Windows 7 Troble installing HP Printer

rickluc

Well-Known Member
HP Pavilion Elite m9040n Desktop, only computer in house. Was using HP All -in -One 309G printer for a few years and everything worked great. One day I noticed that the printer icon wasn't showing up in Device and Printers folder. Well went into the other forum for HP and Windows 7 and several people told me to uninstall software and reinstall software. Well it's been all down hill from there. Installed and uninstalled several times and even used cleaners to make sure all traces of HP printer software was gone. Well to day I reinstalled software on administration side and same old thing. Everything on Admin. side works great as before. Can even put shortcut on desktop to open scan documents and/or pictures. Can see printer in device and printer folder on start menu. But as before, go over on family account side and no icon in device and printer folder, no way to start scan with out going into Windows Live Photo Gallery and clicking on import (and it will scan and work good in that program). There is some reason going from admin. account and into family account loses something. On admin side there a folder in start/programs for HP, inside that folder there's an icon to click on to start HP scan and print window. On the family account side all that's in HP folder on start/ programs is HP update and some other icons like product registration, add device, help, readme, and uninstall. Nothing to click on to open scan print window. Any advice?. Thanks
 
If I'm not mistaken, with additional guest accounts you, I still think you have to install software and devices for that account. It's been so long since I've had a PC with a guest account opened on it and if my memory serves me correctly I had all kinds of issues with software/hardware functioning that way. Like I say it's been a lot of years since I've done that kind of setup on a PC.

This may shed some light on it for you....

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/271901

Everything else I've found relates to networked printer shares....
 
Isn't my family account just a user account? Why dosen't the printer icon show up in the Device and Printer window?Thanks
 
Isn't my family account just a user account? Why dosen't the printer icon show up in the Device and Printer window?Thanks

Can't tell you why, but here is a way to work around that issue.............
Go back to your admin account > navigate to the HP Device and Printers folder > send a copy of that folder to PUBLIC folder.
You can do that by either.....
drag and drop, or,
use the right click context menu and use Copy To option to send a copy to the Public folder.
If you don't have Copy To and Move To context menu options, use this tutorial :
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/516-context-menu-add-copy-folder-move-folder.html
Option One is the easiest method.


Public folder is available to all user accounts.
Users can find the contents of that Public folder by opening their own Public folder.
 
Your calling what the HP Device and Printer Folder? The one in the Start/Devices and Printer folder or the Start/All Programs/HP folder? And are you saying the folder it self or the contents of the folder? Or I've got this thing at the bottom of my Windows Live Photo Gallery. Thanks
 

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Your calling what the HP Device and Printer Folder? The one in the Start/Devices and Printer folder or the Start/All Programs/HP folder? And are you saying the folder it self or the contents of the folder? Or I've got this thing at the bottom of my Windows Live Photo Gallery. Thanks

I am referring to the one you said in your admin account that is different than the one in your Family account.

(quote)...Everything on Admin. side works great as before. Can even put shortcut on desktop to open scan documents and/or pictures. Can see printer in device and printer folder on start menu. But as before, go over on family account side and no icon in device and printer folder..................
 
I am referring to the one you said in your admin account that is different than the one in your Family account.

(quote)...Everything on Admin. side works great as before. Can even put shortcut on desktop to open scan documents and/or pictures. Can see printer in device and printer folder on start menu. But as before, go over on family account side and no icon in device and printer folder..................

Well I moved the icons on desktop in the admin. side to the public folder on the C: drive/users and also in the favorites folder. When I get over to the family side I go into public folder and click on them and they don't work. Someone had suggested to install on both sides. That won't work because when you go to reinstall the CD it will automatically remove the old install. Boy, I ran this computer this way for a couple of years before I lost the icons in my device and printer folder. There used to be a couple of other things in the device and printer window that's not showing up either, couldn't tell you what they were. Thanks
 
Well I moved the icons on desktop in the admin. side to the public folder on the C: drive/users and also in the favorites folder. When I get over to the family side I go into public folder and click on them and they don't work. Someone had suggested to install on both sides. That won't work because when you go to reinstall the CD it will automatically remove the old install. Boy, I ran this computer this way for a couple of years before I lost the icons in my device and printer folder. There used to be a couple of other things in the device and printer window that's not showing up either, couldn't tell you what they were. Thanks


Would it be too suggest a system restore?
How long ago since this problem arose?
Do you remember a date when you did NOT have this issue?

If it is not too long ago, and if you do remember a GOOD date when you did NOT have this problem, do a system restore. Pick that GOOD date or prior as your restore point.
 
I did a system restore about 1 1/2 weeks back. I could only go back to something like July 12th. I had this problem before that, but that was all that was available in system restore. I asked at that time how a person could setup to keep back farther that a few weeks but didn't get an answer.
 
I did a system restore about 1 1/2 weeks back. I could only go back to something like July 12th. I had this problem before that, but that was all that was available in system restore. I asked at that time how a person could setup to keep back farther that a few weeks but didn't get an answer.

Were you told to click that Show more restore points box ?

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Hi Ric:
I've seen several problems with this HP printer thing, including on my home setup. First thing that comes to mind is how are you connected your HP desktop to the printer? Method #1-USB; Method #2-Ethernet hardwire cable; Method #3-Wireless. You didn't mention that. I've used the 309 series and I currently have it's replacement, the 310n here on my Dell desktop. If you are connecting to your 309g via your wifi router, or if you are connecting directly to the 309g via wireless peer-to-peer you could also be having networking problems with the 309g. :hide:

I suggest you temporarily reinstall your 309g software using either Method #1 or Method #2; both use a physical cable. If the problem goes away, you'll need to repair or replace the 309g. If you experience the same problem with Methods #1 & #2, the problem is probably in your windows networking components. If you cannot get it to work via System Restore, you may have to completely reinstall your Windows7 from either the HP Recovery Partition hidden your hard drive or from Factory Recovery Discs you would have had to make since you unboxed the computer new--if you haven't you should make them NOW, as HP only gives you ability to make 1 set. Ensure you use quality CD or DVD media; you don't want to scrimp on discs when trying to rebuild your system.

If you find that your HP desktop is the culprit and a Windows recovery is in order, ensure you backup all your critical data to either external hard drive, flash drive(s), or CD/DVD media PRIOR to your rebuild. Upon completion of your rebuild attempt to install your 309g software on both Admin and Family accounts *yes, you still have to do that* and see if problem is still there or has been resolved. If so, your Win7 was scrambled, and you fixed it. :up: Proceed to re-hook up your wireless setup with 309g if that's how you were running it originally; and try again.

Once you fix the problem and are connected to your 309g via Method #1 or #2 and all accounts can properly access the printer, getting the wireless part working should be fairly straightforward if you're pretty savvy with networking. You should be set to go at that point! :up:

One thing to remember, if you're after reliability, home wireless printing is still pretty iffy, and you'll get interrupts and disconnects randomly much more frequently than using a hard line cable such as USB or ethernet. So unless you are printing to a downstairs printer from an upstairs location like a bedroom or den, you may consider putting in a hard line cable to keep things from mucking up on you. The 309 and 310 series randomly lose wifi connections as do most of the HP wifi printers. I see this all the time in businesses as well as people's homes. Just some thoughts for you to consider after you get it fixed and running again. Remember every time your ISP takes a hit due to an outtage on their part, or you have a power failure on your cable modem or dsl modem, they often lose their wifi settings and you have to reset BOTH your wifi router and the wireless settings in your printer *pain*. So keep in mind my suggestions.

Let us know how it turns out.

Luck! :thumbs_up:

BIGBEARJEDI
 
I connect using Method#1 USB cable. I mentioned earlier that I don't show any icons in my start/device and printer window. I feal this might be the problem. On admin. side there are 5 items in top section and 1 item in center section (HP Printer) and 1 item in lower section (Bean something). I'll have to try installing on user side, but I think it will want to uninstall before it lets me install.

Are these updates a big deal? Thanks
 

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