Windows XP Drivers for current machines

[JayPaul]

Hi, we have a potential big deal (for us) coming up to sell about 20 Ricoh P502 machines. We gave them 1 for trial use so they can see if it works on their outdated systems and software. All was going ok until they tried to install it on some PC's that are running Windows XP... yes that's right XP
Ricoh stopped putting out drivers for XP about 5 years ago because Microsoft wasn't supporting it any more. So I can't get hold of any XP drivers, the oldest they will go is Windows 7 but the customer tried Win 7 drivers and it will not install.
What on earth can I do to get around this? Telling them to update these prehistoric machines is not an option as they are connected to massive machinery that is probably the same age.
My first idea was to find a smiliar type of printer but a lot older with similar driver architecture but that failed as once again, they removed the XP drivers.
Any suggestions?

[copier tech]

Hi, we have a potential big deal (for us) coming up to sell about 20 Ricoh P502 machines. We gave them 1 for trial use so they can see if it works on their outdated systems and software. All was going ok until they tried to install it on some PC's that are running Windows XP... yes that's right XP
Ricoh stopped putting out drivers for XP about 5 years ago because Microsoft wasn't supporting it any more. So I can't get hold of any XP drivers, the oldest they will go is Windows 7 but the customer tried Win 7 drivers and it will not install.
What on earth can I do to get around this? Telling them to update these prehistoric machines is not an option as they are connected to massive machinery that is probably the same age.
My first idea was to find a smiliar type of printer but a lot older with similar driver architecture but that failed as once again, they removed the XP drivers.
Any suggestions?

As these are a basic mono desktop printer you should be able to use a generic PCL driver that XP has built in.

[JayPaul]

Do you mean something that is already installed as part of the Windows XP software on the PC (the drivers they come with as standard) or do you mean going to Ricoh website and downloading one of the 'PCL Driver for Universal Print' drivers?

[bsm2]

Customer should NOT be run running Windows XP period as MS discontinued security updates years ago.. Unless its a Government Agency that is getting security updates from MS if so contact Ricoh support.

[copier tech]

Do you mean something that is already installed as part of the Windows XP software on the PC (the drivers they come with as standard) or do you mean going to Ricoh website and downloading one of the 'PCL Driver for Universal Print' drivers?

Well both, but i'd start using the drivers that come with XP, either Ricoh of the generic HP PCL6 driver.

Are you in Southampton in the UK?

[JayPaul]

I will have to try a remote session with customer and see if I can get some old universal drivers to work, providing there are some built in already. Not really something I can replicate and test from my office as I don't have any XP machines unsurprisingly.
Yes I am near Southampton, England. Unfortunately customer is about 90 minutes away from here.

[rthonpm]

Windows 7 drivers will not work as Microsoft changed the underlying driver structure starting with Vista.

You should be able to just download a LaserJet 5 PCL driver and use that. I used to use the LJ5 driver for any old version of Windows even back in the XP days. As long as the MFP understands PCL, it will just work.

As others have mentioned, make sure these XP systems are not directly connected to the internet. We have several customers with XP (and older) systems for industrial or scientific equipment that are either on their own self contained network with no internet access or used completely offline. We even issue a contract statement that any end of life operating system connected to the internet or part of the overall network with no additional protections will prevent us from providing support to the customer.

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[JayPaul]

As I've never had to use HP print driver with a Ricoh, it is ok because they both speak PCL language? I know sometimes different brands using each others drivers can cause absolute chaos printing. A bit like printing to a ricoh from a mac without post script you just get hundreds of pages of jibberish instead of 1 test page.
HP Drivers only seem to date as far back as Win 7 as well or Server 2003, where can I get this older version from?
I believe XP machines just to link up to big engineering machinery... anything beyond that involving the outside internet is on them. I am sure they are well aware of the security risks as they have a designated IT team.

[copier tech]

As I've never had to use HP print driver with a Ricoh, it is ok because they both speak PCL language? I know sometimes different brands using each others drivers can cause absolute chaos printing. A bit like printing to a ricoh from a mac without post script you just get hundreds of pages of jibberish instead of 1 test page.
HP Drivers only seem to date as far back as Win 7 as well or Server 2003, where can I get this older version from?
I believe XP machines just to link up to big engineering machinery... anything beyond that involving the outside internet is on them. I am sure they are well aware of the security risks as they have a designated IT team.

Exactly many drivers are identical.

[bsm2]

Exactly many drivers are identical.

Print drivers are model specfic unless generic so some features may or may not work also printing some fonts could be an issue

Why is this account still using XP? Getting new copiers with old Pc's makes no sense.