Mac OS X 10.2.2: Sluggish system performance after installing HP printer drivers

After installing some HP printer drivers, the computer becomes sluggish or stops responding.
When you install the driver software for certain HP products, the computer becomes sluggish or stops responding. Overall system performance degrades over time. Under certain conditions a kernel panic may result, forcing a restart.

This document applies to Mac OS X 10.2.2 and these products:


Using these HP products with earlier versions of Mac OS X, for example Mac OS X 10.2.1, does not produce this symptom.

This issue may be avoided by updating to Mac OS X 10.2.3 or later.

The following information may be referenced for Mac OS X 10.2.2.

Apple and HP have identified the causes of this issue, and are working closely together on a resolution. For more information, see this HP website.

As a workaround, uninstall the HP driver to return the system performance to previous levels. Restarting the computer or reinstalling the drivers does not resolve this issue.

To uninstall the driver software:
  1. Open the HP driver's installer. Proceed through the installation process by entering your passphrase and accepting the license agreement.
  2. When offered the option to Easy Install the listed drivers, choose "Uninstall" from the pop-up menu.
  3. A dialog appears with this message: "Some software components may be shared by other HP products. Do you wish to "Remove All" components, or "Continue" removal of only specific components?" Click Remove All.


Note: The HPIJS for Mac OS X website (http://www.linuxprinting.org/macosx/hpijs/) offers HP printer drivers that work with Mac OS X 10.2. The site also explains how to install the HPIJS open source software and create a print queue for the driver.

Important: Information about products not manufactured by Apple is provided for information purposes only, and does not constitute Apple's recommendation or endorsement. Please contact the vendor for additional information.
Published Date: Feb 20, 2012