A few months ago I upgrade my Puter operating system to Windows 7, one would think this was a good thing until I noticed that my printer a HP DeskJet 810C (Or because of its advanced age I thought it was called a DeskProp) failed to load up on my new windows 7. Hum, I wonder why that is? Oh, it’s because it’s so old they didn’t bother to upgrade a new driver for that model, as I was the last person on Earth to still be using one. I got my money’s worth out of it, and it still works, albeit not on my Puter.
It appears that I was only 1,660 models out of date, since my new printer is the HP F2470, which also scans and copies. I was just looking to buy a printer; the other features were sold to my wife by the super Tagalog speaking saleslady. My wife has never in her life wanted to use a computer.
The first store (the one with the super saleslady) after convincing Mayang that we could not live without it, then announced it was out of stock. My hand went immediately to my head for a power scratch. With my hand digging into my scalp and gray hairs flying in every direction, the young lady, tells my wife about the Cannon and Epson printers with the same features. You can’t make this stuff up; the other two printers were also out of stock. I dash to the exit, yelling over my shoulder that I was going to have a smoke; the truth was I was busting my gut laughing and had no desire to insult the young lady, so I ran to the side of the building and used the wall to hold myself up. It felt good to laugh that hard.
I went back inside after composing myself, and the young lady asked which one I wanted and was out the door again, ten minutes later after I returned with my best straight face, I thanked her for all the good information she gave me, I asked when they’ll be back in stock, and was told “Next week, sir.” I’ll go home and think it over and let her know next week.
Off to the other large computer store on Subic Freeport. A new saleslady, and now that I knew the type of printer that my wife wanted, but would never use. I smiled and explained my order she directed me to the HP DeskJet F2470 and pointed out that it was compatible with my operating system. I asked the price and was satisfied with her answer, and told her to wrap it up.
I took out my Visa debit card, and the “MANAGER” told me the store only accepted Credit cards on large orders (I knew this, but had to try). The Philippine Y2K bug rears its ugly head one more time. “Sir; you’re going to allow a customer to walk out your door, and go to another store and spend his $100.00 there?” I asked. “Sir it’s the policy” he replied.
So the lesson I learned was, policy, trumps the bottom-line, so I smiled and paid cash. Sometimes they just wear me down, until I cave in. But the laughs at the first store left me in a really great mood.
Now I’m at home with my new toy, Break it out of the box hook up many wires, slide in the CD that was in the box, and all hell broke loose, lights started flashing, whirling noises started grinding out of the new machine, and screens started popping up on my monitor, I jumped up and ran to the other room in fear for my life. When I returned all was quiet and the screen was asking me questions. Trying to be as truthful as I thought I should be. I answered each in turn. Loading started when I hit the button that said finish, but it was anything but finished, now it’s ordering me around, with things like “Load Paper” test alignment, and at last restart your Puter.
Now it’s teaching me things, good things I might add, like how to scan. I grabbed an old photo album and started uploading pictures that I’d not seen in 15 years. I can’t stop, it is now an addiction, I’m hooked, and I’m Jonesing over it. I’ve scanned hundreds of pictures and there’s still more to go.
So the question is; “Why didn’t I buy that digital camera years ago”, why did I wait until 2010 to buy one? (Did the cell phone camera count?) I’ve included two pictures circa early nineties just to prove that, I’ve not always, been an old guy, even if I am now.
Hi paul welll they are some wild photos there ,ya long hair hahahaha i used to have hair the same till the army barber disloged it for me never again ,if my hair touches my ears it annoys me ,these new printers are great arnt they and so affordable we have modelks here that it is cheaper to throw them away when the ink runs out than to purchase a new cartridge i had a cannon prinetr ffirst and the phtos came out great but the epsom was even better now i just cant be bothered printing photos anymore uses to much ink you can refill them yourself but it is very messy and they dont always work i get a lot of gear from ebay cheap and good quality nyway welcom to the new era and dont forget they will be in stock next week !
chris
Chris;
After I retired from the Navy in 1986, I took a ME year, and just stayed on the beach in Puerto Rico. I was so busy I forgot about haircuts. After I built my first Nightclub, then it was about the image, people and tourists expected me to always have shorts on and long hair to promote the beach-bum dream. BTW; I did it quite well.
In my area of Luzon it cost $3.00 to fill the Black, and $4.00 for the color. That is why we keep our printers until they die, or stop making new drivers for therm.
Paul Thompson
Thats hillarious about those printers being out of stock. Very good for business. Thats very cheap to refill the ink. Ink cartridges are very expensive here. You had the perfect hair for the beach. Have you thought about growing it out again, only difference is a little grayer and a little thinner hahaha. Take Care Brother
I’ve run into similar issues with HP products that don’t keep up with Windows. They don’t make it easy to find drivers to make your old printers work with “new” software either. It’s no wonder the worlds landfills are filling up as they leave us little choice except to be a “throw away society”. Oh yeah…..NICE HAIR!
Tony;
Planned obsolescence is the name of that game. Computers, Cell Phones and even Cars, must be replaced yearly. Not me, if I buy one, it’s replaced when it self destructs before my very eyes, and even then I’ll try to get it fixed. My darling wife has a bug about wide screen TVs, I explained that the three TVs we have all work fine and she’ll’ get the wide screen when ours stop working. I do get a tad nervous when I see her skulking around with that Stanley Hammer behind her back.
Hi-Def wide screen TV with an amplifier and 5.1 or more thundering channels of sound will enhance the viewing experience exponentially.
But I would rather be on the computer. Ya know you can set up a computer like that too—even with eyefinity (an at least 3 wide screen monitor set up); that’s where it’s really at. 🙂
Hi Pete;
How would I put this? Okay, let me try this, “Pete, Say what!” (lol) Please remember which Paul I am, I’m the one with limited electronic knowledge, I’m the guy that can’t set the clock on my microwave. I not much of a TV fan either, I’m better with a book.
Hi Paul love the due and I think Hp likes to sell new printers i was lucky enough to have bought a new one 2 years ago and it works with windows 7. I wish I could have heard the sales lady from the first store in person.Great article looking forward to the next one on your puter.
Eric;
The little sales lady was just so cute and serious, and in my heart I believe she was trying to help me. That’s why I had to run outside to crack up. It probably was my fault as I was the one who procrastinated for a month over buying the new printer, if I’d come a week before they might have been in stock.
In 1997 after my father passed, I was buying a ticket to fly home to Boston for the services, the lady(Filipina) at the travel agency in San Diego pointed out, that if I’d bought the ticket a week earlier I could have saved $200.00. I told her I’d talk to my Dad about that when I got home. She had made me smile at a time when it was hard to smile, and I thanked her for that.
I see the industrial strength Rogaine is working well for you Paul. HP makes fine products but I found how to save $100’s …when in need of a printer I go to the InkLink refill store and ask them which brand print refill cartridge is the easiest and most plentiful to find/refill….and thats the brand of printer I buy. I simply refuse to pay $25-$30 usd for an ink cartidge when I can get them refilled for $9 usd ! I know color me cheap !!!
From what I have been told some new printers you can not really refill the ink cartridge. This is where the printer company makes their real money. So some companys are making it very hard or not at all to refill. I still refill my own and some times can get 25 times on one cartridge, that to me beats paying $18.00 to $22.00 for a new cartridge.
Dan;
I had no idea you could refill them yourself. My problem is how do they get all those colors into one cartridge? I know that if you want striped paint, you pour the black into the white, and checkered the white into the black.
Yes..You can refill them your self..and on e-bay they sell all kinds of refill kits….I only do the black cartridge……and the secret I found there is you refill it when has about 25% ink left…..if you catch it around then you can refill for a long time…I am trying for the fun of it to go over 30 refill on this one cartridge…I have a older HP1350v 3 in one machine..in fact have 3 of them..I run windows xp and have no plans to go to windows 7..intill have to…I no windows xp good and also the printers I have good and they work good for me……The black cartridge part no. is Hp-56 and around $18.00 to $22.00 new here in USA…since I do not do color..no need to refill it…but you can…but you need 3 different colors to do it..and takes longer but can be done……some of the newer printers have 4-6 cartridges in them and some are harder to refill and some one that fills cartridges told me that some of the companys that make printers are programing the cartridge so average person can not refill….Brother did that on one of their fancy printers a few years back….example of you tried to refill and the cartridge did not weigh same as the program in side says is should…you had a dud…needless to say…threw that printer in the trash…printers are cheap..its the ink that if you go store and buy gets darn expensive…any way thats my 2 pesos worth on it all….
Dan;
Again and again I’ve learned something new on LIP. Thanks I really didn’t know anything about how to do that. Keep those greedy corporations from excess profits, your doing your part. And I salute you!
I try Paul..and at $10.00 to $12.50 for a refill here and when I can refill for about $.50 I might as well…but then a few years ago I bought a gallon of universal black ink cheap…that is a lot of refills…
Dan;
At half a buck per refill you are years ahead of the game!
Brian;
Here in the Philippines its so cheap to refill the ink, and no high tech company is smarter than a Filipino with a desire to refill your cartridge and feed his family tonight.
hahaha a good one there Paul..and long as you do not get a dud and then ask what the problem is and response back you get…”out of stock”
Senior;
Morning Brother from a diffrent mother!! This is to wild last month I bought a HP 300 touchsmart puter (as you would say) and also had to buy a new printer for the same reason.
These are the ones I’m going to bring with me. So I’m also in the process in scaning all those ancient photos and docs. You would want to have a back up incase the real pictures get damaged. OH yea love the HAIR I also had long flowing blonde locks like that before the navy took them. Unfortunatly they will no longer be flowing blone just Silver or maybe white at best.
By the way did she also try to sell you photo paper and ink that would be in next week?
Mike;
Here’s the deal, backup smack up, my old photo albums stay in a cabinet for 15 years untouched. but scan them and put them on a USB, they get shown on the TV all the time. so that for me means, the real pictures now become the backup. I’ll just keep them in a shoebox until my Puter crashes and scan them again.
As for the long hair, I never had it when I was a kid, only after I retired. On my 50th birthday I cut it off, as I thought it sad for an old guy to try and look young again. Especially when my head had already worn out two bodies! (lol)
Hey Paul, I had a printer that was only two years old and had to find a 3rd party driver to get it to work. I did not want to just go out and buy a new printer because I had paid $400 and it was a HP color laser. I wish that I could have brought it with me. Then I think that if I was able to bring it here I would have a hard time getting the toner for it, oh well. Have fun scanning your memories. It will be great to have them backed up that way if the pics get messed up you can always print out new ones and the new all-in-ooonnneee printer.
three o’s / three n’s / three e’s for the P/S/C 🙂
Bill;
I’d be willing to guess that your printer just might have worked here. The toner is here, it’s just “Out Of Stock.” My wife just found two more boxes of pictures to scan, so……
Hi Paul…fun read here…Nice hair…I did not know the Navy let you have long hair? Enjoy the new printer and emmmmmmmm since you have a little granddaughter ,that if like most young kids want to use the printer then you best buy lots and lots of ink and paper for it.
Dan;
The Navy had a real thing against long hair, I was a Merchant Seaman waiting in San Francisco to fly out to my next ship. The Rado Titanium watch is the sure give away, I never could have afford that on active duty pay
. My granddaughter has a lap top we got her, her Mom & Dad take care of her printer. I’m a cagy old guy.
ROTFL! How can you try to sell people something that’s out of stock, what a weird saleslady, hahahaha, LOL LOL LOL!
I really enjoy your articles, LOL LOL!
Cheryll Ann;
The sales Lady was blessed with the ability to see into the future. If I was her boss I’d give her a raise just for not saying “Out of Stock” and walking away, as most do. But it had been awhile since I’d had such a good hard laugh. I love this place! I’m kinda’ tired of scanning. Hey, your up early!
Paul,
Feel sorry for the sales girl. Well, she gave you a good laugh maybe that’s part of the customer service. You’re getting a lot of comments about your hair do. You look like a hippy dippy 60’s flower child. It suits you. he he he…
Alex
Alex;
As pretty as she is there was no need to feel sorry, I felt more sorry for her dumb boss that can’t manage his stock levels. He’s paying her while losing sales. I did garner a few odd looks while standing by myself outside laughing. Just another strange Kano.
As the George Carlin used to say, “The Hippy Dippy Weatherman forecasts a High moving in from the South, I hope the Coast Guard can’t stop it.”
whoa!! looking at the photos is like going back to the 70’s with your long hair!
until when will you stop turning your clock back? hahahaha..
back to the future???
Dans;
The truth is I broke the clock after I retired full time. I answer it this way, What day is this? “Today” What time is it? “It’s now.” And if someone tells me they will drop by, I answer, “I’ll see you, when I see you.” I learned most of this when I lived in Puerto Rico, but it works fine here.
Sunday during the fight I had no idea what time it would start, but it started and I watched it, and had a great time. 50 people were there to watch with me. Family, friends and the neighbors. What time is it now? Time to re-stock my beer supply. (lol)
Paul,
I learned the phrase “I’ll see you when I see you” from my retired navy friend, I wonder, is that a navy thing? lol!
Dans;
Yup pretty much, but I’ve heard it from other branches of the service as well.
Hi Paul – With that hair style are you sure your ship never flew the ‘Jolly Rodger’.
The last time I saw a sailor with that hair Blackbeard was the captain or maybe it was ‘Long John Silver’ Yo!Ho!Ho!
Regards.
Jim.
Aye Jim;
Ye forgot the bottle of rum part. Shiver me timbers me bucko. I’ve ‘ad many a fish and chips at the Long John Silver fast food joint, but they never had that great English Style Malt Vinegar.
Hi Paul- Believe it or not at our local watering hole here in CdeO (Kingston Lodge) they serve British stile ‘Fish n’ Chips with Malt Vinegar only thing missing is Pickled Onions but I have a supply of them also.
Regards.
Jim ‘Lad’.
Jim;
Pickled Onions were common in Boston when I was a kid, albeit I never acquired a taste for them. Fish & Chips without Malt Vinegar? You might as well cover it in ketchup, and feed it to the cat.
Luckily my 832C worked just fine when I went 7.
I did have problems with a ancient umax scanner, but did not take long at all to find a 3d party driver maker (vuescan) and all’s well.
Really 7 has been the easiest of all OSs over the years.
Hi again Pete;
My “Puter Guy” had to drag me kicking and sreaming into Windows Seven. But I agree with you 100%, once I got there I liked it.
Hi Paul – You have me thinking – is it time to upgrade my old Gateway puter and Windows 95?
😯
Hi Paul;
According to my “Puter Guy”, you’re fine! State of the art is what you have. Don’t change a thing.
My second part is be careful with that thinking stuff, for it always got me in hot water in the Navy.(lol)
Hi Paul….. the 810c is similar to the first printer I had that came with my first computer more than a decade ago. Ancient indeed. And for me… as long as it works, I’ll keep using it. He he. Lets see, I have an ancient Nokia phone that I use, and my OS is still XP. I’m oldskool!
Sugar;
With the exception of my cell phone, as Globe gives me the newest 3G phone every year, only because I have a plan with them.
But everything else I agree with you, “If it ain’t broke, keep useing it.” XP, that’s what I just changed from to Windows 7. I liked XP, but no more updates, and my “Puter Guy”, convinced me 7 was faster, Okay, he was right about that!
If you have windows xp pro with service pac 3…you still get updates…..I run windows xp pro and get updates all the time, that is why I still use it and when it goes down probably go to Linux
Agreed,same here.
Dan;
XP was the OS I had before Windows 7, The 1st week I had seven, my Puter Guy hid from me. All is well now.
Hey Paul,
I was going through some old photos of mine, and scanning them as you are now. First there was the old Grandparents and Aunts that Were in dire need of preservation. Then I ran across some photos of me back in the ’70s wearing short shorts (as was the style). I decided not to scan those as It looked like (how do I say this politely?)…Like I was posing for gay pride week. Not one of my better moments.
Ha ha,Hudson,that says a lot about me then,i still prefer short shorts,no i’m not gay,Lol.
regards,Chas.
Hudson;
As I scan and reflect back, I agree with you. Some picture just don’t need to be saved. In the words of Jay Leno; “What the hell were you (we) thinking?” For reasons unbeknownst to me my wife put her food down on scanning pictures of former paramours. In the interest of a happy life, I agreed!
Hi Paul,
You are ahead of me on two counts.
I’m still on XP,and my cell is a 6yr old Motorola Razr lol.
I will go W7 next time i change my computer,the cell though,i will keep until it dies,does everything i need it to do.
However,i was ahead of you on printers,i have a 5yr old Epson 3in1.
Don’t mention TV,i have a 12yr old Samsung,still going strong,like you,i keep most things until they die,bugger keeping up with the Jones’s,i prefer no debts.
regards,Chas.
Chas;
And who said the Jones were that smart anyway? Every month I pay the electric, and water bill, and I’m done for that month. I cheated a few months ago. My air-con stopped, (it was 15 years old) and I went the next day and got a new one. But I did repair the old one, and it’s working fine again. But no way I would wait a week without one. My wife’s twin now has my old one.
Hi Paul,
You may have just convinced me to keep XP as I have the same printer and it is the most reliable printer I ever owned. I have a newer HP that’s a hunk of junk and an older Canon that does photos better. By the way I paid $3.00 for it at a yard sale. We have a local shop here where you turn your old cartridges and they sell you refills for around $10.00. My ex- had no clue about computers but often wondered why I needed a room full of them. I can’t stand to throw something out if it still works! I bought the nobya a laptop but she has designs on my netbook ‘cuz she likes the small size…well you know how that goes!
Mark G.
Mark;
Yes divorce is always a good time to acquire “New Stuff”. I think it was invented for that very reason. My old HP was like the energiser Bunny, it never stopped. I had used XP from when it came out and I finally replaced Windows 95. I’ll never say a bad thing about my Ex, because I was taught, “If you can’t say something nice…”
$3.00 at a yard sale? You are a hero!
I will never say anything bad about my EX..because I said everything bad I could think of over 20 years ago to the person you should say it all to…….HER! lol
Dan;
In moments of SMB clarity I’ll think back and still come up with things I wish I had said to my ex, then I’ll open a new beer and think, no, it’s not worth my time.
Paul… My ex, after an argument, he threw laptop on the wall! along with ageing Motorola cellphone I wasn’t worried about the stuff because both are ancient! I was like… great! finally replace your gadgets! had XP but the laptop was an ancient Compaq.
For printers I’d say HP is my fav. But I just get a cam instead and take a pic of those paper Kodak moments. He he.
Sugar;
After he smashed his Puter and cell phone, was his point made? It’s like the riots in LA years ago. The people were angry, and they burned down Watts. Wait a minute, isn’t that where they live? I would have burned down Rodeo Drive. That would have been much better to get your point across.
Or the idiot who puts his fist through the wall, (not recommended here in the R.P.) and smashes his own drywall. Did he feel better? Oh well! (lol)
Ha Ha your so right their Paul.
Old saying for you:
“Its ok to throw a tantrum when you are 3,but not when you are 33”.Lol.
Ha Ha your so right their Paul.
Old saying for you:
“Its ok to throw a tantrum when you are 3,but not when you are 33”.Lol.
Chas;
Wow stereo! You are so right, those mid-life tantrums, do not show off a guys machismo very well. Unless he’s a “Girlie-Man”?
Funny story about the coputer store. I’m still using Windows XP on my Gateway Pentium D computer, with an HP 6510 printer-scanner-fax machine. Still buy ink cartridges but try to minmize printing now. Monitor is a 19 inch CRT type that is about 12 years old, and working great.
I have scanned some old 35mm slides into my computer and did some photoshop type of restorations. The old slides from the 1960’s are color shifting and fading. My old slide projector lost it’s projection lamp long ago. Old black and white pictures stay in pretty good condition, except gradual yellowing. Old color pictures and slides fade and color shift. I have a lot of them, but sometimes I wonder if my kids and wife will even be interested in them anyway.
Hi Larry;
Great timing on your post, I’ve been talking to my brother in West Wareham MA. about scanning slides. Is there a simple, and I stress simple way of doing it? I’m also proud to read about how I’m not the only one who keeps things until they’re worn out completely. I found that after you scan the pictures and burn them to a DVD with age appropriate music in the background, they will watch them as long as it’s on TV. Drag out a slide projector and you’ll clear the room.
great story. glad you said the photos were you.. i wondered how vu canme to meet up with billy connolly… lol
great stuff as always. we were in sm department some years back, and i inadvertantly knocked a low lieing glass shelf off that broke. my wife and staff stood back in horror, and it was explained to me that we would have to pay for the shelf, even though it was in a dangerous place. luckily my wife quietly explained to the store manager that if that was the case we would not be purchasing the large pile of gifts we had collected.
for once policy was overwhelmed by the pesos, we thanked him for his understanding and made our way home after purchasing wha t we wanted.
frustration, fun, and lots of head shaking. thats shopping filipino style
Paul;
That was a surprise and te first time I’d heard an example of, “Profit overruling Policy”. I would have paid money to be there and seen that. As I know there was a bright light shinning from the heavens, and a choir of angels singing, and Saint Miguel looking down scratching his head over the miracle preformed, by your wife’s quick thinking
Amusing story about the computer store, I think I would have done the same thing you did in that situation. I think it is a real art that the salesgirl in the store was able to tell you all of that with a straight face. Kind of reminds me of some of the stunts Alan Funt used to do on the old ” Candid Camera ” show LOL.
I recently bought a Windows 7 PC, not for the purpose of upgrading, it was just one of those deals that was too difficult to turn down. A so called ” Factory Refurbed ” PC with 2 gig memory, more hard drive capacity than I will ever use, looks and works just like new ( I think it was something that was returned to the store within 10 days of purchase ) and with a guaranty, price about $200 USD and free shipping right to my door. At that price I figured it would be a cost effective way to see what Windows 7 is all about. So far none of my web cams will work with it and I havn’t tried any thing else with it yet. I’m happy with Windows 7 at least for what I do with it ( websurf ) but I will not part with any of my XP PC’s. I am still getting XP updates here.
Yeah, inkjet printers can be had cheap, they make up for it on the ink carts. After replacing a few of the ink carts, I now think twice before I print anything. I once tried a ” generic ” replacement ink cart, it didn’t work well for me.
Good article Paul, I’m still getting a good chucle out of it.
Hi Bob;
I’m dreading the day when someone asked advice about Puters, They just make no sense to me. I can work one, but that’s about it. But the one I do have is magical. Yesterday, my OVI Nokia (my internet) program kicked me off line. I re-installed it 7 times each time getting the same error notices. My plan was to go to town and get a new software disc and re-install again. This morning it just worked. I’m still going to town, but now it’s just to have a few beers with friends. My life is so complicated!