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Original poster

Connecting printer with USB cable to PC without USB port - Help!

7 replies

Kayleigh · 31/05/2004 15:08

We have bought a new Printer this morning from PC World. It's an HP photosmart 7260 and needs a USB cable which we bought. However on getting home we realise that our PC doesn't have a port for the USB cable.

Does anyone know if i can buy an adapter or will I have to buy a USB port on a card and fit to my PC ?

I should have started a thread that says "Why doesn't anything ever work first time when we buy computer stuff" . Also bought ds1 a new computer game this morning - and can't get that to work either. Talk about wasting a bank holiday

Thanks

OP posts:
tamum · 31/05/2004 15:34

If your PC really doesn't have a USB port at all (as opposed to a spare one) then you may not be able to do anything other than get a parallel port cable instead. If you do have a USB port that's currently in use you can buy a USB hub quite cheaply which will give you 4 or 8 sockets instead. Let me know if you want to know where to get one from! Incidentally, if you've got Windows 95 then the operating system is not compatible with USB of any sort.

tammybear · 31/05/2004 15:42

is the cable actually an usb cable or is it a cable that goes into an usb adaptor?

Flip · 31/05/2004 15:45

I think you'll need a USB card which is easy enough to install if you have a spare PCI slot on the motherboard. If you already have lots of add on's then you might not have a spare.

Most things are USB these days so it's probably worth investing.

What spec is your machine and what OS are you using?

Original poster
Kayleigh · 31/05/2004 15:47

oh god, I hate computers. It's all so complicated.
tamum - there doesn't seem to be a USB port on the PC at all. And there isn't a parallel port on the printer.

tammybear - as far as I know the USB cable is an actual USB cable.

I swear next time I need something for my PC I will take the whole thing in with me and make them fit it all together and install everything so I know it all works !

OP posts:
Original poster
Kayleigh · 31/05/2004 15:49

Flip, there are a couple of spare slots so you may be right. We have Windows ME operating system. As for spec - i have no idea
How/where can I check ?

OP posts:
discordia · 31/05/2004 20:43

kayleigh, I had the same problem earlier this year. You can't get an adapter but you can get USB ports installed on your pc quite cheaply.

Original poster
Kayleigh · 31/05/2004 21:06

thanks discordia. will have to go grovel to my bf very techie brother and see if he can help.

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