Are you getting “Driver not installed” errors when you try to print after updating to Windows 7 when your printer was working fine while you had Windows Vista? The cause of this problem is your drivers are out of date, and it is easily remedied by downloading and installing the latest printer drivers. In this piece, we will explain these drivers, then walk you through the process of downloading, and installing new ones.
Printer Drivers 101
Windows needs a specific type of software to talk to your printer; this software is your drivers. Without the correct ones, Windows can’t talk to your printer. Sometimes when you have a lot of updates or you have upgraded to a newer version of Windows, you may need to upgrade to a newer version of the printer drivers for your printer to work properly.
How to Download and Install the Latest Printer Drivers
The first thing you need to do is take a good look at your printer and write down the make and model of the printer. Some printer manufacturers: Canon, HP, Lexmark, Epson, and Samsung. Examples of models: HP Deskjet D2660, Canon Pixma MP560, and Lexmark Interact S605. The make and model will be on the printer somewhere.
1. Once you have the make and model, do a web search and find the manufacturer’s web page.
2. On the manufacturer’s web page, you need to choose where to go. For instance, on Canon’s site you will have to choose “Consumer & Home Office,” while on Epson’s site you will choose “Printers & All-in-ones.”
3. From here, you should see a Drivers & Support or some similar menu option, click on the menu, and choose your option.
4. Now you are going to get to choose your model. Is your printer an all-in-one? A laser printer? These are all things you may need to know, as these are ways that the manufacturers may categorize their printers.
5. Once you track down your driver, you are going to want to save it in a location you will remember. Also before you hit save take a look at the file type. Does it end in exe?
6. If the file you saved is an exe file, just double click the file and it will update to the latest printer drivers. If the file ended in anything else, you still have several steps to go.
7. Go to Start.
8. Choose Control Panel.
9. Devices and Printer.
10. Right click on printer and open properties.
11. Select the hardware tab.
12. Click the Properties button.
13. Click on the Advanced tab.
14. Click New Driver.
15. Complete the steps in the Add Printer Driver Wizard.
An Easier Way to Update the Latest Printer Drivers
Technology is always finding ways to make our lives easier. Today we have software that will go through the process of finding, downloading, and installing the latest printer drivers for us. Either way, it’s a good idea to learn the safest and most effective ways to update your computer.