HP LJ P3005 Firmware Notice

The new LaserJet P3005 printers are the replacement units for the LaserJet 2400 units. HP recently released a support advisory pointing to a problem with the firmware. The solution is pretty simple, it requires an RFU (Remote Firmware Upload).

The P3005 was introduced to the market last fall. This is a 35 ppm monochrome printer with a duty cycle of 100,000 pages per month. Pricing ranges from $550 to $1000 depending on the options – a work horse is what it is. Many businesses see this as great little printer to add all over offices. Most small and medium-sized businesses are adding these printers at a rapid pace.

HP is recommending all P3005 printers with a firmware date code lower than 02.038.5 get a firmware upgrade, which is not common to recommend. Normally, we don’t upgrade the firmware unless customers report firmware related issues or we find a unique reason to make the upgrade. Upgrading the firmware just because a new firmware release is out sometimes leads to more problems.

To find the current firmware date code of your customers printer, print out a Configuration Page from the Information Menu. The firmware date code is located in the top left corner under the Device Information heading.

Some problems fixed with the firmware upgrade include:

* Intermittent error messages
* Non-responsive printer
* Fixes secure printing with a PIN number
* Fix for 49.1805 lockup error
* Blank display upon power up for non-network version
* Others

The full set of symptoms can be found in the read me section of the firmware download area. To get to the download area:

o Go to www.hp.com/go/ljp3005_firmware
o Select the model of the printer
o Under Select Operating System choose:
+ Cross Operating System (BIOS, Firmware, Diagnostics, etc)
o In the firmware download area you must choose Windows, Unix or Mac system.
+ If you’re not familiar with how downloads work click on hyperlink under the description column. Scroll across the tabs that provide “Description” “Installation Instructions” “Fixes” and “Read me”. This will provide you with all the info you need to
do the RFU

If you’re thinking ahead, you can modify the www.hp.com/go/ljp3005_firmware to choose other models such as www.hp.com/go/ljm3027mfp_firmware. Or, simply go through the steps to doing a printer driver download, but when you get to “Select Operating System,” go down to the bottom of that section and choose “Cross Operating System” instead. Then follow the same steps above. One key during a firmware download is to NOT interrupt the download by powering off the printer. This can create a major headache for you as a tech. The read me and how to installation instructions do provide messages to expect and what to do if something goes wrong. Check these out if you get a strange message during the download or suspect there is a problem.