Question Dead plotter

[Greenman]

My HP wide format plotter took spill off the top of a filling cabinet to the floor. Surprisingly, nothing is visibly damaged, and it turned on without a hitch, but the USB port quit working. I took it apart in the hope of finding a lose connector or broken wire but everything is connected with no damage that I can see. Anyone have an idea of what I should look for before I give up?
The parallel port might still work, though I'd have to find a card for my computer and a cable.

I understand that this is a Hale Marry shot, but someone might have an idea.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Paperdoc]

If you have a parallel port on the printer that works, you could, instead, make it a network resource. Buy a Parallel Port Ethernet Print Server (I have the TP-Link Model TL-PS110P). You install that in the printer's Parallel port, connect it to power with its littel power brick. Then run a normal ethernet cable from it to your network Router or Switch and run the installation utility on the mini-CD that comes with. Voilà, the printer is now a network printer available to all computers on your network.

 

[Greenman]

If you have a parallel port on the printer that works, you could, instead, make it a network resource. Buy a Parallel Port Ethernet Print Server (I have the TP-Link Model TL-PS110P). You install that in the printer's Parallel port, connect it to power with its littel power brick. Then run a normal ethernet cable from it to your network Router or Switch and run the installation utility on the mini-CD that comes with. Voilà, the printer is now a network printer available to all computers on your network.

The printer actually has a network card in it, discovered that when I took it apart. I didn't think much of it because I've never been able to get any home network to work with windows.
I'll give your idea a shot, a cable is a hell of a lot cheaper than a printer.

Thank you for the advice, I really do appreciate it.

 

[mikeford]

Windows networking should be called NOTworking, it can be a real pain as MS helps you stay safe from yourself and those in your house. Post all of your public sharable network info over in a networking forum, devices, card models etc, win versions and get past the challenge.

 

[Greenman]

To close this out, I took Paperdoc's advice and installed the printer as a network printer. That failed as the HP network drivers are 8 years old and no update available. Win 10 refused to install them. Some further searching and I discovered how to manually install what I guess is a generic network driver, then the HP printer drivers. It worked. My plotter works and I saved a pile of money.

Thank you paperdoc for pointing me in the right direction!

 

[Paperdoc]

Glad to hear you worked it out, and you're welcome. I know how it gets not-so-easy to get older hardware to work under Win 10.