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What port to use when installing a USB printer?

Anonymous
2018-06-27T19:46:21+00:00

In previous versions of Windows when you went to Devices and Printers it showed all of the printers and other devices that were installed so if you had more than one driver for a given printer it would show the additional ones as Copy 1 or Copy 2 etc. Now it takes you to settings and only shows the driver that is currently selected and then if you select manage it takes you to another page where there is a drop down window that will show any other drivers ie fax, scan etc. The problem was my Mom couldn't print anymore even though it had worked fine for years. The most recent update obviously caused an issue and when I went over I saw that it showed her printer name and Copy 1 afterwards so went to manage and selected the drop down window and there was a selection there that was just her printer name without the copy 1 afterwards so selected it and the printer printed just fine. I again selected the copy 1 and it wouldn't print so thought I would simply delete the copy 1 so it couldn't inadvertently get selected again. I verified that it was copy 1 that was selected and it was so selected remove device and it removed everything associated not just copy 1.

I hoped there as a way to recover it but after trying with no success decided to reinstall however one of the first things it asks for is to select a port but unfortunately the only options are LPT 1 2 3 or COM 1 2 3 4 or IR or print to PDF so couldn't proceed.

Unfortunately she can't find the DVD that came with the printer and after downloading the driver from Canon and trying a half dozen times to install it have had no success. You can run the installer and it says it installed fine but nothing shows up in the devices and printers so am at a loss as to what to do.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-06-27T21:19:04+00:00

    OK, if it not giving you any option but choosing one of that list, pick LPT1. LPT is "parallel" port and is much faster the serial or IR. I expect that the USB will "emulate" (fake) LPT for the printer.

    Since this is a printer specific problem, you could try asking the question at the Cannon site. They have much more direct experience with printer problems.

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-06-27T20:46:41+00:00

    I guess I was not clear enough in my original post. I did delete what I thought was just copy 1 of the driver but it deleted everything related to it including the fax and scan drivers and the original driver so they are all gone. I did download the driver from Canon's website and installed it a half dozen times. I tried it with the printer on, with the printer off, with the USB cable unplugged from the printer and also with it plugged into the printer and after it says the installation was successful the printer is never shown in the list of printers and devices.

    You asked

    Question: are you plugging the printer in with a USB cable? If you are, then you don't have to worry about "Ports". That is a legacy issue from when we had to use special "serial" or "Parallel' ports and cables to connect devices like printers and scanners.

    I have been using computers since the early 80s so understand about both LPT ports and COM ports but haven't seen either on a computer for probably 15 or more years now. The printer is plugged in with a USB cable however when I go to add a printer and then select local printer the first thing it asks for is the port it is connected to and the choices are as listed in my original post and you simply cannot go any further without selecting a port.

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-06-27T20:03:43+00:00

    I agree with Greg, re-installing the printer driver is probably the easiest fix.

    Question: are you plugging the printer in with a USB cable? If you are, then you don't have to worry about "Ports". That is a legacy issue from when we had to use special "serial" or "Parallel' ports and cables to connect devices like printers and scanners.

    In start menu, find Control Panel > Devices & Printers. Click on the entry that matches your printer, right click on it and delete it. Then you can re-install the printer driver.

    I tried to do that through the "new & improved" settings dialogs, ie Settings > Printers & Scanners. But I could not find a way to delete it ... <sigh>

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-06-27T19:50:50+00:00

    Hi DM. I'm Greg, an installation specialist and 8 year Windows MVP, here to help you.

    Rather than spending too much more time fiddling I'd simply Clean Reinstall the printer which always works, lasts longer and actually saves time:

    1. Power up the printer, if wired unplug it's USB cable from PC.
    2. Go to Settings>Apps>Apps and Features to find and Uninstall the printer software.
    3. Next type CMD in Start Search, right click Command Prompt result to Run as Admin, copy and paste in the following command and press Enter: printui /s /t2 (Note that there is one space before each forward slash).

    4 Open the Print Server properties, Remove the printer’s drivers for this printer and for any other printers you don't use presently.

    1. If you get a message about access denied or the printer being in use and you cannot find the driver or any installed program that would account for this, you may restart the computer in a diagnostic startup and then use the printui command to remove the driver package(s): https://www.isunshare.com/windows-10/enable-dia...

    You must restart back to normal mode before you will be able to install the printer again.

    1. Now type Control Panel in Start Search, open CP, choose Icon View. In Control Panel open Devices and Printers, right click the printer to delete the Printer and any scanner or fax of the same name. Restart PC.
    2. Go to the printer model’s Support Downloads webpage to download and install the latest full software package. Now is also the time to check for any newer printer firmware to install which matters a lot.

    Older software may need to be installed in Compatibility Mode to run correctly: https://www.groovypost.com/howto/run-old-softwa...

    1. Extract Printer software, right click Setup file to Run as Administrator. Follow the setup screens closely as you install the software. For USB it should prompt when to plug in the printer.

    If you have further problems reply back with results of each step.

    I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and let us know how it goes. I will keep working with you until it's resolved.

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  5. Anonymous
    2018-06-27T22:13:51+00:00

    I tried that yesterday and although it installs when you try to print nothing happens.

    I just got home and called Canon and they remotely connected and were able to fix the problem but not exactly sure what they found or did as he was clicking through the screens pretty quickly.

    It is working now so that is all that really matters I guess.

    Thanks for the help.

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