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Installing Pix= ma iP90/90v Bluetooth printer on Vista

Fri= day, June 15, 2007

4:3= 0 PM

    The Canon i80, Pixma iP90, = and now (despite its cost) the new Pixma iP90v series of mobile high-quality fast  inkjet (color photo) printe= rs are an excellent investment for travelers (we paid US$230 in all in June 07, including S&H, on eBay for a practically new iP90v with 28 months left= on an extended warranty from Best Buy).  Though offering plug-and-play use with a USB connection, the option= al and rather expensive Canon BU-10 Bluetooth adapter is a better solution, especially if the printer is going to be shared among several computers (we paid $67.30 in all for a brand new but open-box item online). The following blog describes how I resolved problems with installing the BU-10 on (our 2) Vista (laptops).

     

    The instructi= ons below apply primarily to the new Vista-compatible Pixma iP90v, but should = be mostly applicable also to the earlier = Pixma  iP90, for which you can download the = Vista drivers from the Canon site.  The iP90v is essentially the same internally as the iP90 and will show up in y= our Printers panel and in other Vista (driver, etc.) notifications simply as t= he iP90. What follows may apply at least in part for other Canon printers, li= ke the i80, which are now certified Vista-compatible, and on Windows XP SP 2.

     

     

    Physically installing the= BU-10 adapter into the printer:

     

  1. Illustrated steps onlin= e  at Canon  for installing  BU-10 = along with its 'cover' on the i80 Bubble Jet

    2.  

  2. Procedure is similar for the Pixma iP90v  = but attaching the small 'cover' is superfluous for this model

    3.  

     

    How to install the Pixma = iP90v on your computer for Bluetooth (wireless) printing (see also):

     

  3. Install the printer fir= st using the wired USB connection and ensure that it's printing correctly= .

    4.  

  4. Disconnect the USB cord= and ensure that your Bluetooth radio (built-in or added USB transceiver) is on.

    5.  

  5. Click on Printers in the Control Panel, then click "Add a printer" on the menu at the= top

    6.  

  6. Click on "Add a ne= twork, wireless or Bluetooth printer" in the "Add Printer" dia= log box.

    7.  

  7. If  the Canon printer does not show u= p, click on "Stop" then on "The printer that I want is not listed"

    8.  

  8. Choose "Add a Blue= tooth printer" (the option button at the bottom) and click on Next

    9.  

  9. Select the Canon printe= r when it shows up  in the Search wi= ndow (might have to retry a couple of times)

    10.  

  10. When you complete the s= teps, the printer is installed (2 items are added by the installation routin= e)

    11.  

     

    What you should not do an= d why:

     

    Do not use the Bluetooth Devices panel in the Control Panel to add the printer (as you would have done for other devices such as phones, PDAs, headsets, = GPS, etc.). If you do so , Vista will create a (superfluous) COM port for the printer, add a number of other items in its installation routine, and—= worst of all—search in vain everywhere (including through Windows Update) for a (missing driver for a) Bluetooth Peripheral Device.  This is a specifically Vista (as oppo= sed to Windows XP) issue that has been reported in the forums by others using a var= iety of other (than printer)  Bluetooth-enabled devices.

     

    This error wi= ll not stop you from printing wirelessly to the printer. But you'll then be bothe= red, each time you restart the computer or log back in, by a Vista notification= to search again for this device, ask you again later, or not to show this mes= sage again for this device ("your device will not function until you insta= ll driver software").  Moreover= , if you are using a (Microsoft Wireless) transceiver (for Bluetooth) to provide such functionality on your computer, Vista will create a new instance of t= he Bluetooth printer in your Printers panel and increment its assigned COM po= rt number by 1. The existing Bluetooth entry will be retained but labeled as being offline (obliging you to delete the latter).  This behavior has been reproduced and confirmed by Canon support with whom I've been cooperating via email from 11-15 June to troubleshoot and resolve the iP90v Bluetooth installation routine on Vista .

     

    Using the Add Printer routine, on the other hand, does not a create a COM port entry for= the printer. Moreover, the installation routine only adds 2 items: 1) ??? and = 2) iP90 printer driver. So you'll not be repeatedly bothered by the Bluetooth Peripheral Device notification described above. Nor by the creation of additional COM ports and printer instances each time you reinsert the USB transceiver.

     

    I've advised = Canon support to provide clear instructions, including the pertinent details from above, for installing the BU-10 Bluetooth adapter both physically on the printer (n= ot all obvious…) and also by way of configuring the Vista computer to recognize it correctly. There is nothing in the computer manual nor in the boxed BU-10 package (which included a superfluous USB cable but not even a quick-start sheet of paper). Neither do they seem available online on the relevant product pages at the Canon site. However,  Canon's email support has stuck with = me patiently all the way through the troubleshooting procedures.

     

    The Pixma iP9= 0/90v seems to pack a lot of punch into a highly compact portable format. If you= 're frequently on the road, it's an investment you probably won't regret.

 

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