Can't setup Photosmart 8150

Question

I was having trouble viewing ink levels on my Photosmart 8150--up until recently working fine. I saw HP had new software so I downloaded and installed. I've been through Apple tech notes, forum notes, called HP and I'm stymied. I'm working on a G4 desktop with 10.3.9.
After installing and uninstalling a number of times--and I tried the minimum install, too, downloading the Printer Repair software and running and running, repairing permissions in Disk Utility, checking disc in Disk Utility, dumping the com.apple.print preferences, connecting the printer directly to the computer USB port--This is the current situation. If I log in as the root user and run the Print Setup Utility, when I try to add the printer, I get server error. (I tried entering the codes Apple gives for this problem in the terminal. Did not solve.)
The console says this:Mac OS X Version 10.3.9 (Build 7W98)
2006-03-26 16:41:19 -0500
DebugAssert: Third Party Client: ((__null) != m_lock && 0 == (*__error())) Can't create semaphore lock [line 60, file /Volumes/Development/HP/Mac-Software/mac-software/core/HPEventHandler/Sources/H PTMNotificationManager.cpp]
tb2 host[406]: LaunchApplication(/Applications/More Utilities/Timbuktu Pro/Timbuktu Pro.app/Contents/SharedSupport/Timbuktu Host Menu.app) Of course, HP knows nothing about the Event Handler.
I tried turning everything off in Timbuktu. I tried dumping the HPEventHandler. Someone in the forums suggested dumping HP Communications. After all this If I log in as myself (I'm the administrator) and try adding the printer, I get print driver not available. Although, as I said if I log in as root, I get the server error when I click on add the HP 3.0 software.
At one point I uninstalled the gimp printer--in fact I uninstalled all HP printer software, as well. Then I thought I'll reinstall the gimp-printer and maybe at least I can get it going that way. NO, same results.
However, I did realize something while reading the instructions for installing gimp-printer. It says "go to the Sharing pane of System Preferences and click the checkbox for Printer Sharing; changing this setting will reset the print spooler. As far as setting up a USB printer is concerned it does not matter whether Printer Sharing is turned on or off, it is the act of turning it on or off that resets the spooler." When I went to turn off the printer sharing--it won't turn off! Neither in Print and Fax or in Sharing. I tried trashing the preferences for the system folder although I 'm not sure I succeeded, because everything seemed the same when I rebooted. So somehow I think it's related to this and I suspect someone knows something to put into the terminal to reset things, but not me. I can print test pages in the HP toolbox.
I really don't want to reinstall the whole system. I have Quark and Photoshop and they don't like to be copied.
As you can see, I'm game for trying to solve problems by myself, but I have run out of ideas.
If someone out there can help me, you will have my undying gratitude.
Desktop G4   Mac OS X (10.3.9)  
Desktop G4   Mac OS X (10.3.9)  

Answer 1

After much angst, I resolved this issue. I don't know if this would be the recommended solution (there was much searching and trials) but--
the answer that worked boiled down to this:
Followed HP's advice that I believe someone posted here: remove entire HP printer folder from Library, trash all printer pref (com.apple.print), repair system pref (I guessed this meant repairing permissions), trash it all. Then my own idea was to reinstall the minimum install with the original disk to avoid the HP Event Handler crash. That crash was gone, but I still couldn't get the Print Setup Utility to recognize the driver!
I had recently installed Gimp Print 4.2.7 in my effort to get the printer running anyway I could. Also the HP tech woman told me my printer couldn't print PostScript fonts and I wanted to use those fonts. Now I had the following crash in the Crash Reporter:
dyld: /usr/sbin/cupsd Undefined symbols:
/usr/sbin/cupsd undefined reference to _ipp_freeattr expected to be defined in /usr/lib/libcups.2.dylib
/usr/sbin/cupsd undefined reference to cupsstrcpy expected to be defined in /usr/lib/libcups.2.dylib
This happend no matter what I tried. I was going blind an mad trying to understand UNIX code, which previously I knew nothing about.
Finally, I extracted with Pacifist, libcups.2.dylib from two later versions of CUPS packages (1.2b2 was one) and exchanged it with the one installed, by logging in as root. Still had the same crash and no printer.
Then with Pacifist I extracted the file from the original Panther installer. Hooray! no cuspd crash, but six new ones! All the CUPS backends were crashing:
An example, and they were all the same:
dyld: /usr/libexec/cups/backend/ipp Undefined symbols:
/usr/libexec/cups/backend/ipp undefined reference to _sigset expected to be defined in /usr/lib/libSystem.B.dylib.
(By the way these are all found in the Crash reporter through Finder-Go-Go To Folder.)
So then I did the same thing with the backend folder (extracted it from Pacifist, logged in as root, and exchange the files. I didn't throw away any files, just in case.)
When I rebooted, and checked the crash report, I couldn't believe it--no crashes!
But when I checked the system log xinetd wasn't loading. I don't know what this is but CUPS seems to want it. In my researches I had come across this website:http://www.mandrake.demon.co.uk/Apple/osxprint.html--I followed the website instructions only through turning FTP on in the file sharing preferences, since I wasn't interested in sharing my printer. By the way, some how through these steps File sharing for the Printer was now off.
I went to Printer Setup Utility and setup my original HP printer driver. It worked! Jubilation! Then I set up the Foomatic printer for HP8100--didn't work. And installed the Gimp Printer for Photosmart 1100, the closest they had to mine. It works, too, but the original Photosmart Printer does a better job than the Gimp. It seems to print PostScript fonts just fine and my test photos were better just using the HP Printer Driver.
I see undending questions about not being able to set up printers posted, so I thought I would post my solution here. If it's not as coherent as possible, it's because I'm fried. This has taken me at least two weeks!
Desktop G4   Mac OS X (10.3.9)  
Desktop G4   Mac OS X (10.3.9)  
Desktop G4   Mac OS X (10.3.9)  
Desktop G4   Mac OS X (10.3.9)