How to Solve Error 79 on HP LaserJet Printers?

Laserjet Pro customers may see HP Service Error 79 on the printer control panel. There are two types of this error.

• The first is error 79. This is caused by outdated firmware or software drivers.
• 79 Service Error is the second. This happens when an incompatible DIMM is installed.
• Follow the two main methods given below to fix this problem quickly and easily.

Solution-I 79 Error Turn off then on again

• Turn off your printer, wait 30 seconds, then turn it back on and wait for it to initialize.
• Remove the expansion card if you are using one. Immediately plug the printer into the electrical outlet and turn it on.
• If the error warning persists. Unplug any network or USB cables after that.
• Review your printer’s firmware version and, if necessary, update it to a newer version.
• NOTE: You can check your printer’s firmware version by printing the Configuration Report from the control panel.
• If the problem persists, you should delete all print jobs from all computers linked to the printer.

Solution-II 79 Service Error Turn off then on

• Turn off your printer, wait 30 seconds, then turn it back on and wait for it to initialize.
• Remove the expansion card if you are using one. Immediately plug the printer into the electrical outlet and turn it on.
• If the problem notice error persists, then disconnect any network or USB cable.
• Review your printer’s firmware version and, if necessary, update it to a newer version.
• NOTE: You can check your printer’s firmware version by printing the Configuration Report from the control panel.
• If the situation persists, the installed DIMMs must be removed and isolated.
• Try printing any document now. If printing is successful, you must install the DIMM supported by your printing device.

What Causes HP Printer 79 Service Error?

There can be multiple reasons which can cause 79 error on your HP printer, but they can be placed into three categories.

Printer Queue Problems: Sometimes, you send many print commands at one go which populates the print queue and your printer is unable to process them properly. Also, if you are trying to print a document that’s unrecognized by your printer, then you can encounter error 79.

Firmware Problems: If the firmware of your printer is outdated or corrupted, then your printer can display HP 79 service error. That’s because a faulty firmware stops your printer from printing new documents.

Other Hardware Problems: The HP error 79 can be caused if there is some faulty or incompatible hardware installed on your printer. It can be a DIMM, a hard drive, or some other hardware. However, in such a scenario, you should take help of a HP service engineer to detect and replace the faulty hardware.

Since, there are multiple reasons which can cause HP printer error 79, therefore, you will have to follow multiple solutions as well. Read the next section for complete details of the possible solutions of this error.

How to Fix HP Printer Error 79? (Service Error)

There are two solutions that can be followed to fix HP printer error 79. These solutions should be followed in the order in which they are mentioned below.

Solution 1 – Power cycle your printer and clear the print queue

The simplest solution to HP error 79 is to power cycle your printer and simultaneously clear its print queue. Follow the steps below to complete these tasks.

• Press the "Power" button on your printer's control panel to turn off your HP printer.
• Pull out the power plug of your printer from the wall socket.
• Unplug all the cables connected to your printer, like the USB cable, Ethernet cable, etc., then move to the next step.
• In the Windows taskbar search box, type ‘printers’ and from the search results choose ‘Printers & scanners’ option.
• In the Printers and scanners page, locate and click on your HP printer.
• Click on the ‘Print queue’ button associated with your HP printer.
• If you want to delete one specific document from the print queue, then in the print queue window, right click the document which you want to delete, then select the ‘Cancel’ option.
• Click on the ‘Yes’ button to confirm the cancelling of the print job.
• If you want to cancel all the print jobs, then in the print queue window, right click anywhere and choose ‘Cancel All Documents’ option.
• Click on the ‘Yes’ button to confirm the cancellation of all the documents in the print queue.
• Once the print queue is cleared, click the "Close" button at the top.
• Reconnect all cables to your printer that you disconnected in Step 3.
• Plug the printer's power plug back into the wall outlet.
• Press the 'Power' button to restart your printer.

That's it, you cycled your printer and cleared its print queue. Now, try to print documents with your printer and if you are still experiencing HP printer error 79 then follow the next solution.

Solution 2: Update the printer's firmware

When HP printer error 79 is due to faulty firmware, the best solution is to update your printer's firmware. Follow the steps below to do the same.

• Open your web browser and type 'support.hp.com/drivers' in the address bar, then press the 'Enter' key on your keyboard. On the driver support page, click the 'Printer' option.
• In the search box, type your printer name and select your printer from the suggested results.
• On your printer driver download page, locate the 'Firmware' field and click its 'Plus' sign to expand your option, then click the 'Download' link associated with your printer firmware.
• Click the "Save File" button to begin downloading your printer's firmware update utility.
• Run the newly downloaded HP Firmware Update Utility and click the "Yes" button to continue.
• Click the 'Down' button to see the list of compatible printers, then choose your printer from that list.
• Click the "Submit Firmware" button to start the firmware upgrade.
• Wait for the utility to update the firmware of your HP printer.
• Click the 'Exit' button to close the firmware update utility.

That’s it, you have successfully updated the firmware of your printer with its latest version. Try to print with your HP printer and most probably your printer will start printing normally.