Thread: Printer driver.

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    Printer driver.

    I have a quite old HP LaserJet 4 printer which worked fine before I did some recent updates to the host computer. It still has Windows 8.1 but now the 64 bit version because the new host has more memory than the old, before it had the 32 bit version of the same OS. I've downloaded a driver, hplj4_ps_en which Windows says is an Application, but when I try to run it, a message comes up that I cannot run this app. How do I install the driver?

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    it's been a while sense I played with windows, But I've had to do it manually for my video driver, and AHCI driver. This all depends on if the driver itself is actually compatible with the version of windows you're running. I do not remember the exact names of everything,

    But go into your where it shows all of your drivers for all of the hardware. find your printer, it might even have a yellow explanation mark, then select to remove the driver if it has one if not just skip to the next step, select to add a driver manually. then it will give you a selection box where you navigate to the directory where the software is installed and start looking using this process,

    Just select that directory and let it look for a driver. if it is not found and their are sub directories just keep repeating that process until hopefully it will find a driver among all of the other stuff.

    requires right clicks to see the pop up menu, and reboot maybe required.

    because this is Window it is not to say this is a 100 % fix. but its better then what you have right now.
    Last edited by userxbw; 12-13-2017 at 08:50 AM.

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    In the device manager, LaserJet 4 does not have the yellow !, right click gives me "Update driver" "Disable" "Uninstall" trying the various options around that page I keep getting "The best driver software for your device is already installed". Should I Uninstall then try from fresh set up?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Fossaw View Post
    In the device manager, LaserJet 4 does not have the yellow !, right click gives me "Update driver" "Disable" "Uninstall" trying the various options around that page I keep getting "The best driver software for your device is already installed". Should I Uninstall then try from fresh set up?
    sometimes it doesn't hurt to try, if it is not already working. then I'd give it a try, because I already know the one that is installed is not working properly. It might just stop it from telling you that it is software if you install the driver directly. it it does not work then remove it again then reboot. Windows should re install whatever is there on its own.

    remove then update, then select to find the driver on your own, then follow what I said in the other post, or update, find on your own, then if found pick it when Windows asks what you want to do.

    ( sorry for the its one way or the other instructions, as I said it has been awhile sense I played with Windows.)
    Last edited by userxbw; 12-13-2017 at 09:44 AM.

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    When I try to reinstall the device, it is not asking me to find the driver, it seems perfectly happy with whatever it has got, from wherever it got it from. It then asks me to print the test page, which gets me back to nothing again.

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    You have to remove the driver it already has, then install it again manually. let me boot into my not used just there Windows 10, and let me go look to refresh my memory. Chances are you may have to look for another driver. if you got that one off the HP sight.

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    It is still a puzzle to me why Windows won't run the file I got from HP which is normally just a self extracting zip of other cryptically named files.
    Last edited by Fossaw; 12-13-2017 at 02:36 PM. Reason: Spelling.

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    its open device drivers, update driver, browse computer for my driver

    LaserJet 4 driver, 64 bit Windows. - HP Support Forum - 6014972

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    HP LaserJet 4 Plus Drivers Download for Windows 10, 8.1, 7, Vista, XP

    as far as that zip file driver thing, I do not know about, but the links above are for hp lazier printer 4 win 8.1 64 bit, if you have not seen them yet.

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    I'll look in the morning, I've got to go in now.

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    good luck .. if you search the HP sight enough you might get lucky to keep your old printer still being able to be used in windows.

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    I have made some "progress", there was a file which I guessed might be the LJ driver, yesterday, I could not delete the file, it said it was in use. Today, I rebooted and before doing anything else, deleted the file. Now, trying to print, the message I get is different, it says "Could not start printer", so I'm guessing the driver it was using was in the file I deleted. The driver I obtained from HP will still not run, Windows says "This app cannot run on your PC".

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    My experience has been go through the update or add the driver then select a directory for windows to look in and it picks out what drivers are in that directory, if nothing in that directory, then select another directory in that tree, then I had to figure out which on to try. If your package is in a zip file. you could unzip it then do not do any auto install process with it. instead do the hit and miss directory search until windows fines a driver, then make note of what it is called so you will know if that one worked or not. In case you need that information later or have to keep selecting until you find a driver that works with the packages that include more than on driver for their product(s).

    then if that does not work go back on line and keep searching for a driver. some times, it can be found on a third party web sight .
    Last edited by userxbw; 12-14-2017 at 09:28 AM.

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    Have you tried a fresh install of the driver in compatibility mode?

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    >>> in compatibility mode?

    Errr, no, I don't think so, because I am not sure what that is.

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