HP LaserJet M402n – Troubleshooting Notes (DriverFiles)
Most people arrived here convinced the M402n driver had broken because printing suddenly stopped, settings reset themselves, or the printer appeared online but refused jobs. In practice, some issues were caused by consumable communication, others by how the printer was installed on the network, and a few by settings that changed without any obvious trigger. These notes document how those attempts actually played out, including cases where driver work didn’t immediately explain the behavior.
Problem: “Supply memory error” prevents printing
What users observed: The printer refused to print and displayed a supply memory error, even though the toner cartridge was installed and appeared normal.
What was tried: The toner cartridge was removed and reseated, and attention was given to the contact points between the cartridge and the printer.
Where this sometimes ended: After reseating and cleaning the cartridge contacts, the printer resumed printing. The issue appeared tied to cartridge communication rather than a driver failure.
Problem: One workstation cannot print while others can
What users observed: A specific M402n would not print from one nearby workstation, while the same printer worked consistently from other computers on the same network.
What was tried: Repeated removal and reinstallation of the printer and drivers, including registry cleanup and testing multiple driver versions.
Where this sometimes ended: After a factory reset of the printer and another full removal and reinstall cycle, printing began working again. It was not clear which step actually resolved the issue.
Problem: Intermittent network printing failures across multiple units
What users observed: Several M402n printers on the same network would stop printing intermittently. They remained reachable by IP and their web interfaces loaded normally, but print jobs failed.
What was tried: Temporary fixes included rebooting printers, rebooting the print server, and changing the port assigned to the queue.
What this turned out to be: A port configuration issue rather than firmware or driver instability.
Where this sometimes ended: Printers using WSD ports were unreliable. Switching to standard TCP/IP ports stabilized printing, while other printers on the same subnet were unaffected.
Problem: Printer repeatedly asks to load Tray 1 and pauses between pages
What users observed: Each page triggered a prompt to load Tray 1 or press OK. The printer paused between pages, making multi-page jobs extremely slow.
What was tried: Print job settings were reviewed before sending documents.
Where this sometimes ended: When the job’s media type and size matched what was actually loaded in the tray, the delays stopped. The printer behavior was tied to job configuration rather than hardware failure.
Problem: Printers suddenly switch to manual duplexing
What users observed: Multiple M402n printers began prompting for manual duplexing even though duplexing was supposed to be disabled and had worked correctly the day before.
What was tried: Cold resets and verification of printer-side settings showed no obvious changes.
Where this sometimes ended: Manual duplexing had become enabled in the print server preferences. Turning it off restored normal single-sided printing.
Problem: Setup installer cannot find the printer on the network
What users observed: The printer responded to pings and its web interface was accessible, but the setup utility could not detect it.
What was tried: Restarting the printer and changing its IP address had no effect.
What this turned out to be: The wrong installer was used for the printer variant.
Where this sometimes ended: Using the installer that matched the correct M402 series variant allowed detection to succeed.
Other multifunctional printers showing similar behavior:
- Scans your system for missing or outdated drivers
- Downloads and installs the correct versions
- Creates a restore point before making changes