HP Print Cartridge Expiration Work-Around
By Alice Hill
As they say, don't try this at home kids, not unless you really don't mind taking a risk. But if you have experienced an ink cartridge cut short by a false expiration date, there is hope. Here's a workaround from Allofthings.com:

========From Allofthings.com=================
It doesn't seem possible to fix an expired cartridge without physically replacing the chip but you can avoid having the expiration date burned into a new factory virgin cartridge thus making it immune to expiration. There are places that sell the chips but they seem to all (both, Brazil and the Netherlands) be out of the US and the total cost with shipping is more than the price of a new cartridge.

I figured the following method out from things I read and experimentation.

I make no guarantee and until all my old cartridges expire, I will not know for sure if I am totally correct but that won't be until the end of 2005 (I don't think you want to wait until then. It is working for me so far. Use at your own risk. You must start with a virgin cartridge (chip), factory fresh without having ever been used to print.

Normally, the first time you print is when the date is burned in.

Do not install the cartridge until you do the following.

There is an *.ini file (hpSomethingOrOther.ini) stored in the system directory (WINNT in NT and 2000) that has a name probably associated with the driver version.

Search for hp*.ini and edit the ones with the latest dates. If you configure the printer driver first, see below, the file date should read today.

There are two files, one will list the one you need to change, change the other one, I think it is the smaller one.

In it there is a parameter something like pencheck. It is set to 0100. I think this is a boolean because I tried other values without effect. Set it to 0000 in the file and save the file and REBOOT.

You can check the value in the driver configuration dialog box (found through the Help for the HP tool box, open the last entry, I think, and click on configure).

If the grayed out box for ink check or cartridge check or something like that is unchecked, you are in business. Cancel this dialog. Do NOT click on default or the expiration check will be reinstated and when you print with your new cartridge you will get an expiration date burned into it.

I wouldn't trust making any changes to this dialog box without rechecking that the parameter stays unchecked. After making sure this value is unchecked, install your new virgin cartridge(s) and the expiration date(s) will read "UNKNOWN".

Over time, once you have replaced all your cartridges that have expiration dates burned into them (as they expire and they will) with ones that now read UNKNOWN, and as long as you do not reinstall a driver or configure the printer driver (if you do, fix the INI file again before printing), you should not have any cartridge expire, ever again. NOTE, if you load a new driver, make sure to reset the value in the INI file before you print anything or you will burn expiration dates into the chips and you will have to buy new factory virgin cartridges all over again.

Microsoft drivers for XP don't seem to check the expiration dates or send a date to the printer so you can use expired cartridges with XP (XP Home, anyway) If you install an HP driver in XP, I hope the above method still applies. I have not tried this in 95, 98, or ME but it should probably work.
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There's also a simpler fix that has you removing and reiserting the cartridge battery. Click Here for those instructions. (Source: Boing Boing)

Now my question: is this illegal or does it just void your warranty, like when you overclock a CPU? And would it void the warranty for the cartridge, or the cartridge and the printer too? It also sounds like if you have XP Home Edition and Windows detects and install your printer driver, there is not problem with the date issue, unless you use an HP installation driver - which of course may show that there is defintely something going on there that isn't legit.

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