Digital BW, The Print

Hello all,

Forgive me for what must be a well-worn topic, I've spent considerable
time looking for similar threads here. I did find several but none
quite addresses my issue, or at least that I could find.

The subject line tells some of the story... I also need to add that
I've got the el cheapo $5 MIS carts in the color positions (after the
original Epsons got used up), figuring for BO printing it didn't
matter what I put there. Am using three papers, Moab Kayenta, Epson
Enhanced Matte and Epson Heavyweight Matte (now called something else
I understand). 

I'm basically printing photos no larger than the cover of a note card,
with occasionally a 5 x 7. Until now have been real happy with the
results but recently got some banding on a 5 x 7. Did a nozzle check
and the Cynan pattern showed some breaks so did a few cleaning cycles
with no change in the cyan pattern. I read a document on the MIS site
which said not to clean more than three cycles in a row or you can
damage the printer... that was after I did about four cycles, so did I
damage the printer? How do I tell? Anyway, this document said to do
three cycles, then run a print or a purge file to reset the firmware,
then you can do three more cycles. If this doesn't work you should let
the printer rest for about two hours then try again. I did that, no
luck. Then it said to do something with Windex but I can't find any
thing on their site explaining what exactly that technique is. Where
do you put the Windex, and how?

Another question: if the nozzle check only shows the cyan as having
breaks, all the others  being perfect, including the black, why would
that effect BO printing?

I considered putting this question on the Epson site but folks here
seem more familiar with BO printing. (By the way, does anyone else
have trouble navigating the MIS site? I have trouble find items!)