Can't Install Printer Drivers

Can't Install Printer Drivers

Ok, so I've had an Epson Stylus NX415 installed for about a year now, have used it lightly, but nver had any trouble with it.

Recently, when I tried to print a Works Spreadsheet, I got the following message:



So I tried updating the driver, but it told me I had the latest version.

However, when I plug in my printer, I get the "Found New Hardware" dialog. I never got that before.

When I click on Find and Install Driver, this is what inevitably happens:



I've tried downloading the appropriate driver files from the website, but get the same result.

I've even used Revo Uninstaller Pro to get rid of any epson stuff in my computer and then put the original software disk in, but still get these messages.

Can you guys give me any suggestions?

Thanks a lot for all of your help!

 

Good news, I fixed it.

Believe it or not, I wasn't even able to install a new driver.

I finally figured out what was causing it. There is a service in Windows called "print spooler." Well, when this service is not running, you can't print....you can't even install a driver!

I finally fixed it using the instructions on this site: [quick Fix] Print Spooler Service is not running

However, if you Google search, there are lot of different fixes for this problem, and different ones work depending on your situation. In my case, it seems like the service doesn't stay on automatic permanently, though, so I may have to do more investigating.

Anyway, I hope this helps anyone who has this same problem.

 

There are lots of 'web guides' and 'optimizers' that, if followed or run blindly, will shut off the print spooler services.

This is generally wrong.

 

Thanks for the tip. I'll remember that if I ever go to use some type of optimizer.

 

I always disable that, I never use printer tou

 

great, so the service will never really be awake and running anyways. congrats on just making your life more complicated in the moment where you suddenly might want to print something and forgot the tweak.

+ there are nice software printers. print-to-pdf for example. quite useful sometimes, too.

we had a buggy printer driver that killed the spooler, was quite annoying to fix. had to delete all installed printer drivers (somewhere there's something called "server settings" or so in the printer window), then start the service, and then reinstall all other printers, till you find out the buggy one.

you did something similar now, too, as far as i can see to fix it.

 

But dear davepermen, I don't even have a printer why should I keep it running?