Digi NCR 7197 – Troubleshooting Notes (DriverFiles)
People usually arrived here assuming a bad driver install because the Digi NCR 7197 started behaving incorrectly right after setup or reboot. These notes document what actually happened once that assumption was tested. In practice, driver changes often made no difference, and some behaviors never lined up with a clean software explanation.
Problem: Printer outputs repeated lines with a single “Z” on boot
What users observed: Each time the system started, resumed from standby, or reloaded drivers, the printer immediately fed paper and printed dozens of lines containing only the letter “Z.” This happened consistently and wasted paper every cycle.
What was tried: Different versions of the Edgeport USB-to-serial driver and the NCR POS-ready driver were installed. Full system resets and driver reinstalls were attempted, but the behavior did not change.
How this played out: No official fix was identified. The printer continued to emit the same output on every startup, and the issue remained unresolved despite multiple driver combinations.
Problem: NCR 7197 no longer recognized by NCR 1000 POS system
What users observed: The POS computer stopped detecting the NCR 7197 even though it had worked previously. The printer still powered on and could feed paper, suggesting it was not completely dead.
What was tried: Connection checks and driver reinstalls were performed, focusing on restoring recognition within the POS environment.
Where this ended: The model and operating system involved were already outdated, and long-term stability was not clearly established.
Other devices showing similar behavior:
- Scans your system for missing or outdated drivers
- Downloads and installs the correct versions
- Creates a restore point before making changes