In search of a Windows 8 driver for a Lexmark 7300 all-in-one printer/scanner

[turquoisedude]

I have a fairly old Lexmark 7300 series printer/scanner/fax that I keep down in Ogden, just in case.  Believe me, with two properties on the market, it's been damned handy to have!! 

 

However, last December the printer was suddenly unusable.  It darn near drove me crazy until it finally dawned on me that the printer was probably meant for XP and we all know what happened that OS... 

 

I've searched for a driver that would be Windows 8 compatible; I've found several 'free' ones that download a product called 'driver detective' that will offer to update as many drivers as you want as long as you subscribe to their service.  I think not.   Lexmark's support pages are largely useless - the 7300 series seems to have vanished from their databases.  I might as well be searching for a new Q4688 Westinghouse Laundromat boot.... 

 

Has anyone else been able to work around this?  I'm losing patience but I really hate like hell to scrap a printer that has otherwise been decent but the cost of a new el-cheapo-deluxe printer at the local Wal-Mart is pretty low.   It just goes against my 'beliefs' about unnecessary product replacement, but I feel like I am beat on this one!

 

[wayupnorth]

I had a Lexmark 2300 series all in one that still worked well. Until I had to replace my computer with a new Dell that I could only get that HORRID Windows 8.1 on. Naturally, the printer would not work so I called Lexmark. They told me that these older models do not have a new driver that is compatible with the new Windows 8 and 8.1, essentially saying, too bad, so sad. So I went to Wal Mart, picked up a Canon MG2520 for $36 and it works perfectly with the new computer.

 

[vacbear58]

Printer drivers

Paul

I have lost count of the perfectly good printers (and scanners), both at home and at work, which have had to be dumped because there are no drivers for Win7 never mind Win8. I searched on the net and found a few "solutions" but hours later they still were not working and I just did not have time to mess around with them any longer - especially when there are plenty of low cost printer/scanners around. It grieves me that I had to scrap them but there comes a time when you just have to let them go

Al

 

[pulltostart]

Paul

After I moved to the coast I 'upgraded' (Gawd I hate that term...) to Windows 8.1 due to the demise of XP.  As a consequence, my 15 year old HP LaserJet 1100 is no longer usable, for the exact reason you state.  I searched and searched to no avail.  If I were running Windows 7 I could get a driver, but not for 8 or 8.1.  So my printer just sits there, collecting dust.  I figured when I really, really, really had to have a printer (hasn't happened yet) I would just buy a new, basic version.

 

lawrence

 

[philr]

I hate how things that work perfectly have to be replaced for reasons like that. I have a first generation IPad and it works perfectly but Apple stopped to make updates to the OS and now, it's getting more and more useless...

I wish there was still a desire from the government to fight this kind of planned obsolescence.

I remember reading a book about the introduction of FM Stereo in North America and how solution like emitting two channels on two separate bands were judged bad because non-stereo radios already in service would get just a portion of the programming. Some Japanese radios were already designed like that with simultaneous reception of two channels but the FCC decided to approve FM signal multiplexing so the two stereo tracks would be emitted on the same frequency and a radio equipped with a multiplexer could separate both and a radio not designed for stereo reception would play the content of both tracks. I guess they had other concerns when they did that but I like the idea of not making things already in service obsolete because of a change of technology.

 

[retropia]

Resistance is futile. Even though it seems ridiculous to throw away a perfectly good printer, I'm sure they do this on purpose. Why spend money to update a printer driver for your old printer, on which they make no money, when they can force you to buy a new one?

Staples will accept old office machines for recycling, so at least it beats sending it to a landfill.

I had two wide-format inkjet printers (they could handle tabloid-sized sheets of paper) that got scrapped that way; one an HP and the other a Canon.

Since I had to replace another printer anyway during my last OS upgrade, I went with a Brother color laser printer, which I like a lot. It can't handle tabloid-sized sheets, but if I really need something oversized to be printed, I just go to my nearby Fedex Office and have it done there.

And it is nice no longer having to deal with the overpriced inkjet cartridges, which seem to dry out in 30 days after installing one. The toner cartridges in my new Brother printer are lasting a long time.

 

[lordkenmore]

Another vote for disgust at the throw away mentality of the computer industry.

Another voter for laser printers. Toner seems to last forever and per page costs are low. So it's great for both light use, and also heavy printing.

Another option is keeping a computer around that can still support an older printer, and possibly older software as well. Such a computer is probably best not used on the Internet. Things to be printed can be brought over by USB thumb drives.

I do this last option. My best printer--seldom used now--is an Apple LaserWriter from the 1990s. I have an old Macintosh that has the necessary drivers. It would be a pain using this printer every day, of course, but for my use it's not bad.

 

[mrb627]

Lexmark Support?

Have you contacted Lexmark?

Malcolm

 

[turquoisedude]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.  I'll have little choice but to give up and buy something newer, even if it won't last... Sigh... 

 

Malcolm, I did try contacting Lexmark support and they wanted to bill me for the privilege of speaking to a support-bot.  Based on what I could cull from their website, I don't think they'd have been able to help anyway - the 7300 series of printer seems to be completely discontinued as far as support goes. 

 

I suppose I should have kept my old Windows 7 laptop after all; however the person who I gave said PC to may want the printer and at least I know it will work.  

 

I remember once upon a time when I worked in IT, IBM was ruthless in how quickly support would be dropped on their mid-range systems (I did a lot of work on the AS400 platform) for versions of the operating system that were not really that old.   It still irks me nonetheless. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[launderess]

Welcome To My World

One of the primary reasons had to break down a purchase a new computer a few years ago was inability to find drivers for certain hardware.

You would think that 2008 being not *that* long ago but in terms of how technology makers think it is eons. You can could yourself well off finding things from 2012 and sometimes not even then.

Most of the hardware purchased today is rubbish compared to things of old. They are all plastic and designed to die in a few years. Of course they aren't repairable either. They get you by saying costs have come down. Well yes, for the printer; but they get you on the consumables such as ink.

 

[kb0nes]

Paul, I feel you pain. This is often a problem when a new OS is released. Sometimes a driver will eventually be released and sometimes not, it all depends on how popular the printer was. Not a lot of sense writing a driver to support an old unpopular printer after all, somehow I would expect that from Lexmark to some degree,

I have a fleet of HP 9xx series Inkjet printers I keep running at work. These have far larger print cartridges then many newer models so the price per page is better. I have had them all apart for laundry tub cleaning several times. The oldest 8xx model was new in 1999! Luckily with these common HP printers I have never had any driver issues on current Windows versions.

I did have trouble with a wide format HP 9300 as it was an uncommon model and they didn't write a new driver for it. I was able to fake Windows into thinking it was a similar model printer where I was able to get a driver and it has been solid ever since.

An all-in-one device like yours may be more likely not to get a new driver since there is a lot more complexity with all the functions compared to a simple printer like my HP's.

In any case once you get the bugs worked out and get through the learning curve, Win 8 is FAR superior to XP. I loved XP for years and was very reluctant to move to Win 7, but there is just no comparison, the new OS is far more solid and trouble free. I have played a little with Win 10 and it looks like it fixes many of the issues with Win 8. If history is any indicator, Win 10 may be the keeper since they usually seem to toss out a dog every other revision.

 

[mich]

This thread is fascinating...

Because... Microsoft has thrown a kazillion pamphlets & literature and one of the things, they've touted most is driver support and compatibility with legacy products.

 

*Supposedly* if you have valid .inf files for a peripheral/device, Windows will make it work. Windows Vista Drivers & 7 Drivers, are *supposed* to be directly compatible with 8 Machines. 

 

Now.... Keep in mind, the company I work for, refuses to implement Windows 8/8.1, and... I personally, have spent less than 5 hours if that, working with 8.

 

I will also mention... I've purchased numerous 8 based machines for myself... and I've downgraded all of them to 7, right after taking them out of the box.

 

Personally. I don't care for the look & feel, and even beyond the cosmetics... don't like the way it's built, or maintained. 

 

<hr />
 

Anyhow. *IF* you know what you're doing. You can extract a software package, and grab compatible .inf files. Typically, you can just click into device manager, point it, to the folder with the right files, and it installs. 

 

 

[mich]

RE - 8 vs XP.

I'd have to respectfully disagree. Windows XP, if you had Service Pack 1 or Later installed... was extremely stable, and problem free. 

 

Quite honestly, the only *real* problem with XP, that I can truly think of... is the lack of Internet Explorer support. A lot of websites are simply incompatible with Internet Explorer 8... and some end users haven't made the switch to a different browser like Firefox or Chrome. If you have a modern web browser installed, I don't see a problem. 

 

Microsoft Office still runs, just fine. Most Legacy/File Network Programs, still run fine. Most companies are wondering, why even bother upgrading legacy hardware. The stuff still works fine, why fix something that's not broken?

 

Windows Updates.. are technically no longer available. However this is *fixed* easily, if your company is paying for extended support from Microsoft, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">or if you apply a patch online for Windows Embedded systems. </span>

 

Security? Just install some form of Anti-Virus software, and utilize Windows Firewall, or a Suite Product. Mcafee has officially announced, they have no plans to discontinue support for XP systems, and many other companies are also following their footsteps. 

 

I see a problem with a company like Microsoft telling people to just, toss out their machines. XP was still being installed on machines, and sold in 2010, 2011. And many of these computers are very capable/very fast machines. 

 

Windows XP is a good platform. And... I don't see it disappearing overnight.

 

And something tells me... Windows 7, will take forever to die out as well  

 

 

 

[brisnat81]

Have you tried to download the x64 bit windows 7 driver.

When windows 7 was new most installs were 32bit towards the end of its life and with most windows 8 installs they're now x64 bit.

In theory the windows 7 driver should work fine as long as you match the driver type ie x64 or x32 bit

Have you attempted to install the windows 7 driver?

Cheers

Nathan

 

[washer111]

@mich

I'm glad we agree for once around the subject of computers

Microsoft sent "usability" and "simplicity" down the potty after XP.
Look how they changed folder navigation, control panel (and the applets within) and various other things. Changing a setting on XP is a cynch. ON Windows 7, I find myself constantly using the search, since there really isn't any point trying to find what you want in the plethora of meaningless applets for each setting...

Look at the bloat they added. I mean, now Windows itself requires a 3D graphics card "for best results..."
Thankfully Windows 8 stepped back on the eye candy a little (so we either had it, or not... Hmm).

Then they decided everyone uses Windows on a 5" screen with touch support, so Windows 8 had no real start menu (forget the 8.1 update, all that did was add a button that takes you STRAIGHT back to metro).

Now we have a free upgrade to 10 looming, and based on Apple's process of upgrades. That sounds freakishly similar. They returned the start menu, yes. But it's been "metro-ised." Can't it be turned off?

Back to Printers:
I also agree with Mich - Microsoft claims each new Windows comes with "more drivers for your hardware than ever before.")

You might be able to find a way, I think I cobbled something together for a 2004 Canon LBP3200C printer we have here for a Windows 7 machine - Using a driver for Vista or XP, then using the files within and the "Add New hardware" wizard seemed to be the trick, IIRC.

On a Sidenote:
A Commonwealth Bank branch I visited recently was using an XP terminal for operations, as do several businesses I know of.

 

[mich]

Re - Banks

Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi ... and a lot of other large and small financial institutions refuse to make the switch. 

 

It's also worth noting, that *most* atm's in the united states still & will continue to run on Windows XP. It's a lightweight, resource efficient operating system. And I'd imagine, it'd cost in the billions to replace all that hardware. 

 

Why make the switch? It still works.

 

 

 

[kb0nes]

Apologies to Paul for my devolving your driver search into another silly OS debate.

I sure work on a lot less PC's now that XP is gone, don't think that is a coincidence... But by all means run what you believe is best, just don't ask me for a house call lol

 

[whirlcool]

And then you have your people who are still running XP because:

They don't want to have to learn something new.

They don't want to spend any money for something new when the computer does everything they want it to do now.

They don't want to have to migrate their software from one version to another.

They don't understand why any of this needs to be done.

 

[gefilterflo]

For years I had a 1999 HP Laserjet 2100 as my only printer. I had to use a parallel to USB adapter with it but when the fuser finally went in 2012, I had just updated to Windows 8 and it was still working correctly. I have become spoiled with my new (as of 2012 new) 1102W as the wireless printing is excellent, as is its Android support. I can vouch for laser printers, too!