Trash-picked Brother MFC-8480DN Is Password Locked :'(

ShadowProphet

My uncle found a perfectly good Brother MFC-8480DN fax/scanner/copier/network printer in the trash. The only issue I've found is that it has no RAM (yet seems to run fine) and that almost every setting I need to access is locked by a password that I cannot erase. I've tried what many people have recommended with other similar printers, going into Network and hitting Network Reset, but that doesn't erase the security password. I'd really like to actually be able to use this thing, so I was wondering if anyone knew what to do in my situation.

thinkpadman

Not one to use Brother printers but have you tried either:

http://support.brother.com/g/b/faqend.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=hl2280dw_us&faqid=faq00002496_001

or

https://superuser.com/questions/689762/how-to-reset-secure-function-password-on-a-brother-mfc-9560-cdw

or

http://www.fixya.com/support/t25182233-way_reset_admin_password_brother_mfc

Granted not your exact model but may work in a similar way.

ShadowProphet

Alright, I managed to solve this on my own not twenty minutes after I made the original post, and I was too exhausted to say so, it being about 1:00 AM. The problem I was facing was not a network issue, it's not even set up on a network, it's just plugged directly into my PC via USB. The issue was some feature called Setting Lock, which was just a four-digit pin. I found my solution on the Brother forums. You go to the home screen and press Menu-*-2-8-6-4 very quickly, and it enters Maintenance Mode. Then enter the code 01 to reset the EEPROM, then 99 to restart the printer. It cleared all the settings and everything, even all the logs from the previous owner, which is good. Apparently the buttons to hit vary from printer to printer.

Now it's demanding I replace the drum even though it's working 100% fine. Printers are an overwhelming pain in the ass, aren't they?

thinkpadman

ShadowProphet wrote:

Printers are an overwhelming pain in the ass, aren't they?

I hear ya. I wasted a couple of hours working out how to install my Epson Stylus Color printer in OS X Sierra over Ethernet recently. Struggled for the MacBook to detect it even though Windows machines could, and also that the drivers for Yosemite etc. still worked for Sierra after all.

02k-guy

Printers are an overwhelming pain in the ass, aren't they?

YES. I used to swear by Brother MF printers laser & inkjet - now I swear at them.

There's a real nice MF inkjet sitting outide the office door - 2 years old when it died because the black ink clogged the head - and the head costs as much as the printer.

I've never owned one as nice as what you salvaged - so good on you. It's worth investing some time & effort to keep running, although I suspect your drum issue may be underlying why it was trash-binned.