[Ham-Computers] Resolution - info on backing up files (long)

[Hsu, Aaron]

Greetings all!

As Brian mentioned last week, we were able to resolve the problem where his MFP (multi-function printer) wasn't working correctly.  As promised, here's a brief synopsis of what we did to diagnose and fix the problem.  (Sorry for the delay, I was in training last week (WinXP troubleshooting, ironically) and there are more important things to do on a September Sunday afternoon than e-mail...<g>).


* First and foremost, make sure the OS is patched to prevent any worm or virus from "un-doing" anything (Blaster was a catalyst to this problem).  Also make sure you're running a good Anti-Virus program and have the latest updates.  BTW, a decent AV program is AVG by Grisoft.  Better yet, it's free.  (see links below)

* We went through the "services" list to see what was preventing WinXP's print spooler from starting properly.  No major problems found.

* Brian sent me a copy of his system's "Event Logs".  Win2K/XP keeps event logs and they are often useful in tracking down problems.  Unfortunately, nothing glaring was found in the event logs.

* To be safe, we uninstalled Yahoo Messenger and scanned for any Adware/Spyware.  These often "hook" themselves into the OS and/or applications and can cause problems.  (tools used:  AdAware and Spybot).

* Did a generic search on the net for spooler dependency errors.  Lot's of hits, but there was one place that had some troubleshooting tips for "cleaning up" corrupted printer drivers.  On this page, it specifically mentions that Lexmark printers needed special handling.  Hmmmm, never asked Brian what MFP he has...

* Sent Brian the link mentioned above to try and also asked, "what brand and model of MFP do you have?" (should have done this *FIRST* <g>).  The MFP in question is a Dell A940.  He bravely started the steps outlined in the article (which includes registry editing), but not before double-checking all the steps with me.

* Knowing that Dell doesn't manufacture printers, I scanned the 'net to see who the OEM was and what the equivalent OEM model was.  In this case, it's a Lexmark X5150.  Now we're getting somewhere!

* Searching through Lexmark's Tech Support site, I found an article on the exact error that was occurring.  Sent Brian the link and asked him to try the steps outlined there.

* Got an e-mail back stating that the MFP was working again.  GREAT!  The steps on Lexmark's site did the trick.  It's possible that the "clean-up" steps also helped, but in this case, the manufacturer's suggestions worked.


At this point, I have to say that I can't take all the credit.  Brian, not as computer illiterate as he believes he is <g>, was savvy enough troubleshoot this problem mostly on his own - I only pointed him in the right direction.  For a time, I honestly have to say that I was a bit worried that a solution wouldn't be found (oh no, a ding on my record!).  Luckily, after getting a bit more info (like the brand and model of the MFP), we were able to find the right answers.

Yes, if Dell tech support *really* wanted to, they could have solved this problem utilizing the same procedures.  However, given the amount of time required to do so, they would rather prefer to "restore" the computers back to default.  For most people, this is also the "easier" way to solve the problem as most won't be savvy or patient enough to go through all the steps Brian went through.

If any of you have a question about the steps taken, let me know.  I'll do my best to say "exactly what wasn't clear?" <g>.

73,

  - Aaron, NN6O


p.s.  Links mentioned in e-mail...

AVG Anti-Virus
http://www.grisoft.com

AdAware spyware removal tool
http://www.lavasoftusa.com

Spybot spyware removal tool
http://security.kolla.de

Printer driver cleanup
http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders/CleanPrinterDrivers.htm

Lexmark corrupted LEXBCES.EXE file
http://support.lexmark.com/cgi-perl/knowledgebase.cgi?ccs=229:1:0:133:0:0&emeaframe=&docid=ENUS816

(If the link gets chopped, do a cut-n-paste to put it back together.  It should start with "http://" and end with "=ENUS816".)

**** EOM ****