Windows 8 Consumer Preview tip: use compatibility mode for driver installation

I have a Kodak ESP 725o network printer, and was trying to set it up on Windows 8 Consumer Preview. The setup software detected the printer OK, then gave a strange error:

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“The application called an interface that was marshalled for a different thread.” Hmm.

The solution is to run the installer in Windows 7 compatibility mode. Doing this in Windows 8 takes a few steps. First, find the setup app in the Start menu:

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then right-click to show the options menu, or if using touch, drag the shortcut up slightly and release for the same result. Then click or tap Open file location.

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This shows the application in Explorer on the desktop. If you prefer to get there by another route, that is fine too. Right-click the executable, choose Properties, and then Compatibility. Select Windows 7 and click OK.

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Run the printer setup utility, and if you are lucky (as I was in this case) it will install the driver for you perfectly.

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One thought on “Windows 8 Consumer Preview tip: use compatibility mode for driver installation”

  1. Didn’t work for me with my ESP 6150. I tried varies comparability settings with no luck. I would always get a communications error with the printer which is a USB that worked with Win 7. Uninstalling the Kodak software would give me a working printer but no scanner which is now in the unknown devices. Interestingly, after uninstalling the Kodak software, the printer interface is definitely from Kodak.

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