The quick fix (quick for you since you’re reading this article)Â for a cryptic error message for the HP Color Laserjet CP3505n printer.
So I saw this printer lying on its side at a friend’s house so I asked him what was wrong.. “Oh, I think it needs a firmware update, but no one has been able to fix it” he responded. Firmware you say?? Sounds easy-peasy to me so I told him as much with that smug smile we IT guys are so good at. He told me to take it and fix it if I could…”It’ll be another article for your blog” he said, to which I retorted “Not likely! If it’s a firmware update then it’s gonna be a one-and-done with the firmware utility…printers don’t usually lend themselves to interesting problems.” I was wrong.
Once stuck with this error, the printer goes into a loop which would make most people tear their hair out. In fact, my buddy had already bought a replacement and written the thing off for the scrap heap before I even was aware of it. But I digress.
Here is what worked for me:
- Turn the printer on and then plug into the USB port
- Add the printer using an HP driver such as the HP Laserjet 4100 PCL 5 (make sure you name the printer “Hewlett-PackardHP LaserJet USB Upgrade”  **note the exact string includes no space between Packard and HP**
- Run the firmware upgrade utility and select that printer from the dropdown. It should run the upgrade no problem.
Before I hit on that combo I tried a couple other solution suggestions from partial info on various websites. If the above doesn’t work for you then feel free to try them as well. This includes:
http://www.vanguardsys.com/whmcs/knowledgebase.php?action=displayarticle&id=216
The fix in the first paragraph threw me because it sounded so good but just didn’t work for me despite multiple tries. My solution above is actually a much stripped-down version of the text that follows that first section…follow it if you want/need a step-by-step.
http://www.printerhacks.com/fixing-the-dreaded-rfu-load-errorsend-rfu-upgrade-on-cp3505-using-a-mac/
This appears to be a good solution for MAC judging by the high # of comments praising the writer. If you have a mac then you can try this and it likely will work for you (modifying it for the Vista PC I was on did not work for me at all.)
I found the other guides you have mentioned but I couldn’t get them to work. My process followed yours but was slightly different..
1. Plug in Printer via USB. It installed as a “Hewlett-PackardHP LaserJet USB Upgrade” but was still unrecognized and did not have a driver associated with it.
2. Go to Devices and Printers and click Add a Printer
3. Add a Local Printer
4. Use an existing port and select USB0001 (Virtual Printer Port for USB)
5. Install it with the CP3505n drivers. Leave the name as it is.
6. Run the FW Upgrade tool and select the 3505.
This was done on Windows 7 Pro 64 bit.
It worked like a charm. Thanks again!
Dan Koller | IT Technician
607-797-7700 | dkoller@meiersupply.com
Thank you Dan for this fix for Win7-64!
Thanks alot. It worked