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0388279

Cancelled
Original poster
Feb 27, 2014
344
85
Hi,

I am attempting to set-up a friends white MacBook that is using OS X 10.4.11. The printer is a HP C5180 all in one. Does anyone know if I will be likely to obtain the drivers for this printer with the legacy operating system?

Cheers,

Donald Barar
 
Hi Chown,

I tried this as well. However, the driver for the printer never appeared after waiting for about 10 minutes.

I read on another website that all I had to do was plug the printer into the MacBook and drivers will be downloaded automatically.

Since I have neither the laptop or the printer in my possession I wanted to know in advance so that I can advise my friend with limited computer skills if we would be able to get the drivers through the Apple updates for the OS x 10.4


Cheers,

Donald Barar
 
Hi Chown,

I tried this as well. However, the driver for the printer never appeared after waiting for about 10 minutes.

I read on another website that all I had to do was plug the printer into the MacBook and drivers will be downloaded automatically.

Since I have neither the laptop or the printer in my possession I wanted to know in advance so that I can advise my friend with limited computer skills if we would be able to get the drivers through the Apple updates for the OS x 10.4


Cheers,

Donald Barar

Yes, you can have the system download drivers automatically, but only after 10.6 or newer.
On OS X 10.4.11, you will need to download the drivers directly from HP.
Here's another link that should get you to the right page.

If your friend can't download from HP, you should be able to download the installer, then copy to a flash drive, or other storage, for your friend to use.

Another possibility - thought I should mention that your friend's MacBook can be upgraded to 10.6 (maybe to 10.7), all you need is the 10.6 installer DVD. Apple still sells that OS X installer DVD - only $20. http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard
 
Last edited:
Hi DeltaMac,

I tried the HP link that you suggested. While the link did recognize the operating system it never found the driver. So I was unable to download.

I think your suggestion of updating to 10.6 or 10.7 is the correct approach. That way I will be able to obtain the drivers directly from Apple.

Cheers,

Donald Barar
 
I know that sometimes one finds old software links, but nothing will actually download, so I went to HP, and successfully downloaded both (download started almost instantly for me)

Are you located in the U.S.?
Are you using a Mac to download? Or something else?

Do you usually have any problems when downloading files or apps from the internet?

If you just can't download from HP - there are two separate sets of software, and I would try both (and install both, oldest first, then the newer version) - then you should use your friend's Mac to do the download, which is where it is needed, anyway... :D
Something to check out if you consider the OS X upgrade:
An old MacBook may still have the original RAM, which could be only 512MB. 10.6 requires 1GB minimum and 10.7 requires 2GB minimum RAM.
 
Also, if you are still using Tiger, what browser are you using? That could prevent web sites from loading correctly or downloading files if the browser can't render the site properly. Safari 3/4 don't work so well in 2015.

I'd at least get it to Snow Leopard so you can run current versions of FireFox or Chrome (both require 10.6). Though the newest Chrome requires a 64-bit CPU. So the Core 2 Duo would be needed (Late 2006 or better MacBook). Lion will work too, even more software options there, though it's a bit slower as a whole.
 
I know that sometimes one finds old software links, but nothing will actually download, so I went to HP, and successfully downloaded both (download started almost instantly for me)

Are you located in the U.S.?
Are you using a Mac to download? Or something else?

Do you usually have any problems when downloading files or apps from the internet?

If you just can't download from HP - there are two separate sets of software, and I would try both (and install both, oldest first, then the newer version) - then you should use your friend's Mac to do the download, which is where it is needed, anyway... :D
Something to check out if you consider the OS X upgrade:
An old MacBook may still have the original RAM, which could be only 512MB. 10.6 requires 1GB minimum and 10.7 requires 2GB minimum RAM.
 
Hi DM,

I am located in the US and had possession of the MacBook 2.1. Went to the HP website that you suggested. The HP website correctly identified the Mac. But that is as far as I got. It hung from there continuously searching for the driver but never find it.

I never have issues downloading files or adds from the internet on my hardware.

Cheers,

Don Barar
 
Also, if you are still using Tiger, what browser are you using? That could prevent web sites from loading correctly or downloading files if the browser can't render the site properly. Safari 3/4 don't work so well in 2015.

I'd at least get it to Snow Leopard so you can run current versions of FireFox or Chrome (both require 10.6). Though the newest Chrome requires a 64-bit CPU. So the Core 2 Duo would be needed (Late 2006 or better MacBook). Lion will work too, even more software options there, though it's a bit slower as a whole.

Hi BrettApple,

I attempted the download using Safari that was on the MacBook 2.1 Great suggestion to try using a different browser.

Cheers,

Donald Barar
 
Hi All,

I tried downloading Chrome and Firefox. Unfortunately, both of these browsers would not run a 2.1 Macbook. I had to purchase Snow Leopard. This turned out to be the correct solution for getting the drivers.

Cheers,

Donald Barar
 
IMO, there's little reason to run anything older than Snow Leopard on any Intel Mac primarily for software support reasons.

We still use Tiger heavily in the PPC community, but are benefited from having an up-to-date maintained browser in TenFourFox. TFF is a fork of Firefox and tracks closely with major Firefox revisions. Unfortunately, it's only built for PowerPC processors and not Intel.
 
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