| How to Fix HP All in One Printer |
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One of the main problems with Windows Vista is getting it to cooperate with your existing hardware devices and peripherals. For example, if you have an HP all-in-one printer that previously worked just fine with Windows XP, you may be surprise to find it completely unresponsive in Windows Vista. Before you replace your all-in-one HP printer with a newer, more expensive model, try these steps to get it back up and running.
First, unplug your printer.
Next, get the installation disc that came with the HP all-in-one printer. Ideally, it should say “For Microsoft Windows Vista.” If your computer is more than a few years old, it probably won’t say this. If not, it will likely give you trouble but at least you are forewarned.
Follow the installation CD’s prompts for installing the printer. Turn on your HP all-in-one printer and plug in its USB cable when prompted to do so. If all goes according to plan, your printer will successfully be installed. However, due to compatibility issues between Windows Vista and various types of hardware and devices, particularly older devices, chances are pretty good that your installation may fail.
For a failed HP printer installation related to Vista-compatibility issues, downloading new device drivers should do the trick if they are available. Go to Hewlett Packard’s website and search for updated device drivers for your model all-in-one printer. Make sure to get Vista drivers for the specific HP printer that you have or else expect all kinds of things to go wrong with the installation. Once you find the correct device drivers, download them to your machine and follow the prompts.
If you are not prompted to install the device drivers once downloaded, you may need to install them manually. To do this, go into the Control Panel and click the Printers icon. Find the HP all-in-one printer in the list and right-click it. Choose Properties. Click on the Advanced tab and locate the area that shows the printer driver for the device. In this box, you will find a drop-down list of various device drivers. You can try some of the listed device drivers if you want. Otherwise, click the New Driver button to the right. This launches the Add New Printer Driver wizard. Click HP under the Manufacturer pane. Next, scroll though the list of HP printers in the Printers pane. HP all-in-one printers are listed as HP PSC model # or HP PSC Model Series. These are usually found at or near the bottom of the list. Follow the prompts to locate the downloaded device drivers and install them to your Vista computer.
Once complete, go to the General tab of the Printer’s property box (Control Panel, Printers, right-click HP all-in-one printer, Properties) and click on Print Test Page. Your computer should now have the right device drivers for your HP printer. If so, a test page should print out.
Getting an older HP all-in-one printer to work on a Vista machine involves getting updated device drivers from Hewlett Packard and downloading and installing them to your machine.
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