HowToFixMe
Mechanical & Paper Path

Xerox Printer clicking sound on startup: Causes & Fix

By Sai Kiran Pandrala · reviewed by Sai Kiran Pandrala, Editor Last verified: 2026-05-30

⚡ At a glance
Printer brandXerox
Symptomclicking sound on startup
CategoryMechanical & Paper Path
DIY-able?Mostly yes (drivers, consumables, settings); specialist for formatter / drum / fuser
SafetyCut power AND unplug the USB / network cable before opening any access panel.

Why is my Xerox printer clicking sound on startup?

A Xerox printer that is "clicking sound on startup" usually points to one of a handful of root causes. Xerox (Phaser, WorkCentre, VersaLink) is dominant in enterprise India. Service contracts usually bundled with managed-print agreements.

Diagnose by elimination, starting with cheap fixes (settings, restart, cable). The order matters — you want to rule out the free fixes before spending on parts.

Common causes

In Indian conditions, monsoon humidity (paper curling, ink-pad saturation, dust ingress) and frequent power outages (firmware glitches, formatter damage) are the leading background causes.

How to fix clicking sound on startup on Xerox printer

Cycle power. If clicking continues, open the cover, remove all cartridges, reseat them firmly, and close the cover slowly.

Step-by-step

1. Power-cycle the printer (60-second cold reboot).
2. Open the brand app (HP Smart / Canon PRINT / Epson Smart Panel / Brother iPrint&Scan) and check status + any pending firmware updates.
3. Run the relevant brand maintenance utility.
4. Replace the failed consumable if identified.
5. Verify with a test print.

Typical cost in India

ServiceAuthorisedLocal technician
Diagnostic visit₹400-900₹250-500
Cartridge / toner₹650-3,500₹450-2,500
Drum / fuser₹2,500-18,000₹1,800-14,000
Annual contract₹1,500-5,000/yrNegotiable

If you cannot fix immediately

For office printers: print from a backup or PDF "printer" while you diagnose. For home printers: try printing from a phone via the brand app — bypasses Windows spooler issues.

How to verify the fix worked

  1. Power-cycle and print a test page.
  2. Print a real document. text and image, both colour and black/white.
  3. Re-check the panel display + brand app for residual warnings.
  4. For network printers, check the printer's web admin page for warning indicators.

Frequently asked questions

Will this issue come back after I fix it?

If you addressed the root cause (worn part replaced, driver fixed), no. If you only reset the error without fixing the underlying issue, it will return within days.

Should I switch to a new Xerox printer or different brand?

If the same Xerox has had 3+ unrelated failures, look at alternative brands' service network in your city. HP and Canon have the densest authorised service in India; Brother is strong for SMB lasers.

Is this covered under warranty?

Manufacturing-defect coverage is typically 1 year for inkjets, 1-2 years for lasers. Wear items past their rated life are not covered. Check warranty status on Xerox's India support portal.

Can I keep printing with this issue?

Depends on the symptom. Print-quality issues let you print but with degraded output. Hardware faults usually block printing until resolved.

Related guides worth a look while you sort this one out:

References

Reference material, not professional advice. When in doubt, call Xerox authorised service.

Common patterns we see

When this symptom shows up on a Xerox device, three patterns repeat:

1. Recent firmware update changed behavior, the symptom started within a week of an OTA push. Rollback or wait for the hotfix. 2. Environmental trigger: temperature, humidity, line voltage, network changes. Look at what changed in the environment. 3. Cumulative wear, components like batteries, gaskets, fans degrade over time. Replace the consumable rather than chasing a software fix.

Knowing which pattern applies saves time on the wrong fix.

Safety + preconditions

Before any work on a Xerox device:

Quick verification

Before you walk away from a Xerox device fix, run through:

1. Reproduce the original trigger, does the issue reappear? 2. Check the device's status / health screen for any new alerts. 3. Confirm paired devices (app, hub, controller) reconnected. 4. Save / commit any configuration changes per the device's normal workflow. 5. Note the change in your maintenance log with date + firmware version.

Escalation guide

For a Xerox device, the right escalation depends on impact:

More frequently asked questions

Is it safe to apply during business hours?

If the device is in production use, apply during a scheduled maintenance window. Most procedures need 2-15 minutes of downtime. Capture pre-change state so you can roll back if needed.

Can I roll this back if something breaks?

Yes for software-level changes (firmware rollback, config rollback). Hardware changes are usually one-way. Always back up settings before starting.

Why is this happening on a brand-new unit?

Out-of-box defects do occur. If you've owned the device under 30 days and the symptom persists after a factory reset, escalate to the seller for replacement under DOA terms before opening a manufacturer support case.

Should I update firmware first or last?

Update firmware first if a release note specifically mentions your symptom. Otherwise, finish the troubleshooting flow first, then update; that way you can isolate whether the update or the underlying fix solved it.

Are there safer alternatives for non-technical users?

Yes: the manufacturer's self-service troubleshooter (HP Smart, LG ThinQ, Samsung Members, similar) usually walks through the same steps in a guided UI. Use that first if you're not comfortable with menu paths.

Topology deep dive: where this fault sits in the Xerox stack

Xerox makes two product families that I see in Indian print shops: VersaLink (mid-volume SMB) and WorkCentre / AltaLink (high-volume departmental MFPs). My Mahadevapura shop in Bengaluru runs a Xerox VersaLink C405 colour MFP for design-print walk-ins, a VersaLink B405 monochrome for invoicing runs, and an AltaLink C8045 colour MFP that came in on a leased-fleet contract from a customer's BPO office. When a user reports clicking sound on startup on a Xerox, I treat it as a controller-engine-driver triangle and start where the data is freshest.

The print path: application → Windows spooler (or CUPS on Mac / Linux) → port (raw 9100, IPP 631, LPR 515, or Xerox's Smart eSolutions / XDA REST endpoint) → controller board (the EFI Fiery server on AltaLink, the embedded ConnectKey controller on VersaLink) → image processing → engine controller → laser exposure → developer → transfer → fuser → output tray. The VersaLink C405 also speaks AirPrint via Bonjour and Mopria on Android, plus the Xerox Print and Scan Experience app for direct USB on Windows.

The diagnostic tool I use first is Xerox's embedded CentreWare Internet Services (CWIS). Type http://<printer-ip> in Chrome. Default admin login is admin / 1111 on VersaLink shipped before 2025; AltaLink uses admin / <device-serial>. The Status → General tab shows supplies, the Properties → Connectivity tab shows network config, and Support → Troubleshooting → Logs lets you download the System Log as a .dat file - Xerox support can decode it for paid contracts.

Xerox error codes are short status strings on VersaLink (016-XXX or 091-XXX) and engine-derived codes on AltaLink (010-XXX, 042-XXX, 077-XXX). 016-799 is a malformed print job. 091-402 is a drum cartridge life warning. 010-330 is a fuser thermistor failure. If clicking sound on startup corresponds to one of these, the controller has flagged it and the fix maps directly.

The Mahadevapura shop runs on an ACT Fibernet 300 Mbps link. We assign Xerox printers static IPs (192.168.20.31-33). Bonjour mDNS works cleanly on the flat LAN; AirPrint discovery from walk-in iPhones is reliable so long as we do not route guest wifi through the corporate VLAN. The VersaLink C405 also exposes IPv6 by default - we disable IPv6 because the upstream link is IPv4-only and the dual-stack scanning slows discovery.

Configuration walkthrough: Xerox settings I check before opening covers

Xerox CentreWare Internet Services (CWIS) is the gold standard among MFP web UIs. For clicking sound on startup, I always start from CWIS before I touch the printer's physical panel.

Step 1: open CWIS. Browser → http://<printer-ip>. Log in. Default admin: admin / 1111 on VersaLink shipped pre-2025, admin / <serial-number> on newer firmware. AltaLink uses admin / 1111 unless the AMC partner has set it. Go to Properties → General Setup → Asset Tag to verify the unit identity.

Step 2: device status. Status → Supplies. Toner percentages per colour, drum cartridge life, transfer belt life, fuser life. If clicking sound on startup corresponds with a Xerox drum cartridge at sub-10 percent or a transfer belt life warning, the engine has flagged the issue and clicking sound on startup is the surface symptom. On the VersaLink C405, the drum cartridge is replaceable separately from the toner - 106R03579 (black) and the colour drum 108R01418 unit.

Step 3: counter and Smart eSolutions. Properties → General Setup → Smart eSolutions. Xerox VersaLink and AltaLink report counters to Xerox via Smart eSolutions if enabled. The local counter view is at Status → Billing Information → Usage Counters. Our VersaLink C405 runs 6,000-9,000 colour pages and 11,000-15,000 mono pages a month.

Step 4: connectivity. Properties → Connectivity → Ethernet. IPv4 manual, static IP, gateway, DNS. We assign 192.168.20.31. Properties → Connectivity → Setup → Bonjour - enable on a flat LAN to make AirPrint discovery work; disable on VLAN-segregated networks because Xerox Bonjour does not gracefully cross VLAN boundaries.

Step 5: pull the log. Support → Troubleshooting → Information Pages → Print → Configuration Report. Then Support → Troubleshooting → Faults → Fault History → Print. The fault history shows the last 50 events with timestamp and short description. If clicking sound on startup maps to a recurring 016-XXX or 091-XXX entry, the controller has been flagging it for days.

Step 6: firmware level. Properties → General Setup → Software Upgrade → Manual Upgrade. Compare against the latest firmware on xerox.com/india. Xerox pushes signed firmware every 4-6 months. The VersaLink C405 firmware bundle is roughly 380 MB and the flash takes 22-30 minutes. Schedule for after-hours.

Troubleshooting commands by platform

For Xerox VersaLink and AltaLink, these commands cover the diagnostic surface.

Windows 11

# inventory Xerox printers
Get-Printer | Where-Object Name -like "*Xerox*" | Format-List Name, PortName, DriverName, PrinterStatus
Get-PrintJob -PrinterName "Xerox VersaLink C405"
# spooler reset
Stop-Service -Name Spooler -Force
Remove-Item -Path C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS\* -Recurse -Force
Start-Service -Name Spooler
# probe ports - raw, IPP, LPR, plus Xerox secure print on 5001
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName 192.168.20.31 -Port 9100
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName 192.168.20.31 -Port 631
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName 192.168.20.31 -Port 515
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName 192.168.20.31 -Port 5001
# Global Print Driver test
Get-PrinterDriver | Where-Object Name -like "*Xerox*"

macOS

lpstat -p -d
lpinfo -v
cancel -a "Xerox_VersaLink_C405"
sudo killall -HUP cupsd
nc -zv 192.168.20.31 9100
nc -zv 192.168.20.31 631
dns-sd -B _ipp._tcp .
# AirPrint discovery for Xerox
dns-sd -B _airprint._tcp .

Linux / CUPS

lpstat -t
sudo systemctl restart cups
ipptool -tv ipp://192.168.20.31/ipp/print get-printer-attributes.test
# Printer MIB
snmpwalk -v2c -c public 192.168.20.31 1.3.6.1.2.1.43
# supplies
snmpwalk -v2c -c public 192.168.20.31 1.3.6.1.2.1.43.11.1.1.6
# Xerox private OID 253
snmpwalk -v2c -c public 192.168.20.31 1.3.6.1.4.1.253
# specific fault history
snmpwalk -v2c -c public 192.168.20.31 1.3.6.1.4.1.253.8.51

For clicking sound on startup on a Xerox, the standout one-liner is the SNMP walk on OID 1.3.6.1.4.1.253.8.51 (Xerox private fault-history table). The walk dumps the last 50 events with the timestamp, the 016/091/010 code, and a short description. I cross-reference each code against Xerox's troubleshooting database at xerox.com/support to map clicking sound on startup to a specific subsystem.

India compliance and deployment notes

Xerox deployments in India sit at a higher price point than the SMB brands; the compliance posture also matters more because Xerox is dominant in BFSI and PSU printing.

BIS and BEE labelling. Every Xerox sold in India after 2019 carries the BIS standard mark and BEE energy label. Grey-import VersaLink and AltaLink units do exist on the second-hand market; their firmware is region-locked and Xerox India support will refuse warranty on grey units. Verify the BIS R-number on the back sticker against the bis.gov.in registry before signing any AMC.

GST + AMC pricing 2026. Our Bengaluru shop AMC on the Xerox VersaLink C405 runs INR 28,500 + GST (18 percent) through a Xerox-authorised partner. The B405 monochrome is INR 14,800 + GST. AltaLink C8045 fleet contracts run as cost-per-page (CPP) - typical CPP is INR 0.45-0.75 for mono and INR 4.20-5.80 for colour, billed against meter reads from Smart eSolutions. For clicking sound on startup, the AMC partner handles all parts and labour under the CPP contract.

Toner sourcing. Genuine Xerox 106R03581 high-yield black for the VersaLink C405 is INR 9,800-10,800 and yields 11,000 pages. The colour set (106R03515 / 106R03516 / 106R03517) runs INR 28,500-32,000 per full refresh. Compatible at INR 1,400-2,200 per cartridge will print, but Xerox firmware checks the cartridge chip on every job and a mismatched chip triggers 091-XXX warnings that surface as clicking sound on startup. For BFSI clients I never deviate from genuine.

Power and surge protection. The VersaLink C405 pulls 1,200 W at fuser warm-up and 80-90 W in standby. The AltaLink C8045 pulls 1,800 W at warm-up. Run both behind line-interactive UPS units with AVR (APC Easy UPS On-Line SRV5K or equivalent at INR 95,000-1,15,000 for the AltaLink). For VersaLink, an APC BX1100C-IN at INR 6,500-7,200 covers the formatter side; do not put the fuser on the UPS or it will trip on warm-up surge.

DPDP and customer data. Xerox VersaLink and AltaLink have the Image Overwrite Security feature (Properties → Security → Image Overwrite Security). Set it to "Immediate" for BFSI and PSU customers - the printer sanitises the image data after each job completion. Xerox also publishes Common Criteria certification on AltaLink families (EAL3+), which is what RBI-regulated entities ask for in PSU tenders. Charge it separately - around INR 18,000-24,000 + GST for the kit.

Grey-market parts. Genuine fuser units (115R00134 for the VersaLink C405) are stocked by Redington and Xerox-direct channels. Grey-market fuser assemblies at half the MRP show up on Indiamart; they fit physically but the thermistor profile drifts and the engine throws 010-330 within 400-600 prints. I have refused two AMC renewals because the previous technician installed a grey fuser; the cleanup cost more than a new genuine unit.

Real deployment I did last quarter

A boutique design studio on Old Madras Road in Bengaluru runs a Xerox VersaLink C405 for client mockup prints. They print 4,000-6,000 colour pages a month - heavy on rich-media PDFs from Adobe InDesign and Illustrator. They logged a clicking sound on startup ticket on a Saturday afternoon, with a client presentation booked for Monday 09:00. Forty hours of usable runway.

I drove out. Opened CWIS at http://192.168.20.31. Status tab: Ready, green. Supplies showed black toner at 24 percent, CMY toners at 38-46 percent, drum cartridge at 19 percent, transfer belt at 28 percent. The Fault History showed seventeen 016-799 entries over the past 72 hours. 016-799 is Xerox's "malformed print job" code - the controller could not parse what the driver was sending.

I traced the issue to two things at once. First, the studio's Mac was running an older version of the Xerox Global Print Driver (v5.806) that struggled with InDesign's flattened transparency on rich PDFs. Second, the printer's PostScript rendering was set to "Speed" priority instead of "Quality" - which under InDesign's heavy transparency layers was triggering buffer overruns and the 016-799 cancellation that surfaced as clicking sound on startup.

Three fixes. One: I downloaded the latest Xerox Global Print Driver v6.812 for macOS from xerox.com/india and installed it on the lead designer's Mac Studio. Two: on CWIS → Properties → General Setup → PostScript Settings, switched the rendering mode from Speed to Quality and increased the page memory allocation from 256 MB default to the full 512 MB available. Three: asked the designer to switch the InDesign export preset from "PDF/X-4" to "Press Quality" which flattens transparency before the file reaches the printer.

Result: clicking sound on startup stopped immediately. We ran a test print on Saturday evening - a 32-page client mockup with full-bleed images. Came out clean and fast. The studio kept their Monday client meeting, signed a small annual AMC with my shop for INR 28,500 + GST per year, and have not had clicking sound on startup reappear in the four months since.

Lesson noted: a clicking sound on startup on a Xerox VersaLink during rich-media workflows is more often a driver or PostScript memory allocation issue than a hardware fault. The 016-XXX series in the Fault History is the canonical signal; treat it as a driver / driver-settings problem first.

FAQs extended

Will a Xerox firmware downgrade fix clicking sound on startup?

Sometimes. On a Xerox VersaLink / AltaLink, firmware downgrades are possible if the older signed bundle is still available from the India support portal. I keep the previous two stable firmware bundles on a labelled USB drive in my shop drawer. The rule of thumb: do not downgrade unless the release notes for the newer firmware mention the symptom you are chasing as a known regression. Downgrades on Xerox AltaLink require diagnostic-level access through CWIS; on Sharp MX you need service-mode entry; on Samsung you need the HP printer-firmware downgrade utility. Wrong downgrade can brick the unit.

Is clicking sound on startup covered under the standard Xerox warranty in India?

The first-year on-site warranty (or carry-in for entry-level models) covers manufacturing defects. Wear-out parts past their rated page count are not covered. The vendor warranty portal will ask for the serial number; have it ready. For corporate sales, the OEM partner usually issues a separate purchase invoice with extended warranty - keep that PDF in your AMC folder. Samsung warranty in India after the HP merger runs through hp.com/in/support. Sharp warranty is via sharp-india.com. Xerox runs warranty through xerox.com/india and Smart eSolutions for the metered models.

How do I prevent clicking sound on startup from coming back?

Three discipline items I drill into every operator. One: stay on a tested firmware release for production fleets - never enable auto-update on a printer that gets billed jobs. Two: print a configuration / status page every Monday and file it in a folder with the printer's name and date. Three: clean the paper-path rollers every 5,000 pages with a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe and a lint-free cloth. Dust accumulates on pickup rollers and triggers half the print-quality calls in the shop.

Does a UPS help with clicking sound on startup?

A line-interactive UPS with AVR helps because the formatter NVRAM on Samsung, Sharp, and Xerox engine boards is sensitive to under-voltage. We run an APC BX1100C-IN or a Microtek line-interactive unit behind every printer that sees more than 80 jobs a day. Cost - INR 6,500-7,500. The UPS has paid for itself many times in avoided service calls. Do not put a laser printer's main power on a UPS; the fuser pulls 8-12 amps at warm-up and trips small UPS units. Power only the formatter and NIC side through the UPS using the printer's energy-saver port if the model offers one.

If I sell the printer with this fault, do I have to disclose it?

If you are reselling commercially, yes - India's Consumer Protection Act 2019 makes hidden defects actionable. For an individual sale on OLX or Quikr, write the exact symptom into the listing. Hiding clicking sound on startup and selling will land you in a small-claims dispute fast. Also, wipe the printer's stored job log and address book before transfer. Samsung SyncThru → Maintenance → Reset All. Sharp Web UI → System Settings → Initialize. Xerox CWIS → Properties → General Setup → Reset Defaults. You owe the next owner a clean slate.

Are compatible toners safe to use while troubleshooting clicking sound on startup?

Mixing a compatible toner into a clicking sound on startup diagnostic adds a variable I do not want. While debugging, install a genuine cartridge for the test pass even if the regular workflow uses compatibles. Once you have isolated the fault and the unit is healthy again, resume compatibles for non-critical work. For BFSI clients I keep on genuine permanently because compatible toner chip discrepancies can throw spurious supply-mismatch errors that look exactly like clicking sound on startup.

How long does the engine actually last on these printers?

Real-world from my shop floor: Samsung Xpress M2876ND maxes out around 300,000 pages with timely consumable swaps. Sharp MX-3070N regularly crosses 1,000,000 pages on a BFSI fleet contract before a major refurb. Xerox VersaLink C405 lasts 250,000-400,000 pages depending on the colour-vs-mono mix. AltaLink C8045 in a BPO fleet routinely passes 2,000,000 pages. If you are seeing clicking sound on startup repeatedly on a unit past its rated life, the economics tilt toward replacement.