Troubleshooting Symptom/Cure Tables: System Problems After Startup - 50
USB Printer ProblemsThis troubleshooting table deals with an iMac that cannot print to an attached, known-
good USB printer.
Possible Cause Possible Fix
Printer is not compatible
with the iMac USB bus.
Verify with the manufacturer of the printer that it is
iMac compatible.
Chooser is set incorrectly. Open the Chooser and verify that you have the correct
printer and printer driver selected.
Bad printer driver or hard-
ware problem.
Use Apple System Profiler to see if it recognizes that a
USB printer is connected.
Yes: Reinstall the printer driver.
No: The printer or its cable is malfunctioning.
Replace the cable or printer.
Bad external USB port. If the printer is connected to a third-party hub, switch
it to one of the iMac ports in the I/O panel. Does the
printer work now?
Yes: You have a bad third-party hub. Replace the
device that contains the problem USB port or refer to
the third-party documentation for troubleshooting
procedures.
No: Go to next step.
Bad USB port on the iMac. If the printer is already connected to a USB port on the
iMac, switch it to the other USB port. Does the printer
work now?
Yes: Replace the logic board.
No: Go to next step.
System software is cor-
rupted.
Perform a clean install of the system software using the
Mac OS CD that shipped with the iMac. (You must use the
system software CD that came with the iMac in order to
get the correct version of Mac OS 8.1 with the appropri-
ate iMac enablers.)
Bad cable. Replace the printer interface cable.
Bad logic board. Replace the logic board.