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HP All-in-One Products, HP DeskJet and HP Photosmart Printers - The Message "Printer Not Activated - Error Code 20" Occurs When Printing

Introduction

The error message “Printer not activated – Error Code 20” is displayed on the computer when printing. Before proceeding to the solution, please verify that the printer or all-in-one is working by printing a self-test page and also verify USB connectivity from the printer to the computer.

Solution

Step one: Make sure the desired printer is set as the default printer

  1. Click Start and then click Printers and Faxes to open the Printers folder.
  2. If the desired printer icon is missing, please go to Step two.
  3. Make sure the desired printer has a check mark next to it which indicates it is set as the default printer.
  4. If the desired printer does not have a check mark next to it, right-click the printer icon and then click “Set as Default Printer”.
  5. Right-click the printer icon, and then click Print Test Page to print a Windows self-test page.
  6. If the Windows test page prints successfully, close all windows and try printing from the application you were using before.
  7. If the Windows test-page does not print, go to Step two.

Step two: Re-install the USB Composite Device from Device Manager

  1. Click Start and then Run.
  2. Type devmgmt.msc in the Run window and then press Enter to open the Device Manager Window.
  3. Click the plus sign (+) next to Universal Serial Bus Controllers.
  4. Right click USB Composite Device, click Uninstall, and then click OK.
  5. Disconnect the USB cable from the computer and then reconnect it.
  6. Follow the instructions in the Found New Hardware wizard to install the drivers.
  7. Right-click the printer icon, and then click Print Test Page to print a Windows self-test page.
  8. Close all windows and try printing from the application you were using before.

Step three: Reinstall the HP Software

If the above steps do not resolve the issue, please uninstall and reinstall the HP software.

Cause

The error may be caused if the wrong printer is set as the default printer, the printer driver is missing, or if there are conflicts in the device manager.

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