to the DSL modem. I also tried it on the LAN side of the RangeMax. In all cases, I had a couple of laptops connected wirelessly to the RangeMax and they could get on the internet just fine.

The quick-install brochure said I should power off all other devices and power on those devices starting from the outside of the site(i.e. Modem first, then Gizmo, then my router). This is what you should do in general since inside devices usually get addresses from those on their WAN side. Anyway, as I turned on the Gizmo, its power light was green, its run light would start out flashing green then shifted to flashing orange and finally flashing red. This meant the gizmo was not able to register with the SunRocket servers. As I said, the VOIP light wouldn't come on. The LAN and WAN lights were amber indicating that those intefaces were functional. Rubber? Meet road: I had no dialtone :(

So I just wanted to go through a couple of tactics used in troubleshooting this device. The first was of course to reboot everything in sight. After that didn't work we swapped the position of the Gizmo versus the router and also plugged the computer in directly to the modem to verify that we had an internet connection(see above).

Then we logged into the Gizmo at 192.168.251.1 with username 'user' and password 'welcome' and went into the IP settings and PPP something or other to program in the dsl username and password so the Gizmo could login for me. Now, this particular DSL modem - like many I see - has the capacity to save the username and password within which is great. It means after setting up the DSL service, connecting a computer or router is as simple as making sure it's using its DHCP client(the default for most devices). It also makes it so DSL is as easy to deal with as most cable modem connections.

That's why I found that part of the strategy confusing...if the internet was working and the Gizmo could clearly get on the internet, why try to have it take over the PPP authentication? Being a good soldier I did what I was told after expressing my doubts a couple of times. Finally I got to a very helpful Level 2 tech who had me try a few things and concluded the device was dead and sent out a new one. I'm still awaiting a conclusion on this problem so wish and Sunrocket luck!

If you're in SunRocket's tech support, don't hate me. I'm just trying to save people some time and give them a strategy to get you out of the script. All too often tech support reps are not working with the customer as much as telling the customer what to do and that needs to change. One way to change it is to train reps to listen and ask more questions to guage the technical competence of their customer.