HP Laserjet 6MP: what do I need to save from old system?

Question

I recently moved from a G3 iMac running 10.2 to a G5 running 10.4. I have a great old HP Laserjet 6MP. Right now, my system is successfully printing (through an AsanteTalk box that goes from the printer to the Appletalk slot). It was able to find my printer, showing the name "Buster," a name which I had chosen a long time ago when I was on System 9. The only place where the name "Buster" appears in my files is on two ppd files on my external nonbootable backup disk, in the old "System Folder." One is in the Printer Preferences and the other in the Extensions in this old System Folder. I have several questions:
1. Are these two files named Buster essential to my system being able to find my printer? I'm surprised that the system would have found the printer in the backup disk rather than through a newer driver on the current system.
2. If the Buster files are essential, where should I put them on my current system? (I'd like to be able to remove the old system files from the external backup drive eventually.) Or do I just need to keep them where they are, on the backup disk?
3. I've noticed there is an HP Laserjet 6MP driver on the new system. Would my system be able to find my printer with just this driver?
4. Is there any danger of my system not being able to find the printer if I move these "Buster" ppds to a different folder on the backup disk?
Thanks,
Donna
Message was edited by: Donna Kossy
Message was edited by: Donna Kossy

Answer 1

You should be able to use the printer independent of old system
folders created in another computer at a different time. Perhaps
the AppleTalk connection is why this old information comes up;
presumably you are still using the printer via AppleTalk, and so
that configuration must be running under Classic in OS X 10.4.
The OS X 10.4.x Tiger system probably has excellent drivers;
but you could use Gimp prints, too.
Did you use the Migration Assistant to move from the old Mac
to the newer one? If so, it copied over stuff; and any old alias
or links to sources no longer available to the computer would
be null and void, unless or until some other drive with old info
relative to this were available.
I'd change all that; and re-think the need to use AppleTalk,
unless you have other hardware or needs only fulfilled with it.
You should be able to get a good driver for the printer as a
download, something newer than the printer's old one. The
Gimp Print or gutenprint open source page has free drivers.
There probably is something there to update the old printer.
You may be able to move the printer driver from one system
into another; but not sure how compatible that bit of old data
would be in a newer OS X 10.4 system.
Gutenprint - Gimp print:
http://gimp-print.sourceforge.net/MacOSX.php3
Gutenprint supported printers lists your model:
http://gutenprint.sourceforge.net/pSupportedPrinters.php3
I'm not sure about the rest of this question; in that the need
for the configuration as it was has not been established as
a single and valid way to go. You should be able to get newer
drivers and consider other means to use the printer outside
of AppleTalk, if necessary. There should be no need for the
old system parts, if you can get a newer, better driver; etc.
Good luck & happy computing!