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Bought my husband a new IMac for Christmas. The HP printer he had been using is about 10 years old, HP says it cannot be used with Macs.It had the IEEE parallel cable, which of course doesn't connect to the IMacs.Well this cable fixed the problem and saved us from having to buy another printer.
This one ended up being compatible although it did not seem like it at first based on some messages I received during the installation process. I needed to use my old HP LaserJet 4L printer with my new 64 bit OS computer running on windows vista home premium. I had to return another capable because it was not compatible with my configuration (64 bit). It ended up working just fine. The USB connection was the only way I could use the printer with my new computer.
I don't usually buy "gold plated" anything and had no idea that the quality of a cable would make a big difference, but this high quality Tripp Lite USB to Parallel Printer Cable is totally worth it. I had a "cheap" one and it never worked, spent hours & hours trying to re-install each time. It works. Period. Now it's listed for $26. No ports or menus to play with, Windows Identifies the printer and instantly installs. Just plugged my Dell Laptop into my old HP Laser Printer & it works. What a waste.Get this baby.
The "cheap" $14 cables sold by Amazon are worthless junk. I can't believe a $10 upgrade made the difference. Mine cost $28. Who knows, maybe yours will be $24.
I am even using a 10-foot USB extension cable in the line. The computer does not have a "printer port" or "LPT1". I have a Gateway notebook computer running Vista Home Premium 64-bit. The cable has gold contacts and the box says it comes with a lifetime warranty. My printer is a Hewelett-Packard LaserJet 4000. This cable works perfectly with my system. What more could I ask for.
Follow the instructions on the small pamphlet, and be sure to select the new port in your Computer-Printer-Properties-Port setup area. (Many online forums say that printing in Quicken does not work with Vista 64. FinePix Viewer version 5.411E works, with some quirks that sometimes shut it down prematurely. Photoshop 7 works fine. I also discovered that since I bought the max speed and power that I could buy, I actually got Vista 64, not Vista 32, which equates to even more trouble. I didn't need the installation CD either.
I also didn't need to use the DOS commands on the HP website, under migrate/upgrade for the above printer, as at least one other user of this computer and printer said they had to on a user site I visited.As all Vista 64 users have no doubt discovered, just because XP has been dropped completely on big retail computer chain stores' new inventory (such as Frye's Electronics where my machine was purchased), you can't assume that means Vista now runs flawlessly with everything. That is the assumption I made and I soon found that most of my legacy peripherals no longer would connect. If you follow the written directions explicitly when installing, this well-made cable will connect your HP LaserJet 5MP, and probably other HP printers of that era, to Windows Vista 64. I do love its speed, performance, and dependability. See Microsoft website for more on this topic.To date, Quicken Deluxe 2008 works with Vista 64, and I just sent a register report successfully to this HP printer. Maybe this is true, but I have printed one report successfully). I believe that now that I have printer function (after 4 months), I will like it even more.
Generally if something says Vista, that means Vista 32. The pamphlet isn't really meant for Vista 64, as it tells you the wrong way to get to port setup, but when you get there, all works great. FamilyTreeMaker16 works in Vista 64, and prints to the above printer.I did regret my Vista 64 purchase when I discovered how much I might have to replace. In practical terms, this means that while the industry has stepped up its number of newer peripherals, cables, etc that will run with Vista, many less are compatible with Vista 64. If they mean it's compatible with Vista 64 they will say 64. Every success I've had (software & hardware) integrating this machine has been hard won. Now if I could just get my old scanner to work.
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