Printer driver won't install

I have an HP dv7 laptop connected to a LaserJet 5L HP printer.

The printer is giving me some problems and I need to update the driver. It isn't showing in Device Manager, although I selected Show hidden devices.

Where do I go to update the driver?

Thanks.

 

Go here: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...rodTypeId=18972&prodSeriesId=25480&taskId=135

You'll need to know exactly which 5L printer you have. After that, just choose "Windows Vista" from the list of operating systems and download and install the driver. Make sure that you choose the right version of the driver for your version of Vista though, either "Windows Vista" or "Windows Vista 64-bit"

 

I went there already. There is no driver available for downloading: it says that the driver is already incorporated into Vista.

How come the printer isn't showing in Device Manager?

 

Control Panel > Printers then right click on the printer and select properties. Switch to the advance tab and you should see a "new driver" button.
(see attached)

Gary

 

Yeah, I have seen that but it's grayed out.
I can see that yours OK: I don't how why mine isn't available.

 

Is this a networked printer where you don't have admin rights? Having just said that, it should not matter if you have admin rights on the remote machine, since the driver install would be local. I'm stumpped.

Gary

 

No, I am the only one using it.
When you mentioned admin, I right-clicked on the printer and chose Run as Administrator, and it worked.

Is there a way I can make it run everything as admin by default?

 

Yes there is, but if I told you I'd have to shoot you! ...big ol' grin...

Seriously the LAST thing you want to do is have EVERYTHING run as admin. It is NOT safe to do that. It is the very reason why folks for so many years beat up on Microsoft about their security, prior to Vista, by default every user was an admin. Now that this has been fixed, you need to just do the right click thing where you NEED to do so. That way you are in control, not some piece of rouge software.

Gary

 

I have a printer driver that won't install. It's the HP PCL5 Universal Print Driver. The machine is an HP dv7 laptop with Vista 64-bit connected to a 5L HP LaserJet printer.

Here is what I did:

I deleted the previously installed printer, then clicked on Install in the diver folder, to install the driver. I got an error message saying: Operation could not be completed.

I then tried Add a printer manually. That didn't work either.

In both cases, I selected Run as Administrator.

Anybody knows what is going on?

Thanks.

 

Are you trying to instal a 32Bit driver on a 64Bit OS? You may be.

Just curious - doesn't Vista offer you the option of searching for the right drivers for new hardware when you connect the printer?

 

I couldn't understand from the original post exactly what you did.

You will probably need to go to the HP website and search for the model of printer that you have and then download the driver file( basic or full suite). Most HP driver files have self installers that will delete any previous version and install themselves. All you have to do is run the file and answer a few questions.

If the full suite won't install on a particular computer, try using just the basic print driver.

 

I merged your threads. There is no need to start more than one thread on the same subject.

 

I let Vista install the printer with the driver that came with it, but I kept getting an Out of memory message. I updated the driver through Vista and I was still getting the same message. That's why I am trying another driver.

Maybe you're right: I am trying to install the PCL5 Universal, a 32-bit driver, with 64-bit Vista.

In this case, there may be no solution to my problem, but getting a new printer!?

 

Or adding memory to the printer. Or sending fewer pages at a time to it.

Gary

 

The opinions are split on this matter: Another opinion is that low memory wouldn't prevent a document from printing but that it would just print slower:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=359819

I have tried sending fewer pages at a time, and for some reason, it doesn't always work.

 

Low printer memory, most assuredly CAN prevent printing. You have seen it happen. So have I.

What do you mean "doesn't always work"? That implies that sometimes it does work. What sort of files are you trying to print? Are these pages with heavy use of graphics? All the times where I have run out of PRINTER memory were when I sent the laser jet a file with lots of graphics on it.

BTW, have you tried printing at lower resolution? This has helped me in the past.

Gary

 

I have a 16-page (x2 double-sided) Microsoft Publisher book with graphics that I need too print. It always runs out of memory after the 3rd page. If I start printing from the 5th page, it will print from 5th to the end. However, - and here is the mystery - if I try printing from the 4th page, it runs right away out of memory and won't print at all! So the only way I can get page 4 to print is at a lower resolution, but the quality suffers a lot. I have tried to delete a few pages, but it still wouln't work!

 

Well then it is, obviously, an issue with all the graphics on page 4. I've had this happen quite a bit with graphic intensive pages. The only fix is more memory in the printer or using lower resolution. I don't think switching printer drivers is going to help you, unless you can find one that can magically send the postscript commands for the graphics using fewer bytes of the printers memory when it actually renders the image.

Gary

 

Nope. The "mystery" is that page 4 has the same graphics as all other pages: it's a logo on the heading of each page.
But anyway, I am going to get some memory on eBay.