It’s not unheard of to have a piece of equipment such as a printer or scanner and fail to have any success with it because of a complete lack of software. This is especially likely when you buy a used piece of equipment.
In this article I hope to be able to show you how to set up the Brother MFC 490cw without having any available software. Basically its largely common sense and if this article fails to help you, then I will point you in the direction of technical support forums where the same problems have been experienced for another interpretation.
Software Available
And frankly software being unavailable is not such a big deal as you can always obtain it from the website. Brother has a very clear website that even a novice can understand. It’s all available online anyway.
So for the most part my help is small as all I shall be doing is telling you the obvious but still for some they do not know that it’s as simple as it is, and would buy a used model then panic and call in a tech to help, and pay extra when really it’s so simple to do yourself.
So you have possibly bought yourself a used Brother MFC 490cw without the installer driver needed and it maybe an oversight or maybe it’s because they just got lost long ago by the seller. Maybe because it’s stolen so be aware of that possibility also. The first thing that you must do when you run in to this problem is to go to the website of the manufacturer, in this case, Brother, and look up the model, in this case the MFC 490cw.
Take down as much detail as you can regard model numbers from your printer in case there are variations between old and newer additions. Important information that may be helpful is the operating system of your computer.
For any Windows users all you have to do is go to control panel and then system. Somewhere in that window, there will be an indication of the operating system. On many manufactured computers, there is a little sticker that gives you all the details including the operating system as well. So let’s assume you’re on Windows XP. Mac can be sourced also.
Then armed with the details return to the Brother website and find the model. There will usually be a customer support section with a tab for downloads with most manufacturers websites. This is where you want to go. As in this case you’re using the Brother website which is simple to understand.
Follow the Prompts
There you will see a nice and simple to understand page where as the Product is the first section, followed by Accessories and then the one you want, Support. Under Support you will see Solutions Center and within that you will see the link View Brother Solutions Center for MFC-490cw.
From there you click Downloads. In the Notes and Information section, you will see links for Linux and Vista users. For Vista users, its information to consider and for Linux, it’s the link to the driver.
Below that is Step 1 where you enter your Operating System and your choice of language to follow the prompts. Click on your operating system then scroll down and click Search.
Right at the top will be the recommended download and simply click Download and Information. The tab to download from there is clear in blue but before you click download you need to make sure any old drivers are uninstalled.
It is made simple for you as they provide a link to an uninstall tool. So if you do have old drivers installed on your computer then follow the guide and uninstall them. Once that is done then simply click the blue Download and then once you have agreed to the terms and conditions then the download will begin and simply follow the prompts through to the end.
Always a Solution
It should be fairly similar for any brand and model on most brand websites. So as you can see no matter what the printer then as long as it is available then you should easily get the download. Even if a product is no longer available if you enter a search looking for the driver, generally you have an excellent chance of finding it. You should be able to get all you need in drivers and software. After the Downloads, you will need to install them but again simply follow the prompts.
Sometimes you will have to access the printer wizard, which is usually in the control panel somewhere. You will have to look up a tutorial for your particular operating system. You execute the files and follow along with the prompts. After you have done everything you will have a fully functioning product that you did not even need the software discs for.
Usually with new printers, all you have to do is click the setup button and follow along with the prompts. This knowledge will prove itself the most useful when you get a used item from someone who does not have the right software. It will also be very useful for older products that were not designed for your operating system. Often they will later come out with drivers and software that support the newer operating systems but you have to get them off the website.
Even the manuals are fully downloadable so you need not have to worry about buying a used product without a manual as with the Brother most manufacturers have a route to down load a Manual for the product. In this case, the MFC-490cw.
Further Help
If you have problems that have not been solved by a simple download or general set up problems, then there is a Troubleshooting Section on the Brother website also.
There are many support sites in general like www.justanswer.com where you can ask a technician a specific question and they come back with an answer. Also many printers are featured on forums like Tech Support Guy that can be a useful source to problem solving and with posts about issues such as Installing Brother MFC-490cw w/Linksys Router.
Hopefully you are fully set up and running by now so enjoy your new printer.
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About James Wikkee