New printer wont work

I just bought a lexmark printer and during install it says the printer is not hooked up. I have checked all the cables and they are fine. This happened a few months ago with a used lexmark I got as well. I had hoped buying a new one would fix the problem. Also I used a usb cable I already had. Does it need a special USB cable for printing? The cable fits fine and everything

 

The problem may be the cable you're using; if you had the same problem using the same cable with a different printer, I'd say the cable is faulty. And, no. You don't need a special cable for printing: just a std. USB A/B cable from the PC to printer, and the power cord from the printer to a power outlet is all you need...

hd2k

 

naw its a different cable..borrowed this one off my external hard drive I just got

 

Hmmm... should work OK... with many USB devices you need to install the drivers before you connect the device... check your Add/Remove list and remove the printer software, then reload 'em and connect the device later in the process....

hd2k

 

thats the thing..it wont even get to the install part. It checks to see if the printer is connected says its not then wont do anything. I have heard other people have had this problem with lexmark printer but no one can tell me how they fixed it.