Cannot add HP Deskjet 3940

You've probably done most of these already. Maybe the Combo Updater is a good place to start:

Delete and re-ADD the printer(s) in Printer Setup.
Repair permissions (Disk Utility).
Delete Print Prefs - search for (File>Find) files that start with com.apple.print and delete them all and reboot.
Reset Printing System (new in Tiger) - In Printer Setup, click this menu item found just above Quit Printer Setup.
If there is a downloadable Combination Updater from Apple, use it to re-Update OS X.
Try Printer Setup Repair from www.fixamac.net.
Use a Disk Utility like Disk Warrior to repair the HD.

Have you ever printed from this computer, or from Tiger?

You may need to reinstall OS X.
Least painful - Archive & Install option in the Installer.

Hi,

I've tried the changes you indicated (except for the
printer-repair-software which would cost nearly as
much as the printer ;)) with no success.

Interestingly however, while the printer doesn't get
added to the mac printers list, it is added to the
CUPS one (as seen on http://localhost:631). And in
fact this printer will even print a test page. So
its obviously not the hardware or driver issues.

HP makes excellent hardware. They can't make software to save their lives.

Unfortunately, I still can't use the printer as I
can't find a way of telling OS X to print to the
CUPS queue. Argh!

Also, checking the system message logs
/var/log/messages we have these error messages:
Jan 22 15:53:33 XXXXX 990904320: cupsd's bootstrap
server port not found
Jan 22 15:55:00 XXXXX 990904320: cupsd's bootstrap
server port not found
Jan 22 15:55:49 XXXXX /Applications/Utilities/Printer
Setup Utility.app/Contents
/MacOS/Printer Setup Utility: cupsd mach_msg error
(ipc/rcv) timed out

Don't know what these mean but perhaps the could be
useful?

From the looks of it Printer Setup Utility is not detecting the printer, but you knew this already.

You could run Reset the Print System from Printer Setup Utility (I know you did it already. Try again.) and you could go to the Library/Printers folder and delete the HP folder. If you do that you'll have to reinstall the HP stuff. Get the latest and greatest (such as they are) drivers from HP's site at <http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?dlc=en&lc=en&product=445449&la ng=en&cc=us&os=219> and see what happens.

And, oh, make certain that the printer is turned on and is connected to the Mac when you run the install. Even if it looks as though it's connected, it might not be; unplug it, from both ends, and plug it in again. And make sure that it's really powered up; unplug the power, from both ends, and plug it back in, too. (if the printer has a power brick, and the power brick has a little cord which plugs into it, unplug and replug that, too.) It's amazing how many problems are cured by unplugging everything and replugging it. This is especially so when the devices seem to be plugged in and drawing power.

The printer setup DOES detect the printer (it appears
in the list) - but it crashes when it tries to add it
to the list of known printers. It also configures it
enough to add it to CUPS.

Hmmm. Now that's strange. Printer Setup Utility is misbehaving.

Okay, three things to try:

1 the easy way: create a new user, using the Accounts pane in System Preferences. Give that user Admin privs. Try to add the printer there. If that works, we know that the problem is in the home directory of the original user, almost certainly in ~/Library/Preferences. Look for items with 'print' in their names in that directory, delete them, try again.

2 the not-so-easy way: dig out something which can do selective installs frm .pkg packages, such as Pacifist. Get a nice new copy of Printer Setup Utility. See if the problem goes away.

3 the hard way: back up all the stuff you want to keep, do an archive install, see if the brand new version of everything from Apple works. If it doesn't, try an erase install (see why you should back up your stuff?) and _before restoring your data_ try to install the printer. Then restore your stuff. it might be that some 3rd-party haxie or app is doing something that Printer Setup Utility doesn't like, so install those kind of things a little at a time and check to see if the printer still works.

I have tried Printer reset several times.

I thought you might have.

I have also tried deleting the HP folder and
downloading the latest drivers.

I thought you might have.

And yes, the printer was both on and connected when I
ran the install (I am not a complete muppet!).

I've been caught by the apparently connected cable on numerous occasions. I now make checking connections my first priority. It's amazing how many problems come down to a loose cable.

As I said in my previous email, if I go to CUPS and
print from there that works fine, but the Mac GUI
software doesn't recognise the printer and I can't
figure out how to print from any application that
uses the GUI interface.

Hello Anna

I have also been experiencing some strange printing errors that give me a cupsd mach_msg error (ipc/rcv) timed out message. While my error is not in adding, I thought I might check with you to see if our two problems are similar. I take it that your printer is connected via USB? Are you printing Bonjour? I recently had a printer set up to print via Bonjour over a LAN and it was having the previously stated error over and over again (causing a great deal of stress because it is the printer that prints for my companies Fax Server). I switched the method of printing from Bonjour to Shared (we have a print server running OSX Server) and it seems to have fixed the issue. Perhaps if you set your printer up using Apple Talk or one of the other print methods besides Bonjour (once again, only if you are currently using Bonjour) it could help. Please let me know if this is a moot point or not. If you have already found the solution let me know as well, maybe it will help me in the future too.

Thanks, Brian

The printer setup DOES detect the printer (it appears
in the list) - but it crashes when it tries to add it
to the list of known printers. It also configures it
enough to add it to CUPS.

I have tried Printer reset several times.

I have also tried deleting the HP folder and
downloading the latest drivers.

And yes, the printer was both on and connected when I
ran the install (I am not a complete muppet!).

As I said in my previous email, if I go to CUPS and
print from there that works fine, but the Mac GUI
software doesn't recognise the printer and I can't
figure out how to print from any application that
uses the GUI interface.