HP 2100 printer only prints test page

I am in real fix and need your expertise to solve this problem. I have a desktop computer which is installed with Windows XP operating system. The computer is connected to HP 2100 printer. The problem which I am facing with the printer is that, whenever print command is given it prints all the garbage characters but it prints the test page perfectly. I need somebody to explain me why HP 2100 printer only prints test page properly and why cant it print other useful documents. Any help regarding the issue is more than appreciated. Thanks in advance.

It looks like the application which you are using to print the documents is corrupt and hence you are not able to print the document properly. All the applications have many files which are associated to it. If any of the files which are associated to the application gets corrupt then the application will not work properly. Try using some different application to print the document and see if the printer prints the documents properly. If other application prints the documents properly then uninstall the application which was creating the problem. After installing download the latest version of the application and then install it again on the computer.

All the devices which are connected to the computer require a set of associated software's to be installed on the computer. This set of software is known as Drivers. Drivers act as mediator between the operating system and the device. If the appropriate drivers are not installed then the device will not work properly. To check if the appropriate drivers for the printer are installed and working properly on the computer, open the device manager and check the installed printer. If there are any caution signs, then follow the troubleshooting procedure. If the troubleshooting does not help then try and update the drivers.

I think the computer is not able to communicate with the printer properly and hence the printer is not able to print any documents properly. The communication between the computer and the printer depends on the cable connecting both the devices. If the cable itself is faulty then the communication between the computer and the printer will not be proper which will lead to problems like the one which you are facing. Check the connecting cable between the computer and printer. Try changing the cable and see if the printer works properly or not. Hopefully changing the cable will solve the problem.

Sometimes the printer gets stuck and needs to be reset to make it work properly again. To reset the printer, Hold the Go button while the printer is started. Keep the button pressed till all the LED's on the printer flash once. Once all the LED's have flashed, release the button and then turn off the printer. Let the printer rest for 30 seconds and then power on the printer. After powering on the printer check if you are able to print any documents using the printer.