SOLVED: HP Printer Error 49.4c02
49.4C02 error in HP printers is a well-known error among users that halts all the operations being performed on the printer and asks for restart. The error when occurs is displayed on the printer screen. For some lucky users, this was only a one-time thing but for some it became a permanent headache rendering the printer unusable as whenever one would turn this printer on, the error would appear again within seconds.
The 49.4C02 error and other similar errors have been largely attributed to the miscommunication between the target printer and the system that sent the print. That could be easily caused by certain PDF files one is trying to print or an outdated firmware version of that printer. In case of a PDF file print job, the printer will give display this each time it’s restarted unless that specific print job is cancelled from the computer it’s sent. In case of a network printer, it could become problematic tracing down the system that sent the print. Before proceeding with more complicated steps below, try turning the printer off and unplugging the power and the network cable (if connected). If networked, find which computer has a print job stucked in the printer que, and delete it, put the printer power back in and the network cable back in. Turn the printer back on and test.
Solution 1: Upgrade Printer’s Firmware
Firmware in a printer is similar to what Windows is to your computer. It is an operating system for a printer. Outdated firmware is the first suspect when this error occurs on an HP printer. Firmware updates are occasionally released for this exact reason i.e. to fix various bugs and errors in a printer similar to the one you are facing now.
Before we continue, you will have to return the printer into Ready state. As this error generally appears due to a PDF file being sent to print, you will have to cancel that print job.
If you are the only one sending the print, Press the Windows key and type Devices and printers. Click on Devices and Printers in the search results. Right Click on your printer installed and click See what’s printing.
Right Click anywhere on the window that just opened and click Cancel All Documents.
If it’s a network printer and you do not know who is sending the printer, simply Unplug the network cable from the printer to disconnect it from the network. Now Restart your printer and leave the network cable unplugged.
Through Firmware Update Utility
To update the printer’s firmware, firstly you will have to check the current Firmware Version running on your printer. To do, you will have to Print a Configuration page from the troublesome printer. Use the interface on the printer itself and navigate to Administration or Information or the Configuration section in the menu. Its location may differ by the model of the printer you have.
Once you have the current firmware version, Go To the HP’s drivers support website.
Enter your printer model name under “Enter my HP model number”. The support page will open for that printer. Select your Windows version under Operating system.
In the results below, click on the Firmware section.
Latest Firmware will be on top. Next to Firmware update utility, if the Current Version is later than the version you have installed, Click the Download button to download it.
Run the Firmware update Utility you downloaded earlier. Select your Printer to update from the drop down list. If it is a network printer, connect it directly through a USB Printer cable and install it on your system. Now click on Send Firmware.
It may take a few minutes, so be patient.
Through FTP on Network
The HP’s Firmware update utility is known to fail on some printers. On network printers, it can also be done over the network using the FTP protocol. If the printer gives the error every time you connect it to network, then either turn off every other computer attached to it, or change the IP address of the printer.
Now for this method, you will have to Download an .rfu (remote firmware update) file for your printer’s model.
To do so, Go To the HP’s drivers support website. Enter your printer model name under “Enter my HP model number”. The support page will open for that printer. Select OS independent or Cross Platform from the drop down menu under Operating Systems.
Expand the Firmware section below. Next to the firmware for Windows Operating system, Check the version number. If the version number is later than the version you have installed, Click the Download button to download it.
Open the Downloaded file. If it was an exe file, it will ask for a location to extract the .rfu file. Extract it and place it on your Desktop.
Now, make sure that you know the IP address of the printer. You can know it through the Configuration page that you can print following the method mentioned above.
Now Press and Hold the Windows key and Press E. Windows explorer will open. In the address bar above, type ftp://[Printers IP Address]. For example, if the IP address is 192.168.5.123 then you would type ftp://192.168.5.123. Now Press Enter.
There will be a folder named PORT. Copy the .rfu file from the Desktop and Paste it in the PORT folder. The process will take some time. Restart printer once it done. If you cannot see a folder named PORT, you can Paste it in the window itself.
Your firmware will be updated now. Now print the file you were trying to print before and check if the issue occurs. If yes, then move on to the next solution.
Solution 2: Update Drivers to PCL6 Driver
PCL6, PCL5 or PCL5e are scripting languages used in drivers for printers. Using the PCL6 drivers for HP printers is a known remedy for the 49.4C02 error.
To install the PCL6 drivers, first you will have to download it. To do so, go to the HP’s drivers support website.
Enter your printer model name under “Enter my HP model number”. The support page will open for that printer. Select your Windows version under Operating system.
In the results below, click on the Driver – Universal Print Driver to expand it. Search for HP Universal Print Driver for Windows PCL6 and Click the Download button next to it to download it.
Run the downloaded file and it will ask for a location to extract its content. Define a location or leave the default in it and Click Unzip. Its Installation will startup automatically. Follow the onscreen instructions now.
You can also do so manually by first Uninstalling the target printer. Now Reinstall it, but when it asks for drivers, don’t use the drivers already installed. Use the drivers from the folder in which you just extracted the PCL6 drivers. If the extraction location was left as default, then it would be C:\HP Universal Print Driver\pcl6-xxx-x.x.x.xxxxx.
Restart your computer and the error should be gone now. If not, move on to the next solution.
Solution 3: Print PDF as Image
This error mostly occurs after a user prints a PDF file. Usually that PDF file has fonts a little too complex that can mess up the printer’s memory. You can counter this issue by printing the PDF as an image.
To do so, firstly Clear the print queue that has the troublesome PDF file in its list using the method given in Solution 1. Unless that PDF is removed, the printer will continue giving that error.
Now Restart the printer.
Open the PDF you were trying to print. Press and Hold the Windows key and Press P to bring up the Print Window. Now Click on Advanced button.
Place a Check next to Print As Image. Click OK and Print the document. The location of the Print As Image option may vary from printer to printer.
Check if the issue is resolved. If not, then it’s the PDF file that is corrupt.
