Windows 7 hates my HP LaserJet 1200

Question

Windows 7 really hates my HP LaserJet 1200 USB.  Windows 7 is supposed to have built in support for LaserJet 1200.  Windows 7 says the built-in driver is not the correct driver for my device and it won't let met manually install a driver even if I could get one.  Any ideas on how to go about successfully installing an HP LaserJet 1200 printer in Windows 7?

Answer 1

Windows 7 64bits and HP LaserJet 1200 driver via network perfect fix:

1. Control Panel ---> Devices and Printers
2. Add a printer
3. Add a local printer
4. Create a new port ---> use (Local port) ...next
5. Port name ---> type printer location: type (\\FIN-PC\HPLaserJ) ...next
6. Install printe driver ... select (Windows Update)... wait for some minutes and more
7. Select 'HP'... then 'LaserJet 1200 PCL 5' from the list... next
8. Wait for some minutes or more... life would not be this simple if you don't try.

Answer 2

If HP has a Vista driver for the LaserJet 1200, use that.

Answer 3

This strategy worked fine for me on two Windows 7 systems as long as I had the HP LaserJet 1200 installed on an XP system, where the install works fine.  However, if I try to install the printer directly on a Windows 7 system, the printer installs correctly but then won't print.  Any document is queued with an error, the front panel light flashes, and nothing ever prints.  To clear the impasse you have to turn the printer off, but no matter what you do it won't print.

Any ideas on this part?

Tom

Answer 4

Tom:

Since, I got my printer working I have not really looked at any other solutions. Soon or later I will need to move that printer to a Win 7 machine.

One idea I had but, didn't follow up on was using a print server or hp jetdirect server and use the universal print drivers on Windows 7 inconjuction with an direct IP printer configuration.

Calvin

Hope this helps.

ps as the Color Laser Printers come down in price I may consider that option, but right up HP, and Epson Inkjet are the only reasonably priced wide format 11 x 17  printers in the game.

Answer 5

I thought about that, Calvin, but I hate to throw money at this problem.  I have an old XP system and sharing on it works fine using a prior post or the one just after yours.  I also tried the same thing with the Deskjet I had, and the same problem occurs.  I can share it on an XP system and use it from Win 7 but I can't make it work directly on a Win 7 machine.

Tom