10.4.9 Printing Work-Around Fix - 10 Steps

Question

VonB has already listed a fix in this thread.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4234084&#4234084
Unfortunately the links he provided there are for a paid site, and if you don't have a membership you're outta luck. I've taken his info, used it and written what I think are clear instructions to help you be able to print in 10.4.9 until Apple releases an update patch. Special thanks to Vonb for pointing me in the right direction.
Hope this helps...
Jim
10.4.9 Printing Work-Around Fix - 10 Steps
Problem - Many programs will not print in OSX 10.4.9.
What This Fix Does - Allows you to print in TEXT EDIT. You can then save MS Word files as Text Edit files and print them. Hopefully a fix will soon be released by Apple for OS 10.4.9 or MS for office 2004.
What This Fix Does Not Do - It won't allow you to print in MS Word if you currently can't, and it won't allow Appleworks to work if it currently doesn't.
Difficulty - easy to moderate. Can you paint by numbers or do you tend to draw outside the lines? If you follow the directions closely you'll be ok.
Disclaimer - I typed this fix out for myself and have applied it to my 5 personal macs and 4 at work. It hasn't crashed any of them, but I don't want you to get ****** off at me if it does... so if you screw your mac up by doing this don't say I didn't warn you. This fix isn't for newbies.
Time to complete - about 1/2 an hour.
Special Instructions -
A. You'll need to be logged in as the administrator of the computer you're working on. I've written this help missive in real plain language. If it seems like I'm speaking down to you I'm not, I'm just trying to make sure you don't screw it up and send me nasty emails.
B. Check to see if TEXT EDIT already prints for you, if it does then skip to #10. (TEXT EDIT can be found in your APPLICATIONS FOLDER on your Macintosh HD.)
OK... here we go, THE TEN STEPS! (cue dramatic music)
1. Delete all of your printers in the PRINT & FAX set up in SYETEM PREFERENCES by following this path - BLUE APPLE / SYSTEM PREFERENCES / PRINT & FAX. If the plus and minus button on the bottom left of the dialog window that appears is grey'd out, you need to CLICK ON THE LOCK and UNLOCK it. You'll need the administrator password to do this. Once the lock is unlocked, click on each printer listed there and then click the minus button. Repeat the process until all printers in the print & fax dialog are deleted.
2. Download two programs from the net. (REMEMBER where you download these files on your computer.)
A. Download a program called CUPS from this site. http://www.cups.org/software.php?VERSION=1.3svn-r6326&FILE=cups/1.2.8/cups-1.2.8 .dmg
CUPS is a unix program that Apple uses within Mac OSX to print. Download version 1.2.8 only. When you get to the site, you will have FTP and HTTP buttons to select where to download from. If you're already in a browser, click on one of the HTTP sites. That way you don't have to open an ftp program.
B. Download and install a program called PRINTER SETUP REPAIR (VERSION 5.0.5) from this site. http://www.fixamacsoftware.com/software/index.html
PRINTER SETUP REPAIR is a shareware program we'll use to fix some issues... if this works I suggest you go back to this site and be a good net citizen and purchase the software. If it doesn't then don't buy it.
3. Install CUPS by clicking on the CUPS.DMG file twice. This will open the DMG file on the desktop as a hard disk image. Open the CUPS HD image and click on the CUPS.pkg twice to install the program. Follow the instructions to the end. After installation click close button.
4. Open psr505te.dmg by clicking on it twice. (it might be called psr505TE.dmg.zip. if it is, click on the psr505TE.dmg.zip file twice to open it, then click on the psr505TE.dmg file twice to open it.) Once the psr505TE.dmg is open, open the PRINTER SETUP REPAIR HD on your desktop. Inside is a program by the same name. Open it by clicking on it twice.
5. Click the "TRY IT" button, type in your admin password, and click the CONTINUE button
6. On the left side of the Printer Setup Repair dialogue window, click CUPS TOOLS icon. in the middle of the dialogue box, if the screen reads " cupsd is running" click the STOP button located just to the left.
7. On the lower right hand side of the Printer Setup Repair dialogue window, under the words "replace current cupsd.conf file with", SELECT "new cupsd.conf file". Then click GO. Then click CONTINUE in the next dialog box that appears.
8. On the left side of the Printer Setup Repair dialogue window, click on the FILE PERMISSIONS ICON. Make sure that all of the boxes in the middle of the Printer Setup Repair dialogue window are checked except for OMIT LOCALIZED FILES and both of the FOR ALL USERS boxes. At the top of the screen in the middle click on the PRINTER ICON THAT HAS A QUESTION MARK on it. In the window that pops up click CONTINUE. This will run VERIFY AND REPAIR PERMISSIONS from inside the Printer's Setup Repair Program. (I know, there is a repair permissions in the Disk Utility Program already on the mac, it doesn't do something that this program does. I don't know what it does, but this works and Disk Utility doesn't.)
9. Run it AGAIN! (the second time does the trick for some reason. just once didn't do it on three out of 5 macs that I used this work around on). This should allow you to print in TEXT EDIT.
10. If you are using Microsoft Word and you want to print something, you need to SAVE AS a text only file (File menu / Save As / Format - Text Only) and print by opening the document in TEXT EDIT and printing from that application. So far this fix has worked on 1 intel iMac, 1 lamp stand iMac, an eMac, a Macbook and an iBook. (Funny enough, my G4 sawtooth Mac running 10.4.9 works fine and prints from MS word without a hitch.)
If this fix works for you, i encourage you to go back to printer's setup repair's website (http://www.fixamacsoftware.com/software/index.html) and purchase their software.

Answer 1

Use the install disk that shipped with your Mac to "Repair Disk"
Steps for using Disk Utility
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc that came with your computer, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.
3. Click the First Aid tab.
4. Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the hard drive icon to display the names of your hard disk volumes and partitions.
5. Select your Mac OS X volume.
6. Click Repair.
If you repair errors run it until no errors found.
Let us know.
-mj
[email protected]