When to Reinstall Printer Drivers

Before you go about reinstalling printer drivers, it’s important to follow a few necessary troubleshooting steps. Doing everything in the right order will maximize your chances of fixing your printer errors.

Evaluating your Hardware

It’s important to do some very basic checkups of your hardware first. Look at your printer cables to ensure that the printer’s cord is plugged into the outlet. Also, you need to make sure that you’ve correctly inserted the printer cable into the proper computer input. Check to make sure that the printer is powered on. If the printer is plugged into a surge protector, then confirm that the surge protector is also turned on.

Next, you should actually use a troubleshooter to identify problems. Microsoft releases updates and Fix Its, which can help troubleshoot your printer problems. Run all of these Fix Its and see if they’ll resolve your issue.

Sometimes it’s Necessary to Update Drivers

If this doesn’t work, then you absolutely must update your drivers. If your drivers are outdated or corrupted, then your printer can’t transmit information to your computer and vice versa. Drivers can become outdated for a number of reasons.

If you’ve recently upgraded your operating system, it’s likely your drivers are outdated. However, many other causes, such as viruses, security breaches, and hardware problems can lead to malfunctioning drivers.

You can test your drivers and find out more information by opening up Devices and Printers. The Devices and Printers folder will clearly show you which printers are malfunctioning. You'll see a yellow exclamation mark next to any printers that aren't working right.

In Windows 7, the Printers folder has been replaced with Devices and Printers. Microsoft did this in order to consolidate all of the peripheral and internal devices that utilizes drivers. It's a very convenient way to check on your drivers.

Windows Update, Downloading from the Manufacturer, or Finding Good Software

You can update drivers using Windows Update, or you can go to your manufacturer’s website and download drivers. Another great alternative is to download software that will scan your system for outdated drivers and then install new ones.

Reinstall printer drivers, and then test your printer. If you’ve followed the steps above, your printer should be working again. It’s a good idea to reinstall printer drivers even if you install a new device.