Windows 7 No Win7 print driver - or how to spoof Vista

[augie777]

Hi, I've got a HP Photosmart C5180 multifunction printer. The problem is that HP does not support Win7 (surprise-surprise). The installation complains about trying to install on a not supported OS. Is there a way to fool the installation that it is running on Vista, or any other ways to try to intall the driver? br Mike Win7 RC b 7100 on a Presario CQ60-130EO

 

[bobkn]

I have a Photosmart 8250.

I use the Vista drivers downloaded from www.hp.com. I expanded the archive (probably used jzip). If I run setup.exe in the installation package in admin mode with the compatibility set to Vista, it passes the OS check.

 

[greenarrow1]

Use Compatibility Mode

Hi, I've got a HP Photosmart C5180 multifunction printer. The problem is that HP does not support Win7 (surprise-surprise). The installation complains about trying to install on a not supported OS. Is there a way to fool the installation that it is running on Vista, or any other ways to try to intall the driver? br Mike Win7 RC b 7100 on a Presario CQ60-130EO

You can use your Vista drivers in Windows 7 but you must use the troubleshooter and chose Vista as the OS it worked on before. I installed the HP J6400 with no problems and even have the wifi working.

 

[augie777]

Thank you greenarrow1 and bobnk. I didnt know about the compatibility mode feature. Installation worked fine. So my first problem is solved. Thanks for fast response!!!

However... I'm now back to my orginal printer problem! It is a Vista-releated problem that I was hoping Win7 would solve (by some kind of weird magic . I know this is the wrong place to ask this question but maybe someone can point me to a forum that might have a solution: My networked HP Photosmart C5180 works fine with Windows XP and various versions of Linux (open source drivers) but not on Vista. Once the drivers are installed on Vista it "loses" the printer (printer unavailable / service not available) when i reboot or after "sleep". HP has a fix for this issue but it doesn't work (see Link Removed - Invalid URL). Any clues - and sorry I ask about a solution in this forum... but I'm kind of desperate ;-(

best regards
Mike

 

[davehc]

I,ll take the option to point you to another forum, our sister,
Windows Vista Forums

 

[sydlexic]

I have a very old Epson (EPL 5900) that was not even properly supported by XP, which used a W2k driver, let alone by Vista or Windows 7. The only, rather complicated, solution was to install Sun virtual box (Downloads - VirtualBox), load Windows XP as a guest system, then get the old XP system to recognise and install the old printer. This means I must start the virtual computer to use the printer, which I do only for long documents, where the savings compared with my newer printer are substantial. I recommend this if your old printer is much better, you have stockpile of old toner, or you use the printer only occasionally. Good luck.