V525W, printhead not supported

Dell V525W printer which has been working OK since 2012. The magenta channel dried up. So I took out all the cartridges, took out the printhead and soaked it in distilled water until all the ink had been drawn out of the heads. Added a drop of alcohol to the final rinse. Allowed to dry fully. Tried switching on the printer without the printhead installed. Message: install printhead. Installed printhead. Message: insert cartridges. Installed cartridges. Message, as before: 'The printhead is not supported by this printer'. 

Attached to a MacPro from 2012, running 10.13.6. I have re-installed the print driver, which has been OK by the computer as being up to date (in spite of being way out of date as far as Dell is concerned). 

Question: is it worth trying to find a solution to this problem or do I just have to buy a new printer? I tried Just Answers, who couldn't solve it and recommended I reach out to Dell, who can't help because the printer is too old. Any answers would be gratefully received! Even, 'scrap it' ones, just to reassure me!