Mats Bengtsson Home Multimedia and Technical Stuff

Canon MP980 printer installation on Windows X64

Mats Bengtsson mib over the years

Canon MP980 printer installation on Windows X64

For many years I have been using a Canon MP 730 printer for printouts and for scanning. Finally it died on me, and I had to replace it. I looked for Canon again, since I believe I get good print quality for a fairly good per copy price. There was a MP-980 in store, adn without much more thinking (I compared it with MP 630 and MP 990) I bought it.

Canon MP 980 drivers does not install on Windows XP 64-bit

Installation on a portable PC with Windows XP 32-bit was easy. Then came the problem with installing MP 980 on Windows 64-bit, using Ethernet connection (built in on the printer). First of all, the installation diskette clearly states it does not support Windows X64. Does not matter that much I think, all I need is the drivers so I can print and scan, I do not need all of the extra applications. But no, it is not that easy. there are 64-bit drivers supplied with the printer. Claimed to work on Windows X64. But they do not work, or rather they do not install on windows XP X64.

It was even worse on the old MP 730, it never got really supported by Canon. Printing worked, by printing to a PIXMA 3000, but scanning never worked with 64-bit Windows. I accepted that, since the printer was bought before the 64-bit days. But for a printer bought now, it clearly should support Windows XP 64-bit. Specially if the documentation states the drivers support Windows XP X64. I have tried many installations. Both of version 1.00 and version 1.01. I have also tried the downloadable support programs for network installation. I have tried them using some tricks I have read about on the web. Nothing helped.

Canon MP 980 installation problem and solution

There are two problems occuring with the installation. Both can be found on the internet:

  • The drivers are not installed, due to installation aborting prematurely
  • The Canon BJNP port is not installed due to installation aborting prematurely.

The biggest problem to solve for me was to get the Canon BJNP port to install. It simply did not happen when following the tricks suggested. Finally I combined the tricks described with another piece of software, and now I have a Canon MP 980 which prints over wired Ethernet on Windows XP X64.

The solution given below is using one of the common described tricks for MP 700 but doing it twice, and with a twist, to first get a software which works, and then add the MP 980 printer specific parts:

  • Download the latest driver to Canon MP990 printer
  • Install the driver to the MP990 printer
  • When asked if you have a network connected printer or a USB connected printer, say that it is network connected and continue. This will take you to next step which is a dead end. But you will through this have created the Canon BJNP port.
  • Now go back one step through the back button, and now change your mind and say you have a USB connected printer (if not, you will not make it go through the full installation, since it looks for a MP990 printer, and since you do not have one, it will not find one). You want to complete the installation so you can use the results when later installing the MP 980 drivers.
  • When installation says it is complete, you have the chance to make a manual alteration before pressing the completion button. Do not press complete, instead mark that you want to manually define port.
  • Define "File" as your wanted print port. This is only to prevent the installation from aborting prematurely.
  • With this done, you should now have a "Canon BJNP port" as an available printer port, and you will have use for that later.
  • Now download thelatest driver to Canon MP980 printer
  • Install the driver for the MP980 printer
  • When installation says it is complete, you have the chance to make a manual alteration before presing the completion button. Do not press complete, instead mark that you want to manually define port.
  • Define "File" as your wanted print port. This is only to prevent the installation from aborting prematurely.
  • If you get any questions on if you want to install the drivers, answer continue on them, you want the drivers, the whole idea of the installation is to get the drivers installed
  • Now wait until installation is truly complete. it is ongoing in the background but there is no prompt telling you about that, so give it a minute or two extra.
  • Now go to the printers and faxes menue, and find the MP980 printer installed on your computer. Select properties, and select the third tab, the one for "ports". In that tab, there is a button down to left, "add port", use that button
  • You now have a new menue up, allowing you to select what port to add a port from. Select the "Canon BJNP port" which was created through the installation of the MP990 drivers.
  • In the prompt now avaialble, you are prompted to define either IP address, or mac address, or automatically find a printer. All three options should work (if not, your problem is not the drivers, but the network). Select any method you want to define the printer (I used automatic) and create a port for it.
  • Now back in the ports tab of the Canon MP980 printer properties, you should be able to find the Canon BJNP port you created for the printer, and select it by selecting the checkbox in front of it.
  • Press ok to get out of the whole printer properties menuye system, adn you should now have both scanner as well as printer functionality over Ethernet from your computer onto your MP 980 printer.

I would be so much better if Canon did not have so crapy installation programs...

Headlines

Never trade stocks without having tested your system. In fact, most trading systems are not profitable if tested over many stocks. Full story...

Do not invest in heating equipment without having compared the alternatives, not only to current situation, but also to each other. Full story...

About me Mats Bengtsson | Mats Bengtsson Site Map | Privacy Policy | Contact me | | | ©2003 Mats Bengtsson