I recently purchased an HP Deskjet 6980.  It's got a wireless networking option, so setup was pretty straightforward - plug it into the network, run a config program on one of my computers (which presumably used the wired network connection to download some config info to the printer), then unplug it from the network and enjoy a milkbone in a wireless-printing world.  No WTF so far.  In fact, just the opposite.

Then I noticed that every time I printed something, two processes (HPBOID.EXE and HPBPRO.exe) would appear on the computer I was printing from, and would not go away.  I invoked Google and found a few references to similar issues.  The only fix I found was to download a patch, and not being a trusting soul, I decided to email HP tech support instead.  They pointed me here: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&docname=c00850968&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

The two services referenced in Solution 1 were installed (and not surprisingly were for the two exe's in question) but not running, so I went on to Solution 2:

Solution two

Search for hpboid.exe and delete the file. Deleting the file will not affect the printing functionality.

Hello Rob,

Its good to hear from you again ! Thank you for writing us back.

I am delighted to know that you have been successful in resolving the issue. We thank you for taking the time to appreciate the technical support you received.

I must admit that the issue would not have been resolved without your efforts.  We can only provide technical resolutions from our side.  But, it is you who implemented the resolution to perfection.  It feels good and boosts our confidence working with such a well informed user.

Once again, thank you for your comments and the opportunity to serve you.  It gives immense pleasure when we hear from our satisfied customers. Please feel free to get back to us for further assistance.

Sincerely, 

Anthony, HP Total Care

Is this guy trying to pick me up, or is he just in awe of my efforts (without which the issue would not have been resolved) and amazed at the perfection with which I implemented the resolution?  In either case, I am glad to have given him delight and immense pleasure.

RobFreundlich:

So HP put the file on disk and set up a service to use it, but it's not actually needed?!?!?!?  Huh?

 

 

http://searchtasks.answersthatwork.com/tasklist.php?File=Hpboid

 

HP Status Server. Service installed by the drivers for some of the HP business laser printers and which forms pat of HP's EAC technology - Enterprise Configuration Agent - where the printer drivers automatically query the printer, whether it is networked or locally connected, and then automatically reflect the printer's physical configuration in the Windows printer configuration screens. Thus, if you decide to buy an envelope feeder and attach it to the printer, this task will get your PC to query the printer and automatically incorporate into your printer driver the fact that the printer now has an envelope feeder.

 

The early history of this task, and its sister task, HPBPRO, is absolutely disastrous : unnecessary multiple instances of this task sucking up the PC's processing power¥ or HPBPRO taking up between 80% to 100% of CPU usage, thus slowing the PC down to a crawl. To put the record straight, a lot of these issues were resolved in later versions of these services (picked up through a driver update), but in June 2006 they have not disappeared completely and these two tasks still create problems with some HP printer drivers on some PCs. This task goes hand in hand with HPBPRO (HP Port Resolver), thus whatever you decide to do with HPBPRO, you should do with this task.

 

Cet homme est étrange ...

This guy is weird ...

Monkios:

À cause de la Chartre de la Langue Française, toutes mes réponses doivent se faire en français.

 49.42% of the way to being french only.  Oh how I could only wish it were true!

I have the same printer, and I have more HP software banging around on my system than I can stand.  Last night one of the programs (not one of the two you mentioned) decided to go on a CPU-using spree, and convinced YIM to do the same.  All my CPUs were pegged until I kicked off the offenders.

Monkios:

À cause de la Chartre de la Langue Française, toutes mes réponses doivent se faire en français. 

 

You should at least try to write it correctly! It is "charte", not "chartre", even if both words exist in french...

 

A french guy who knows that sometimes you can't do without a little of eng[lr]ish. 

I'm not that suprised by HP installing unnecessary crap with their printers. I had one years ago (well, technically my parents had it. I lived at home back then) that always used 99% of the processor UNTIL you printed. While you printed it was fine, then went back to raping the computer once the last sheet came out of the printer. Ended up having to uninstall it all, create a virtual COM port for the network printer and install the drivers with windows by picking the files off the install CD that were actually important.

That second email though is sort of scary though... to me it reads either like an over-enthusiasticly written standard batched script or like someone at HP was sick of "know-it-all"'s (Not saying you were one, just that they might've taken it that way. I've written many emails like that) telling them how to write their installer and decided to take the piss out of you :P

With any printer I try to always just install the driver using Windows add/remove hardware widget - most printer manufacturers bundle an massive over-complicated app with their printers that can cause no end of headaches. They seem to arrogantly assume printing is all you do.

versatilia:

[Printer manufacturers] seem to arrogantly assume printing is all you do.

Doesn't this apply to all hardware? And even quite a lot of software. Quicktime taskbar thingy anyone? Sound card control panels? Antivirus that uses crazy amounts of cpu time?

I recently needed to instal a cheap Samsung laser printer for network use, and I just extracted the driver installer instead of running it and let Windows pick up the drivers. As I needed to add the x64 drivers to the 32-bit machine with the printer to allow them to be installed on an x64 machine over the network, I doubt I could have run the installer anyway.

RobFreundlich:

Is this guy trying to pick me up, or is he just in awe of my efforts (without which the issue would not have been resolved) and amazed at the perfection with which I implemented the resolution?  In either case, I am glad to have given him delight and immense pleasure.

Sounds like he did a very bad job of giving you a compliment dripping with sarcasm.

versatilia:

most printer manufacturers bundle an massive over-complicated app with their printers that can cause no end of headaches.

HP bundle about 5. When I set a flatmate up to use my HP PSC 1110 she had a 160MB download from servers which were, unsurprisingly, overloaded.

acne:

Monkios:

À cause de la Chartre de la Langue Française, toutes mes réponses doivent se faire en français. 

 

You should at least try to write it correctly! It is "charte", not "chartre", even if both words exist in french...

 

A french guy who knows that sometimes you can't do without a little of eng[lr]ish. 

 

Clearly French, not Quebecois. I'll take a chien chaud and mais souffle while I'm at it...

Tech Support is indeed the source of countless WTFs.  Mostly from clueless users, but many also from the other side.  Someday I'm going to post the answers I've received from Yahoo and Philips.... 

I had an HP <something> some years back, which needed occasional reinstallation. Always amazed me when the install CD explained that it was installing 18,000-plus files. W... T... F!

 

emurphy:

RobFreundlich:

So HP put the file on disk and set up a service to use it, but it's not actually needed?!?!?!?  Huh?

 

http://searchtasks.answersthatwork.com/tasklist.php?File=Hpboid

I think you'll find that this link is somewhat more relevant.

emurphy:

HP's EAC technology - Enterprise Configuration Agent

Acronym FAIL!

 

RobFreundlich:

Is this guy trying to pick me up, or is he just in awe of my efforts (without which the issue would not have been resolved) and amazed at the perfection with which I implemented the resolution?  In either case, I am glad to have given him delight and immense pleasure.

Did he ask for status?

Eternal Density:

RobFreundlich:

Is this guy trying to pick me up, or is he just in awe of my efforts (without which the issue would not have been resolved) and amazed at the perfection with which I implemented the resolution?  In either case, I am glad to have given him delight and immense pleasure.

Did he ask for status?

 Curse you!  Now I need a new keyboard!

(tea, by the way, not whatever sick thoughts you were all thinking)

Thief^:

I recently needed to instal a cheap Samsung laser printer for network use, and I just extracted the driver installer instead of running it and let Windows pick up the drivers. As I needed to add the x64 drivers to the 32-bit machine with the printer to allow them to be installed on an x64 machine over the network, I doubt I could have run the installer anyway.

The Samsung drivers I've come across came in self-extracting archive, which then ran the installer, but you could always easily cancel the installer and install printer manually (the only thing the installer seems to do is allow you to set the IP of the printer).
HP on the other hand... just get their universal PCL driver, and use that - it'll save you a lot of headaches (if it's a network printer, create a network port through Windows).