I bought this all-in-one printer from the local big box store when my previous all-in-one stopped working. I liked that the Photosmart C7280 had all the home-office basics covered AND the ability to print photos. Plus it supported wireless network printing.

The only problem with this otherwise reasonably fine printer is that the HP software that runs it appears to be very flaky and unpredictable. I installed the full version (v9.x) that came with the printer (off CD onto XP) and everything worked well until an HP-related svchost.exe process started running away consuming 100% of my PC's CPU, essentially locking everything up.

So I figured I'd uninstall the v9.x software and download/install the latest software from HP Support (v10.x) but the newly installed software had its own issues - it wouldn't recognize the printer's duplexer (the option that allows two-sided printing). So I have since uninstalled the v10.x and re-installed the v9.x WITH BARE MINIMUM FUNCTIONALITY while still leaving all features of the printer intact - no HP extras and so-called bells and whistles (like Web Printing). I only installed the All-In-One print driver, OCR software, and Digital Imaging Monitor (and I may get rid of the monitor as well).

Now I can't say for certain that the run-away svchost.exe process problem won't return (time will tell) and I can't say for certain what HP software component is the true culprit for the svchost.exe problem (it could be the monitor). What I can say is that when everything is working, the printer is a pleasure.

If you don't want to spend time "dialing in" the software/printer mix and keeping abreast of the latest HP software upgrades (and trying them out) this may not be the printer for you. If you don't mind pushing through these nuisances (check other review and support sites for the full list of headaches) you may find that this machine works fine for you. Time will tell for me.

Recommended: No