How to Tell If Your Computer Has an Ethernet Connection

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If you use Ethernet to connect your computers, you understand how critical it is that your network is always available. If the Ethernet goes down, your business could come to a halt. Determining whether your computer has an Ethernet connection is frequently the first network troubleshooting step, which is accomplished by physically inspecting the cables for breaks and loose connections, as well as accessing your computer’s network configuration to search for the root cause of a problem. 1.To open Command Prompt, press the Windows Start button, type “cmd.exe” into the text field, and press the “Enter” key. Enter “ipconfig” without the quotation marks at the prompt. Scroll down until you find a line that says “Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection.” The entry will describe the Ethernet connection if the computer has one. If, on the other hand, an entry exists but it says “Media disconnected,” the computer has an Ethernet port but it is not connected to anything. 2.Check that an Ethernet cable is connected to the correct card on the computer’s back panel. On the same Ethernet card, up to four sockets can be found. These sockets resemble phone jacks but are slightly larger in size. Insert the Ethernet cable’s plug snugly into the socket. Insert the plug completely into the socket until you hear a click. 3.Examine the status lights on the Ethernet card’s back. A steady green light on most Ethernet adapters indicates that the Ethernet connection on the computer is active and connected to a valid partner at the other end. 4.Examine the status lights on the device after connecting the Ethernet cable from your computer to the device where it terminates, such as a hub, router, or switch. A solid green light usually indicates a good connection, whereas a flashing green or amber light indicates a problem. For more information on the status lights, consult the documentation for your device. 5.Click the Start button, then “Control Panel,” and then type “network status” into the search box at the top right of the window. Click “Network and Sharing” to see your current network status. In the Network and Sharing Center’s left pane, click “Change adapter settings” to see a list of all network interfaces and their statuses. Your computer’s Ethernet port is labelled “Local Area Connection” if it has one. A red X next to the entry indicates that nothing is plugged into it or that it is malfunctioning. Right-click and select “Diagnose” to get more information from Windows. 6.To test the Ethernet cables, use an Ethernet diagnostic testing device. Your computer and the device at the other end may be perfectly fine and sending out the correct Ethernet transmission signals, but data will not be transmitted if the cable is damaged. Ethernet diagnostic testing tools work by broadcasting test signals over the Ethernet network. Connect the Ethernet cable to the tester as directed by the manufacturer and run the diagnostic tests. If the test fails, the Ethernet cable is faulty and should be replaced. If the cable works, the issue could be with the Ethernet network card in the computer or the device at the other end.

Poor Print Quality from Your Copier? DIY Fixes You Should Know

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You approach your copier to obtain multiple copies of your lengthy document. The stack of papers is neatly stacked by you. As you return to your desk, you feel a sense of accomplishment. Then you notice a blob on page one, followed by the same mark on each subsequent page. Because you can’t hand out sloppy copies at your meeting, you toss the stack in the recycling bin. If that scenario rings a bell, you are not alone. There isn’t a copy machine user on the planet who hasn’t been let down by poor print quality and had to discard a print job. While image issues may necessitate the services of a copier technician, office managers can take steps to improve print quality. -A clean copier will help end poor print quality Your poor print quality issue is most likely simple to resolve. Those marks on each page are typically the result of a dirty scanner glass.   Useful hint: If your print quality problem only occurs when you’re copying rather than printing, dirty glass is most likely to blame. IMPORTANT: Do not use a cleaner with ammonia or an abrasive that can scratch the glass. NEVER spray cleaning fluid directly on the glass because it could get inside and damage the machine. Instead, spray the cleaner on a soft cloth. Wite-Out is still a popular product for fixing typos on documents. If you use it on copied pages, you may inadvertently cause poor print quality. Marks will be transposed to your copies if little blobs of Wite-Out remain on the scanner glass.   Worse, if Wite-Out dries on the plate surface, it may have to be scraped off the glass. If you are not cautious when scraping, you may damage the glass, resulting in poor print quality. Wite-Out residue should be removed by a professional. Post-its are another common office product that contributes to poor print quality. If you leave those little sticky notes on the pages you’re copying, the stickiness will transfer to the scanner glass. Sticky glass attracts dust and dirt, resulting in poor print quality. -More cleaning tips to prevent poor print quality Don’t forget to clean your copier’s slit glass, which could be the source of your poor print quality. Black lines may appear on your copies and scans if the slit glass is dirty. A slit glass is a narrow strip of glass that is usually found to the left of the large glass plate.   Check that your paper drawers are clean. Print quality will suffer as a result of dust and dirt on the paper.   Dust can enter the copier and collect on the underside of the glass and the mirrors. Because some disassembly is required, cleaning the inside of a copier requires the services of an experienced technician. -Staples can cause damage and quality problems We’re all tempted to leave staples in multi-page documents because removing staples takes time and a staple remover is rarely available when you need one.   Remove the staples to avoid scratching the glass. Marks on your prints are caused by scratches on the glass. You’ll also be saddled with a hefty repair bill. -Using the wrong paper can create poor print quality Poor print quality, including blurred print, can result from using low-quality paper. Toner specks may appear on your copies if the paper is too rough or moist. If you have rounded faded areas on your print, the paper may be defective. -Use proper settings to avoid poor print quality Some copiers have paper type settings, which should be matched to the paper type. Remember that faint lines on original paper are sometimes more visible on a copy. You can reduce the visibility of lines by adjusting the contrast and brightness settings.   If your copier has a background removal feature, you can use it to remove a grey background. -Toner issues are often the reason for poor print quality Copier toner is frequently to blame for poor print quality. If a vertical white steak appears on a piece of paper, or if a portion of the page contains light print, the toner may be low. The toner cartridge must be replaced.   If black vertical streaks appear, the toner cartridge’s surface may be scratched and must be replaced. If marks appear at regular intervals on a page, this could indicate a faulty toner cartridge. If a page is completely black, it is most likely due to a faulty or improperly installed toner cartridge. IMPORTANT: Use only toner recommended by the copier manufacturer. Use the correct toner for your specific model. If you feel uncomfortable changing the toner cartridge, you should call your copier service company. While swapping out the toner in a printer is an easy task, it can be more difficult to remove in some copier models. There are delicate parts that require gentle and patient handling. -Sometimes your copier can correct poor print quality When considering how to improve print quality, keep in mind that many modern copiers include a troubleshooting feature. This feature allows you to make image adjustments and resolve faded image issues. -When in doubt, call in your copier service company Your poor print quality could be the result of an internal hardware problem. Print quality issues could be caused by the transfer drum, fuser, or corona wire. Damage to the drum, fuser roller, or corona wire can result in dots or repetitive marks on your prints. These are all delicate parts of a copier that require expert cleaning or repair. If our cleaning tips did not remove the marks, a service call is required. If you have any qualms about performing print quality fixes, call in your copy service company. The adage, “better safe than sorry” definitely applies here.

How to Delete My Printer on a MacBook

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For a variety of reasons, you may need to remove an installed printer from your MacBook. When you connect your MacBook to a printer, whether directly with a USB cable or via a network connection, it remains as a configured printer in Mac OS X System Preferences until manually removed. Even if you disconnect from the printer, the configuration remains. If you no longer want to use the printer, you can remove it from the MacBook’s configuration. 1.Click the “System Preferences” icon in the Dock. 2.Click “Print & Scan.” 3.Click in the left column of the window to select the desired printer. 4.Click the minus sign at the bottom of the left column to remove the printer from the MacBook’s configuration.

How to Connect the Netgear Wireless Print Server & Cable Modem

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High-speed Internet access is no longer a luxury for most businesses; it is a requirement. As a result, many businesses now use high-speed broadband cable connections to surf and work on the Internet. Older cable modems generally allowed users to connect to the Internet with only one computer at a time and required an external router to connect other systems to the modem. Many modern cable modems, on the other hand, now include a built-in router, which businesses can use to connect multiple computers as well as add external network devices like a Netgear wireless print server. A wireless print server allows network users to access and share printers connected to the print server, regardless of whether they have a wired or wireless connection. Configure a Printer 1.Connect the USB cable from the printer you want to share to one of the computers connected to the cable modem router. Allow Windows a few seconds to detect and configure the printer for use on the computer. If Windows prompts you for a driver, insert the printer installation disc into the optical drive and follow the on-screen instructions to install the printer driver. 2.Insert the installation disc for the Netgear USB Wireless Print Server into the optical drive of the computer to which you have connected the printer. Wait for the Netgear SmartWizard to appear on the screen before clicking “Set up a printer.” In the Get Ready window, click the “Next” button. 3.In the list of detected printers, click and select the name of the printer you connected to the computer. Wait for the installation utility to install the required files before clicking the “Finish” button. When prompted, remove the installation disc from the computer. 4.Turn off the USB printer and unplug it from the computer. Configure the Wireless Print Server1.Connect an RJ-45 Ethernet cable to the wireless print server’s “Router” or “WAN” port, and plug the other end of the cable into an available Ethernet port on the cable modem/router. 2.Plug the end of the USB cable that leads to the centre of the computer into the USB port on the back of the wireless print server. Ascertain that the computer used to configure the printer and wireless print server software is connected to the cable modem’s router via an RJ-45 Ethernet cable. 3.Connect the wireless print server to the AC power adapter. First, turn on the wireless print server, followed by the printer. Allow the Netgear wireless print server a few seconds to obtain an IP address from the cable modem/router. Connect Computers to the Shared Printer 1.Return to the computer that was used to set up the printer and wireless print server driver. Replace the wireless print server installation disc in the optical drive of the computer. The Netgear SmartWizard appears on the screen after a few seconds. 2.Click “Set up this PC” and then “Add Printer Port Wizard” in the SmartWizard window. Select the device name of the printer connected to the wireless print server after clicking the “Refresh” button. To proceed, click the “Next” button. 3.In the virtual printer port configuration window, click the “Next” button. Click the “Print Test Page” button in the following window. Allow the utility a few seconds to send a test page to the printer. The test page prints on the shared printer after a few seconds. After the test page has printed, click the “Finish” button. 4.Remove the Netgear wireless print server installation disc from the computer. Configure other computers to share the printer using the installation disc and the “Set up this PC” option. Print test pages as needed to ensure that the computers and the wireless print server are connected. 5.Open Microsoft Word or another programme that allows you to create print-ready documents. Click “File,” then “Print” on the menu bar, and from the Printer drop-down list, select the device name of the printer connected to the wireless print server. To print the document, click “Print” or “OK,” just as you would with a printer connected to the local computer.

How to Enlarge Font Size When Printing Web Pages

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Print information from a web page when you need to save it. Printing from a browser eliminates the need to copy and paste information into a word processing programme. Changing the text size in your browser has no effect on the printed product. To get the best print out for reading, you must adjust your print settings in your browser. Internet Explorer 1.Right-click on the toolbar and click on “Command bar” to make your icons appear. Click the “arrow” icon next to the Printer button and select “Print Preview.” 2.Expand the “Shrink to Fit” drop-down menu. Select the scale percentage you want the web page to use. The larger the scale, the larger the text on the printout. 3.Click the “printer” icon to print your document. Firefox 1.Click the “Firefox” button and select the arrow next to “Print,” then “Page Setup.” 2.Uncheck the “Shrink to Fit Page Width” box. 3.Type in the scale percentage you want the web page to use then click “OK.” 4.Return to the “Firefox” menu and select “Print,” then “OK” to print your document.

10 Best Ways to Protect Your Home Network Security

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Home network security is becoming increasingly important as people purchase more wirelessly connected devices. You can now connect nearly every device in your home to your WiFi, including your desktop PC, laptop, and smartphone, as well as smart home Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as baby monitors, refrigerators, fire alarms, and door locks.   With all of these devices connected to a single internet access point, homeowners must ensure that the security of their home WiFi network is adequate. While doing this on your own may seem intimidating, you don’t have to be a tech expert to protect your network.   In this article, we’ll look at the best ways to secure your network and protect your family’s data. Understanding home wireless network security It is critical to understand how to secure home WiFi networks in order to protect your devices from hackers and cybercriminals. By “listening” to your internet traffic, someone who gains access to your local network can easily access your personal data.   When this happens, the cybercriminal can launch a variety of attacks against your WiFi security, such as “man in the middle” attacks, ransomware, or outright data theft.   Securing your home WiFi security system against these attacks is time-consuming at worst and incredibly simple at best. However, as cybersecurity becomes a more serious threat, it is more important than ever to protect your network from cyberattacks. How to protect your home network security We compiled 10 of the best ways to increase the security of your home WiFi. And even if you can’t do them all, simply following several of these tips will help you lower the hacking risk that faces your WiFi-enabled devices and personal data. 1. CHANGE THE DEFAULT NAME AND PASSWORD OF YOUR HOME NETWORKThe easiest thing you can do to secure your home internet connection is to change the default name. This name is also known as the SSID (Service Set Identifier), and you can alter it by following these steps: -Open Windows Command Prompt-Type in “ipconfig”-Locate your IP Address-Type your IP Address into your browser’s address box-Enter your router’s login credentials-Open WiFi settings-Change SSID and password When changing your SSID and WiFi password, use a longer phrase that’s unique to that device. Don’t use any obvious or personal information, such as your name or birthday, during this process. 2. LIMIT ACCESS TO YOUR WIRELESS NETWORK This may seem obvious, but avoid giving people you don’t know access to your home network. The more people who have your wireless network credentials, the higher the risk of your data falling into the wrong hands. For example, if a contractor is in your home to perform repairs, they don’t need access to your home WiFi network. While there are exceptions to this rule – such as someone from your internet provider’s company – avoid allowing unknown devices to connect to your home network unless there is an important reason to do so. 3. CREATE A HOME GUEST NETWORKInstead of giving out your wireless credentials to anyone who needs it, let them connect to a guest WiFi network. The guest networking option allows you to set up a separate WiFi network that provides internet access but hides any shared folders, printers, storage devices, and network devices connected to your primary wireless network. Most wireless routers have this feature, which you can access via the device settings. When you set up the guest network, create a separate guest SSID and guest WiFi password. 4. TURN ON WIFI NETWORK ENCRYPTION Most WPA2 and WPA3 routers offer an encryption option. You can turn on this feature in your router’s WiFi settings, which you can access with your IP address and router login credentials. When you enable encryption for your WiFi network, it encrypts any data sent between your wireless channel and your device. This will prevent anyone from eavesdropping on your WiFi network without logging into your WiFi network. Just remember that you’ll need to manually reconnect all of your devices to your wireless network after you enable this. 5. TURN ON YOUR ROUTER FIREWALLMost wireless routers are preloaded with excellent hardware-based firewall options. A good firewall helps to prevent unwanted traffic from entering or leaving your wireless network without your knowledge. Router firewalls are often not turned on by default, which means you need to activate yours. To do so, log into your router settings using your IP address to enable the option. You may need to look under your router’s advanced settings to find the firewall toggle. Using your router’s firewall may slow down your internet speeds. As a workaround, you can turn off the firewall when you’re gaming or performing other tasks that require a faster connection. Once you’re done, just turn it back on. 6. TURN OFF YOUR WIFI NETWORK WHEN YOU LEAVE HOME It may be too much of a hassle to turn off your WiFi network every time you walk out the door, but it’s important to disable your home wireless network if you leave for any extended period of time. This will guarantee that your network is completely safe. 7. UPDATE YOUR ROUTER’S FIRMWAREYour router’s firmware is an incredibly important piece of the secure network connection puzzle. Most wireless routers don’t auto-update their software, so you must do it manually. To update your router’s firmware, visit the manufacturer’s website and download the firmware update file. Then, install it directly to your wireless router. Every router manufacturer has a slightly different process, so look for instructions on how to do it on their website. 8. SWITCH TO A WPA3 ROUTER WPA3 routers were first released in 2018, and they come with more robust security protocols to address many of the vulnerabilities found in WPA2 routers. If you rent your router from your ISP, chances are it may be a WPA2 device. In that case, you’ll have to purchase a separate WPA3 router. While it may be an unplanned expense, a WPA3 router will enhance your home wireless network

My Printer Is Spooling Then Deleting

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Printing appears to be a simple process of converting your business documents into crisp, new output, but the computer-controlled reality is far more complicated than simply pressing “Print.” When documents enter your computer’s print-management queue and then vanish without even a single page of the job appearing in the printer’s output tray, your troubleshooting procedures begin with your hardware. Simultaneously, your application files should be scrutinised for their potential role as symptom triggers. Memory When printers run out of available memory, the software that controls their communication with your computer exhibits similar issues, causing the projects you send for output to be stalled. The list of documents in your print manager should include all of the files that are currently being printed and awaiting output, but some of them may appear in the list and then disappear without ever being printed. This symptom indicates the need for additional memory chips if you’re using a laser printer with upgradeable RAM. Printer Driver The driver software you instal to allow your computer and its operating system to send data from your application files to your printer must be compatible with your computer’s platform, operating system and version, as well as the specific model of your output hardware. As you update your operating system, your printer driver may become incompatible, and as you use your computer, the driver software may become corrupt, particularly during power fluctuations or as a byproduct of malware that you’ve had to remove. To keep all of these resources up to date, visit the printer manufacturer’s website and apply any new updates that match your system configuration. Project Size and Condition Extra-large documents can cause printers to struggle with processing. “Large” refers to more than just the number of pages. Photographs and other graphics, as well as elements linked from other files via DirectX on Windows, can increase the data size of a file. Along with file size, document condition influences how well or poorly a file prints. PDF files with incorrectly embedded fonts, documents with traces of corruption caused by recycling files to create new versions of recurring projects rather than building a template that creates a new file each time you use it: these common scenarios can result in print problems in which documents disappear from the print queue. Other Considerations To test your files, determine which files are having printing issues and where the problem occurs. Until the symptoms appear, print one page at a time. If your vanishing print jobs are the result of a printer’s overloaded memory, you won’t see these symptoms if you divide the job into page-by-page increments. If you are unable to reduce the file size, printing single or small groups of pages may be the simplest, or at least the least expensive, solution to your problem. If a page fails to print on its own, inspect its contents for signs of corruption.

My Printer Won’t Print All My Documents

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When your office printer appears to pick and choose which of your documents to process and which not to process, you must conduct some careful troubleshooting to determine why your hardware is suddenly acting up. To determine the source of “selective output,” examine the projects you’re attempting to print, as well as your hardware and print setup. Memory If your printer refuses to print the files you send it, the issue may be related to the amount of memory available to the device for spooling and processing documents. Inkjet printers rely on the computer to which they are connected for memory, whereas laser printers typically include installed and sometimes upgradeable memory. Print failures, such as jobs that appear in your print queue but do not print or disappear from it, are one of the symptoms of a memory-starved print operation. Upgrading the RAM in the printer or the host computer to which it is connected can help to eliminate these issues. Print Queue Status When the queue that manages the documents you print begins to act like a trap and refuses to let any jobs pass through, the cause could be the status you’ve assigned to the queue itself. If you brought up the queue on your screen to delete a project that you had accidentally printed, you may have accidentally paused the entire print operation. When the queue enters pause mode, no documents are printed until the status is changed back to active mode. Project-Related Problems A document that weighs several megabytes on disc and includes a hefty stack of embedded graphics or other file-enlarging assets takes longer to print than a one-page letter that is entirely text. A truly massive file may appear to stall in the middle of the printing process as your computer and printer collaborate to process the document’s massive amount of data. Similarly, a corrupt document can hang up in the middle of an output process, resulting in no pages being printed. Print a large file in sections or a problematic file from an earlier version to test the integrity of your print process. Printer Driver The driver software that communicates between your operating system and the printer allows you to press a few keys on your keyboard and watch perfectly formed pages emerge in the tray of your output device. If you’re attempting to use a driver that is incompatible with any aspect of your setup, or if your driver software no longer functions properly after a drive crash or other malfunction, reinstall the software so your system can communicate with the printer again.

What Causes LaserJet Printer Pages to Smear?

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HP’s LaserJet product line debuted in 1984 with a $3,500 model that printed eight pages per minute using a 3,000-page toner cartridge. When your modern office LaserJet begins to print pages that smear when touched, concentrate your troubleshooting on the printing components and consumables that directly contribute to the faulty sheets in the output tray. Toner Cartridge Toner is a powder that combines pigment and finely ground plastic to form a heat-set bond with paper. Toner formulations differ depending on the machine and manufacturer. Although new cartridges typically contain toner with the appropriate fusing properties for the printer they are intended for, remanufactured cartridges may be refilled with material that requires a higher fusing temperature than your LaserJet. Toner cannot bond properly under these conditions, causing it to smear and wipe off. To resolve the issue, try a different toner cartridge. Fuser The fuser in your LaserJet provides the heat source that permanently bonds toner to paper. If the fuser does not reach the proper temperature to complete the bonding process, the result is similar to what happens when you accidentally insert the wrong toner into your printer. Fuser problems can be caused by component failures, the use of improperly remanufactured parts, or improper setup after a repair. Some failures may result in a warning message on the printer’s front panel as a result of the machine detecting the fuser’s inability to reach the proper temperature, while others simply result in blotchy, smeared toner. These issues necessitate the assistance of a technician. Paper Selection Too-thick or too-smooth paper, as well as sheets with a heavy surface texture, can limit the ability of your LaserJet to fuse toner onto your chosen media. The recommended range of thicknesses that fall within your printer’s paper-handling capacity is specified in your user guide. Excessive paper may be unable to move smoothly through the sometimes-complex twists and turns of the printing path inside the device, limiting the fuser’s function. Heavily textured sheets have a surface that is too complex for the fuser’s heat to reach into the design’s low and high points. The too-smooth surface of glossy sheets, on the other hand, prevents a Smears that appear in addition to otherwise well-formed output may signal toner contamination inside your LaserJet, either from a leaky cartridge or from improperly fused sheets that leave toner residue behind. Smears at the edge of the sheet that enters the printer first point to dirty paper guides. Although you can follow your user guide’s directions for basic cleaning inside the printer, any cleanup that requires disassembly should be left to experts who know how to handle the laser and heat sources these devices contain.assembly should be left to experts who are familiar with the laser and heat sources contained in these devices.

My Printer Says to Check That Cables Are Connected But Everything Is Connected Correctly

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Even if your printer cabling matches the diagrams in your user guide, your printer may still display error messages on your screen warning you to check your connections. Resolving a situation in which a device acts as if it’s disconnected can entail looking for clues in both obvious places, such as your cabling, and in parts of your system that don’t appear to be potential culprits. Cabling The most straightforward printer issue is caused by faulty connections. Simply plugging a data cable into your printer and your computer, hub, switch, or router does not imply that the connection is functional. Even if you performed a digital autopsy with a wire stripper and a magnifying glass, the insulation covering a perfectly normal-looking USB or Ethernet net cable can conceal physical damage or defects. Replace your cable and see if your problems disappear. If they do, throw the faulty cable in with your recycling so it doesn’t end up back in – or, more accurately, out of – service. Printer Driver Many printer problems that appear to be unrelated to software are caused by faulty printer drivers. When the software that handles the processes that make document data understandable to output hardware fails, you may see half-printed files, bogus error messages, and pages with content that appears to have exploded. Modern operating systems include built-in support for a wide range of output devices, detect new printers when they are plugged in, and offer to locate appropriate drivers for them. These conveniences are useless if your software becomes corrupted due to malware or hard drive issues, or if it requires an update to remain compatible with an upgraded operating system. Examine your system for hardware and malware issues, and then go to the printer manufacturer’s website to download new drivers. Hub If you connect a USB printer through a hub, especially one that draws its power from the USB port on your computer rather than an electrical outlet, your system and output device may not see each other properly. While some devices, such as flash memory drives and media card readers, may work flawlessly when connected via a hub, not all printers will function properly without a direct connection to a port on your system. Try directly connecting your printer to your computer. If your issues go away, go through your USB devices to find another candidate to plug into the hub or remove when you need to print. Other Considerations Even if nothing goes wrong between the computer and the printer, the process of moving bits and bytes from one to the other can leave the output device with a bad taste in its mouth. If an application crashed while you were printing from it, or if your electrical power fluctuated enough to cause your lights to dim slightly and your monitor to blink off and on, shut down your printer and computer before restarting them. Power cycling clears memory buffers, flushing away stale data and malfunction byproducts.