Printer installation for Macbook

[kaneohe]

We recently got a Canon Pixma MX700 4in1 (copier/printer/scanner/fax) to go w/ with the Macbook (OS X v 10.5). Today I finally got brave enough to try installing the printer. The copier part worked ok previously. Followed the instructions on the card and everything seemed be happen as expected during installation.

For the restart after successful installation there was a note
on the instruction card about "when using Mac OS X v. 10.2.8 to v.10.3.3" which I ignored thinking v.10.5 was outside that window. (the note said leaving the printer connected to Macbook during restart might cause the printer not to be detected , so recommended disconnecting USB cable).

When I was done, I tried to print. No response at all.
Also the printer name is showing as Canon iP1700 @crf65832169.... why is it showing that when it is MX700?
I don't recall entering the name during the installation....only during registration afterwards. Also there is an icon on the desktop labeled MX700 so that seems like the Mac knew what printer it was installing for.

Any ideas what went wrong? Thanks.

 

[ERD50]

Often, the firmware on the included CDs is out of date. See the last post here, which takes you to the second link. Esp if they don't specifically mention 10.5. Try downloading and installing the two drivers - one for the canner part, and one for the printer.

Apple - Support - Discussions - Using Image Capture to scan with Canon ...

PIXMA MX700 office all in one inkjet printer

MX700 series Printer Driver Ver. 6.9.3 (Mac OS X)
mx700sosxpd693ej7.dmg
6.9.3
6.00 MB
03/25/2008
MX700 series Scanner Driver Ver. 13.9.0 (Mac OS X)
mx700sosxsd1390ej7.dmg
13.9.0
13.93 MB
11/28/2007

you might need to update this too:

MP Navigator EX Ver. 1.0.4 (Mac OS X)
mpnexosx104ej7.dmg
1.0.4
17.84 MB
11/08/2007

and the firmware for the printer?

MX700 Firmware Upgrade Utility Ver. 1.080 (Mac OS X)
fumx700sosx1080en.dmg
1.080
9.32 MB
08/22/2008

Have fun!

-ERD50

 

[kaneohe]

wow! ERD50.....thanks for all the hard work there. I'm caught between not really knowing what I'm doing (tho I follow directions...even bad/incomplete ones....very well) and these moving targets which seems a recipe for non-working stuff. My only hope is that whatever I do can be easily undone by someone who is in the know.

One question....when I go to "about this Mac", the page shows
OS X v.10.5

I thought that's what I had but when I go to updates available,
I see OS X v.10.5.5. Question: does the first "about this Mac"
mean that's the family only and remains unchanged if I update to e.g. to v.10.3 or would it change to v.10.3? The reason I ask is that I was sent to some Canon site to download something and in the disclosure , it said it was for v10.3.3 (and higher, I assume) only. So can I tell what exactly I have....I assume since v.10.5.5 update is available I must have something lower. If update v.10.5.4 had been available when v.10.5.5 appeared , would v.10.5.4 still show as available along w/ v.10.5.5 or would it have been "wiped out" by the later version? I generally have not been updating when the update message appeared (update now?) because I wasn't sure if it was malicious or not (victim of PC experience).
Not sure if the question as stated makes sense.

 

[M Paquette]

One question....when I go to "about this Mac", the page shows
OS X v.10.5

I thought that's what I had but when I go to updates available,
I see OS X v.10.5.5. Question: does the first "about this Mac"
mean that's the family only and remains unchanged if I update to e.g. to v.10.3 or would it change to v.10.3?

Your machine is running the 10.5 OS release from Apple, without any of the subsequent updates. Once you install the updates, the 'About this Mac...' panel will report your machine as running 10.5.5. (Unless the 10.5.6 update comes out really, really soon...)

The software updates for each major release (10.3, 10.4, 10.5...) add that third number (10.5.5) to indicate which update is present.

Your computer very likely came with 10.5 installed. The software version installed on a Mac on delivery is very likely to be the lowest version number supported by that machine. Installing an older version (10.4, or 10.3) is unlikely to work, so if you manage to find a 10.3 DVD somewhere, don't bother trying to install it on the computer. It's missing stuff your computer needs, that IS present in the 10.5 version.

The reason I ask is that I was sent to some Canon site to download something and in the disclosure , it said it was for v10.3.3 (and higher, I assume) only. So can I tell what exactly I have....I assume since v.10.5.5 update is available I must have something lower. If update v.10.5.4 had been available when v.10.5.5 appeared , would v.10.5.4 still show as available along w/ v.10.5.5 or would it have been "wiped out" by the later version? I generally have not been updating when the update message appeared (update now?) because I wasn't sure if it was malicious or not (victim of PC experience).
Not sure if the question as stated makes sense.

You've got 10.5.0, effectively. The software updater will add in all the changes from 10.5.0 through the latest update, currently 10.5.5.

I'd suggest applying that software update, then follow ERD50's suggestions to get the latest software from Canon for your printer. That will replace the obsolete versions of the software that you installed from that CD. (Those appear to be for a 10.3 OS build, which is a few years old and probably predates your computer hardware.)

In general, on Macs I've never installed printer software from CDs shipped with the printer. The Mac OS system software includes the latest versions of printer software from the manufacturers at the time that Mac OS is released, and the software updates will include updates to the printing software. The printing team at Apple (where I retired from) put substantial effort into pulling new printing software versions into software releases.

 

[ERD50]

wow! ERD50.....thanks for all the hard work there.

No problem at all, just a minute of googling and a few seconds of cut/paste.

I'm glad that M Paquette chimed in - I figured that it would show as 10.5.0 rather than 10.5, so I didn't want to add any info that might conflict with reality. I never really noticed, and all my computers have been updated past that, so I had no reference.

What are you doing about backing up your system? It's always a good idea to have a backup, and no better time than right before doing a update, just in case. I have not used Time Machine yet, that should work well with an external drive.

I know 99.9% of people probably just click the update button, and 99.9% of them probably have no issues, but there is always that one time...

-ERD50

 

[kaneohe]

Thanks, MP and ERD50 for your sage advice. True confessions as you already know/suspect: haven't been updating or backing up (not sure I'd know exactly what to back up either). Now just as I have the courage to update, more wisdom. Sometimes not good to know too much but not enough, I guess. Fortunately I have a new son-in-law who will rescue me in times of need (my assumption anyway).

btw....how do you copy and paste multiple times in the same reply...you can only save 1 thing at a time and when you go off to search for the 2nd thing, doesn't the reply-in-waiting disappear?

another question: if I don't update, is the update saved on the computer so it's all there or is only the link saved so you need the internet connection when updating?

MP---thanks also for the tutorial that you've never used the printer mfg CD. Interesting that the Apple software incorporates that...... if only I had updated. I guess Apple really means their stuff to be easy to use......until folks like me come in and foil their plans. A friend at work told me it's impossible to idiot-proof things because there are so many of us around and we always have more ways to foul up your plans than you can ever think of.

 

[ERD50]

btw....how do you copy and paste multiple times in the same reply...you can only save 1 thing at a time and when you go off to search for the 2nd thing, doesn't the reply-in-waiting disappear?

another question: if I don't update, is the update saved on the computer so it's all there or is only the link saved so you need the internet connection when updating?

Oh, I always keep multiple windows and tabs open in my browsers. Dozens and dozens. News, stock quotes, a couple different forums, etc. You can move from one to the other, and copy/paste between them. That is also handy in this forum, sometimes easier than the multi-quote thing, oh and needed because it does not embed the quotes.

Use Command-N to open a new window, Command-T to open a new Tab in the same window frame.

For the updates, it downloads, and then unpacks it and will ask to install. I'm pretty sure you can save it for later. Don't be surprised if it runs you through a multi-step iterative process. Sometimes, an update in one section will then let it know that something else needs to be updated. It can take a while if you've gotten a few updates behind.

I usually wait a week or so after I see an update, if there are major problems I'll read about them somewhere.

As far as back ups, I do the whole darn thing to an external drive. If you try to pick and choose, you will probably miss something. I'm pretty sure that is an option in Time Machine, but I don't have that version so never messed with it. I use a free backup program called SuperDuper! which does a great job of making clones. I paid for the upgrade to have added flexibility to do incremental backups more often.

-ERD50

 

[M Paquette]

A friend at work told me it's impossible to idiot-proof things because there are so many of us around and we always have more ways to foul up your plans than you can ever think of.

Heh, old engineering joke:

"Make it idiot-proof, and someone will make a better idiot."

Or, as an alternative:

"If you make something idiot-proof, evolutionary selection develops better idiots."

 

[ERD50]

Heh, old engineering joke:

"Make it idiot-proof, and someone will make a better idiot."

Or, as an alternative:

"If you make something idiot-proof, evolutionary selection develops better idiots."

And our updated Six-Sigma version of that was to "mistake-proof" the process. It just was not politically correct to refer to the people you were designing the process for as 'idiots', since they were your co-workers, or customers.

A bit more seriously, I am constantly amazed at how often things are left 'mistake prone' rather than 'mistake proof'. All the latest TVs I've bought have buttons the same size and shape and the same distance apart. No easy/quick way to tell which is the volume, menu, or channel or even power on/off. I know they expect you to use the remote, but still.

And today, I dl'd an Excel CSV file, edited it and went to save it. The dialog box is a study in bad design. It says something about this file being in X format and you might lose data unless you update it to the new format - and then the choices are YES and NO. So you have to stop and read very carefully to determine if YES means, YES save it in the new format, or YES keep it in the old format. Geezzz. Just name the buttons "Keep Original Format" and "Convert to New Format", or something.

I think OS9 was a bit better in this regard than OSX, but that may just be a little revisionist history on my part. But Windows/Office seem to try to be convoluted.

-ERD50

 

[NW-Bound]

And today, I dl'd an Excel CSV file, edited it and went to save it. The dialog box is a study in bad design.

...

-ERD50

I am not a Mac user, but couldn't help chiming in here. I've noticed that as I get older, I have become more impatient with idiotic user interface, and buggy code. Yet, I have noticed that younger people seem to take it better than I do. So, a bit of reflection revealed that as I get older, I have become more impatient. Running out of time?

Anyway, users tend to blame themselves, instead of the "idiotic" software writers. They keep piling on more features, and do not spend time to fix the ones that never work in the first place. Don't get me started on Microsoft software...

 

[ERD50]

I am not a Mac user, but couldn't help chiming in here.

....

Don't get me started on Microsoft software...

Just to be clear, that dialog box was something that Microsoft wrote. It is Microsoft software running on my Mac. Apple *generally* does a better job IMO, but there is plenty of room for improvement there also. Google FTFF (Fix The eF-ing Finder) for more.

And for trivia buffs, Microsoft Excel was first released... on the Mac!

I've noticed that as I get older, I have become more impatient with idiotic user interface, and buggy code. Yet, I have noticed that younger people seem to take it better than I do. So, a bit of reflection revealed that as I get older, I have become more impatient. Running out of time?

Anyway, users tend to blame themselves, instead of the "idiotic" software writers. They keep piling on more features, and do not spend time to fix the ones that never work in the first place.

Here's my take on that. Since I'm analytical enough and have enough background to know what they *should* have done, it drives me *bonkers* to see it done wrong. Often, doing it right would have actually been easier, had they thought it through. But... people who don't know better just seem to accept that that's the way it is, hit the button and move on. Ignorance is bliss sometimes.

-ERD50