How do I fix my Printer?

Printer errors such as ‘Windows failed to recognize the new hardware’ are not uncommon, especially when you are trying to install your new printer or connect it to your computer.

In many of these cases, How do I fix my Printer, either the Printer Driver was installed incorrectly or your Printer Driver is out of date or has become corrupt. These are the main reasons for errors such as Windows is unable to recognize the device.

Fortunately, printer driver problems are usually easy to fix. The article below gives details on fixes for common printer driver errors. There is also details on what causes the more common printer driver errors, and how to troubleshoot printer driver problems generally.

About Printer Drivers:

Printer drivers are software programs, and their main job is to convert the data you command to print to the form that is specific to the installed printer.

Printer Driver problems may occur due to the following reasons:

• The printer driver is configured incorrectly

• The printer driver is not compatible with the installed printer or your version of Windows

• The entry of your printer driver in the Windows registry is incorrect

• Malware has infected your printer driver files

Common Printer Driver problems:

If your printer driver develops a problem, you may not be able to print a document or some of your printers features may not work as desired.

Below are two common printer driver error messages:

• Error 1 – Windows Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for any inconvenience.

• Meaning – The above error usually signifies that the installed printer driver is an older version.

• Error 2 – Spoolsv.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

Meaning – The above error usually occurs when the installed printer driver is not compatible with your Windows operating system.

What can I do to fix Printer Driver problems?

Install the latest Printer Driver using a driver management tool

You can easily resolve printer driver problems using a reliable driver update tool such as Driver Downloader.

Install and open Driver Downloader, and click the SCAN button. The software will automatically identify your printer, locate the latest Printer Driver for your printer in its database, and install this Printer Driver.

Although you can usually install the latest driver manually, the process can be time consuming, depending on the driver you are looking for. The steps given below are the ones you need to follow to manually install a Printer Driver:

Install the latest Driver from the Printers folder

If the latest driver is stored on your Windows computer, perform the following steps to install it:

• Open Control Panel

• Click Hardware and Sound

• Click Printers

• Right-click the printer whose driver you need to install, and then select Run as administrator

• Click Properties

• Click Advanced

• Click the New Driver tab, and then follow the onscreen instructions to install the driver

Download and install the latest printer driver from the manufacturer:

Visit the printer manufacturer’s website, locate the latest driver for your printer, and then download it. Install the driver by following the instructions given on the manufacturer’s website.

We have numerous articles on various Printer Drivers issues, some of the more common printers are:

• Printer problems after Windows 10 upgrade
• Fix Brother Printer not printing issue
• Canon Printer not responding
• HP Printer problems

There are numerous other posts on Printers, just use our search function in the footer to find the article to help fix your printer issue.