Recently, I was helping a friend empty out a couple of rooms in his home. He had hired a
contractor to make some needed renovations. In a closet we found a factory sealed box
with a brand new printer. It's an HP Deskjet D4260. For some unknown reason, he stored
the box on a closet shelf and forgot it existed! He didn't want the printer, so I took it home.
I've gradually moved away from 98SE, but installing a new printer seemed like a good way
to keep an old system alive. HP does not have a software package for Deskjet D4260
compatible with 98SE. There is an HP Universal Driver for 98. It's suppose to work with
local and networked Deskjet and Laserjet printers. It did not work for me.
HP Universal W98W98SE USB DJ LJ Driver:
http://www.driverguide.com/driver/detai ... id=1344325
The New Hardware Wizard appears when the printer is powered up. It prompts for the 98SE
install CD. I've got all the files on a partition. Deskjet D4260 is listed correctly in the printer
folder, MS System Information, etc. Nothing happens when attempting to print a test page.
Eventually, you see a "print failed" message box.
After a quick Google search I found many posts on other forums with the same idea. Download
HP software for similar printers that are compatible with 98SE. For example, here is a post you
can find on several forums:
"The problem is solved. I can now print fine to the HP Officejet Pro 8610 from my Windows 98
machine with the Windows 98 driver for the HP Deskjet 9800 series printer. When you run the
executable to install the 9800 there is an option to install it as a nework printer using a TCP/IP
connection (without verifying the printer) and that works fine."
I tried installing the drivers for Deskjet 9800 and few other 98SE compatible printers. It just
doesn't work with my system, despite the success you can read about in a long list of posts.
You may be wondering why I haven't mentioned KernelEx. If it worked, I could run the CD that
came with the printer and install factory drivers and a print utility. I wish that were possible!
Unlike many other KernelEx users, my experience has not been very good. I must have
attempted fifty installs with KernelEx. Usually, I don't get past the setup.exe file. If it does install,
my system inevitably crashes.
(I have no fear of wrecking the system. Electronics is my hobby and profession. The backup
equipment I use is virtually foolproof. I can restore 98SE in less than two minutes.)
If there is any chance of installing HP Deskjet D4260, I need working drivers and a functional
print utility. The drivers alone are not enough. Without a simple print utility, you can't align
the print head or perform basic maintenance operations.
I'm about to donate this printer to Goodwill, so any suggestions would be appreciated.