HP printer driver is unavailable

[tr0ubl3mak3r]

Hello people. I have quite an interesting situation. So, I have 2 computers that I need to connect to one printer, and I have 1 computer successfully connected, and another one that I need to connect. The problem is that when I connect the 2nd computer via the Control Panel/Settings, it says Driver is unavailable. (The printer is connected to both computers via WiFi.) However, when I connect it to the 2nd computer via the Ethernet cable (the one I have available as of the moment) I can connect to the printer, and it downloads and installs the drivers successfully. However, when you unplug the Ethernet cable, it says it's offline. It connects through WSD (which doesn't tell me much, BTW) and... not through the IP, as (I guess) the 'normal' printers would connect...

So, what are my options? I enabled the print sharing on my 1st computer, and tried to add the printer to the 2nd computer after that, but it didn't work. I'm out of ideas. If you have any, please share with me.

Both computers have Windows 10. I think 1st one is 2004, and the 2nd one is 1909.

 

[Ralston18]

Which model HP printer? Do you have the User Guide/Manual.

Are you directly connecting the printer to the second computer via the second computer's ethernet (LAN) port?

Should not be necessary but I may not be following the overall printer connectivity correctly.

In a nutshell, if you want the printer to be wirelessly available to both computers, configure the HP printer for wireless use which it appears that you have done.

However you should set up a static IP address for the wireless HP printer using an IP address that is outside of the router's allowed DHCP IP address range and the static IP is also reserved for the printer via the printer's MAC.

And install the applicable printer drivers on each computer.

As for WSD here is a starter link:

https://www.cantecireland.ie/wsd-seems-great-installing-printers-shouldnt-use/

Very old link but a good start to help you research WSD more as it may or may not apply to your environment.

Doubt that you need WSD.

 

[tr0ubl3mak3r]

That's the main issue - on the 1st computer, everything installed just fine; long before the 2nd computer arrived. On the 2nd computer - you can install drivers and it works only when you connect it through some other type of connection; in this case, with the Ethernet cable. If you connect the 2nd computer to the same Wi-Fi as the printer and the 1st computer, you can add the printer, but whatever you do, it will be saying "Driver is unavailable". Even though I tried to change the settings for printer share to enable it.

Thanks for the link. Now I see that it's bad, but I'm afraid, I don't want to screw anything up by changing the port for the printer on the 1st computer. Although, if that's my only way to fix it, I will.

 

[Ralston18]

Late thought regarding "driver unavailable".

Wondering what/which driver is "unavailable".....

On 2nd computer ensure that only one network adapter (either wired or wireless) is enabled - not both adapters.

Doublecheck that the wireless network adapter is configured to join wireless network hosting the wireless printer. It appears that you may have already done so but no harm in doublechecking.

Does Computer #2 work for anything else on the wireless network: internet connectivity, access a network drive, etc,?

Run "ipconfig /all" on both wireless computers via the Command Prompt.

Also print out the printer's configuration page to view and likewise doublecheck the wireless configuration settings.

Compare all three to the corresponding settings on the network router.

The HP printer should have an assigned static IP (via the printer's wireless MAC) with that assigned static IP being outside of the DHCP IP address range allowed to the router.

 

[tr0ubl3mak3r]

For now, I'm just confused why I can install the driver just fine on the 2nd computer connected via the Ethernet cable, but not via WiFi. That's pretty much my main concern nowadays. Once I figure that out, I can advance further. I mean, if I could just configure the printer to use the IP to connect to the printer, and not the WSD, it would have been so much easier, so much better...

So, the question number one for now is why it cannot install the drivers when connected via Wi-Fi, even though another device can connect and print just fine?

 

[Ralston18]

Fair question. However, sometimes Windows error messages are not as explanatory as they could/should be.

Lets' try another approach: print out the respective "ipconfig /all" for each computer along with the printer's configuration page, etc..

Identify what properties match and what properties do not match between the successfully printing computer and the failing to print computer.

Some differences you can expect - computer IP addresses for example. OS version of course.

Compare the printer information shown in Device Manager.

What model HP printer do you have?

Feel free to post the results of "ipconfig /all" for Computer #1 and Computer #2.

Open Powershell and run "Get-PrinterDriver on each computer. Post results.

 

[tr0ubl3mak3r]

I'm really sorry for a late reply, the last 2 weeks were super crazy.

However, let me try to answer some of your questions...

On the 2nd computer, the printer is not shown in the Device Manager at all. It doesn't exist there.

I'll try to print the ipconfig /all, but... I'm pretty sure everything will be about the same. I mean, the older computer is I believe the Windows 10 2004, and the new one is 1909. But that shouldn't matter, because I can print if I hook up the Ethernet cable into the new computer, and it installs the drivers just fine; the issue is with the Wi-Fi drivers. I don't believe that you can connect only one computer to the printer at a time or at all... So why is it failing to install the drivers connected through Wi-Fi?