HP Universal Print Driver..

[BouncingSoul]

.. Is anything but universal.

I can't remember the last time I've been this frustrated.

Our print server is running Windows Server 2003 R2, it has several printers from several manufacturers installed on it. Most of our client machines are XP, they can browse and install any printer listed on the server with no trouble. The new Windows 7 machines can only install non-HP printers. Our Savin's work, our Xerox's work, our Kyocera's (I didn't even know they made printers!) work. But the HP's ... I can't get them to install to a Win7 machine no matter what I do.

HP's site says that their printers that connect via usb have the drivers built into 7. For network printers you need to download the so called universal driver. So I get it and add them to the print server. It doesn't work, all the Win7 clients say there is no driver available on the network. I download the Universal Driver for PCL 5. Install it, same thing. I try the universal for postscript driver. Same ****ing thing! HP's site is useless, they say that it's universal, it'll just work. But it won't! I've even copied the universal driver locally and tried to point the install to it. NOTHING. It just wont work!

I don't know what it could be. I've tried this out of every type of account, UAC is completely turned off, the GPO is set to allow users to install printers with new warning about whether or not it's digitally signed. I'm just at a complete loss.

I hate to say it ... But I'm starting to miss the days of playing find the driver on HP's site. At least then you knew you were going to eventually find a driver that was written for you printer.

PS: I don't know where this goes since I can't tell if it's HP that sucks, my print server or Windows 7.

 

[gonaads]

Was it @ this link?

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...skId=135&prodTypeId=18972&prodSeriesId=503548

This link gives all the specs for it.

EN - HP Universal Print Driver Series for Windows - specifications

 

[BouncingSoul]

Yes, the first link. That one comes up every time I looked for a Windows 7 driver for my hp's.

I read over the 2nd link before, I specifically recall the part that says the HP MPA software isn't required for the driver to work. However with the trouble I'm having, I may have to look into whatever this MPS stuff is.

 

[BouncingSoul]

Came across THIS

It says to install it as a local printer on a local port, not tcp/ip and not as your normal network printer setup that you'd do for every other windows setup.

So I try it, and I don't get the unable to locate driver error... Instead I get an access is denied error. Which is almost as f'd up. I mean I'm logged in as an administrator and the machine is in a OU with a policy defined that allows anyone to install printers. The file share where all the drivers are kept grants the end users read and execute access (I suppose I could try Full Control, but I don't see why that is necessary) so there is no reason for this to happen. Frustrated is my middle name.

 

[BouncingSoul]

update...

Don't do a local port, do a standard tcp/ip port. Windows will pull the hp driver our of it's local cache and it'll work.

I love Windows 7, but this one was absurd!

 

[gonaads]

Good that ya figured it out.