stop Windows 10 from installing duplicate printer and scanner drivers

Question

How can I stop Windows 10 from installing duplicate printer and scanner drivers?

No matter how many times I delete them, Windows 10 keeps reinstalling printer and scanner drivers.

The Microsoft printer drivers don't work since my printers are all network printers and so far they are

not assigned an IP address (fingers crossed that Windows never figures out how to connect them).

Nevertheless, the duplicate drivers clutter up the printer pulldown menu when I go to print something

and are very confusing since the so-called "Friendly Name"s are very similar.

The scanner driver is much worse because it duplicates the so-called "Friendly Name" but does

not represent the full capacity of the scanner.  The Microsoft driver has a single, fixed

resolution of 300dpi, whereas the manufacturer's driver supports 4 choices from 200dpi

to 1200 dpi, which is the true capacity of the scanner.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Since you've mentioned that you already removed the duplicate drivers on your device and it's not showing anymore, let us know if the issue persists so we can recommend other troubleshooting steps that you can perform.

Feel free to post back if you have any other concern.

Answer 2

o What is the build and version of Windows that you’re using?

        Version 1709 Build 16299.192

o Are there any other wireless printer and scanner available for your device to

connect?

        There are NO wireless printers or scanners.  Both the one

printer and the one scanner are connected to the same lan as the

computer by hard wire via a hub.

o Is the printer and scanner new?

        The printer is 5 years old.  The scanner is 4 years old.

o If not, when did you encounter this concern?

        The problem started about 3 years ago, first with the scanner.

  I deleted the scanner driver using regedit about a year ago.  The

  bogus driver was reinstalled by Windows a few months ago.  I deleted

  the duplicate driver again using regedit on Monday.  So far the

  duplicate scanner has not reappeared.

        The duplicate printer driver was installed a few months ago.

  I deleted the bogus printers using "Settings" => "Devices" => "Printer

  and scanner" last week; so far it hasn't reappeared.

o Have you made any recent changes before you encountered this issue?

        No.

Answer 3

Hi,

A recent change in the configuration of your device can be one of the factors why this issue occurs. To help us determine the appropriate troubleshooting steps that can resolve your concern, we would like to ask the following questions:

• What is the build and version of Windows that you’re using? To check, type winver in the Search box, select the resulting command and send us a screenshot of the information window.
• Are there any other wireless printer and scanner available for your device to connect?
• Is the printer and scanner new? If not, when did you encounter this concern?
• Have you made any recent changes before you encountered this issue?

We look forward to your response.