Tech: Getting Win 10 to talk to my old printer

Subject: Tech: Getting Win 10 to talk to my old printer
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 11 Jan 18 - 08:27 AM

At home I have a perfectly good, and cheap to run HP monochrome laserjet printer. Unfortunately my equally old desktop computer finally gave up the ghost a few weeks ago. The problem is that my laptop which runs on Windows 10 doesn't want to recognise the printer.

Any advice apart from change the printer which I do not want to do?

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Win 10 to talk to my old printer
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 11 Jan 18 - 09:25 AM

My advice would be to let us know the model of the printer. Without knowing that, it will be impossible to find a suitable driver (if there is one) for you to download

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Win 10 to talk to my old printer
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 11 Jan 18 - 09:32 AM

Also whether it's a wifi printer.
Most (fairly) recent peripherals have 'plug and play' capability and should be recognised by a new computer.
Some wifi printers have to be hard-wired to the computer when first used before the plug and play will be recognised. They can then be used as wifi.

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Win 10 to talk to my old printer
From: DaveRo
Date: 11 Jan 18 - 09:50 AM

Yes, tell us the printer model and how it's connected.

2 possibilities occur immediately:
1 if there's a reasonably recent driver on HP's website - for Win 7 say - install that in 'compatibility mode'. I have an old scanner working that way.
2 most LJ printers supported PCL (HP's Printer Control Language) - or did when I used them years ago. See if you can find a 'generic PCL printer' option.

I'm sure that you can get an old HP LJ working, especially if it's ethernet-connected. But you may need to spend some time faffing about.

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Win 10 to talk to my old printer
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 11 Jan 18 - 11:05 AM

I will have to look it up when I get home, when I tried to connect it to my old laptop when I accidentally upgraded from Win 7 a few year back the 'compatible driver I found had appalling formatting.

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Win 10 to talk to my old printer
From: Thompson
Date: 11 Jan 18 - 11:17 AM

Presumably you're talking about plugging it into the laptop?

If you look up the make and model you'll probably find a Windows 10 driver for it online; instal that in your computer and it should be recognised. Otherwise, try knocking off an email to the maker and they may be able to help.

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Win 10 to talk to my old printer
From: Nick
Date: 11 Jan 18 - 06:52 PM

I use windows 10 with a very old HP printer and it works fine

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Win 10 to talk to my old printer
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 14 Jan 18 - 04:54 AM

for inofrmation it as an HP laserjet 1320

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Win 10 to talk to my old printer
From: Nick
Date: 14 Jan 18 - 05:42 AM

Have you tried this?

You are apparently not alone since December update

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Win 10 to talk to my old printer
From: DaveRo
Date: 14 Jan 18 - 11:24 AM

You are apparently not alone since December update

That post actually dates from May 2017. And I wonder why it recommends installing a registry hack from dropbox? And it looks like it solves a different error, concerning USB3.

Maybe you need to do that but I would start by trying to install the correct driver from HP's own site:
https://support.hp.com/gb-en/product/hp-laserjet-1320-printer-series/410622/drivers

And don't plug it into a USB3 socket.

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Win 10 to talk to my old printer
From: Nick
Date: 15 Jan 18 - 07:11 AM

Everything suggests it should be possible to get it working even if my solution was not the right one...

Subject: RE: Tech: Getting Win 10 to talk to my old printer
From: DaveRo
Date: 15 Jan 18 - 11:25 AM

Agreed. It's not even a particularly old printer. And HP support for its printers is very good - in Linux too. (Unlike Canon.)