80, 81, 82, 86, 87, and 88 Service Errors

HP Jetdirect Print Servers - 80, 81, 82, 86, 87, and 88 Service Errors, General Troubleshooting

The front control panel of an HP LaserJet series printer displays an 80, 81, 82, 86. 87 or 88 service message of some variety. Also, the printer may or may not be printing "diagnostic pages".

Please be aware that several of the specific codes have not been documented, but the troubleshooting procedures are the same regardless. we are sorry not be able to provide every error possible, but please follow through with the steps here before calling HP for further support.

These are usually generic messages that indicate that either the printer or the Jetdirect encountered some sort of problem and, thus are not the easiest errors to resolve. However the strategy to resolve generic errors is a combination of examining the most likely solutions and using a process of elimination.

These steps provided do not need to be followed in order, so try any one or any combination of the following:

The most important step is to upgrade the HP Jetdirect firmware.

Check all of the topology connections: cables, hubs, switches, routers, and transceivers. Start by moving the HP Jetdirect to a simpler topology in relation to the server or client computer; this eliminates weak links in the network connection that may be at fault. Try replacing cables, using different ports on the hub or switch, or using a different LAN connection.

Without changing anything on the Jetdirect or cold resetting it, move the HP Jetdirect print server to another printer. This helps isolate the problem to one particular LAN location, print server, and/or its configuration. If the error appears at just one LAN location, then there may be some network connection causing a problem. If the errors appear with just one print server, then the best steps to take are a firmware upgrade (as suggested above), a cold reset (described below), or a replacement.

Try to determine if the error occurs intermittently or while printing or when turning on the printer.

If the error happens while printing, determine if it occurs when printing from a specific computer, from a specific application, or from printing a specific file. If all other client computers, applications or files can print without the error, then the problem may be only with the one particular print job or computer. Make sure the computer has the most current printer drivers, or use a generic printer driver.

If the error happens when the printer is first turned on, turn off the printer, disconnect the LAN cable, then turn on the printer. This will help determine if the errors occur due to being connected to the network or not. If the errors do not appear when the LAN cable is unplugged, some traffic or signal on the network may be causing the error. Even if that appears to be the case, try all workarounds suggested in this document, especially upgrading the Jetdirect firmware.

Turn off the printer and remove and reseat the Jetdirect print server in the printer or try another MIO or EIO slot on the printer. Then turn the printer back on.

If the errors return, turn off the printer, remove the Jetdirect from the printer, then turn the printer back on. This will help determine if the errors are due to some communication or connection problem between the Jetdirect and the MIO or EIO slot on the printer.

If possible, print a Configuration Page from the printer or Jetdirect print server. Then reset the Jetdirect to factory defaults - this is referred to as a cold reset. However, be aware that resetting the Jetdirect will erase any configuration, such as the TCP/IP address or the NetWare print server name.

Make sure that the errors do not appear after the cold reset, then reconfigure the Jetdirect with the same configuration as before (the same TCP/IP address, IPX/SPX name or Novell print server name). If the errors return, reset the Jetdirect again and try a new configuration - a different IP address or print server name. It may be useful to "borrow" the configuration of another printer that is working (turn off the printer that you "borrow" from). This may help to determine if network traffic is being directed toward a specific Jetdirect that causes it to error.

Try printing with a different protocol to see if it is protocol specific. If printing with other protocols works, check that the protocol that does not work is configured properly on the computer (for example, IP addressing is configured properly for the TCP/IP protocol).

Disable any protocol not being used on the HP Jetdirect. If using more than one protocol for printing, simply do this as a test to see if the error is protocol-specific. Protocols can be disabled through the Control Panel of a printer.

Also check that any client software (such as a Netware client) matches the HP software system requirements (listed in the readme file for the particular software).