How to reinstall the printer driver due to a printer driver installation error
If you need to reinstall your printer driver, it will most likely be something like this. You bought a new printer or for some reason you need to install the printer again. You perform the installation and receive this message: “Unable to install the printer. The printer processor does not exist.”
Error messages are always frustrating and this one seems to pop up whenever you really need to print something. It never comes when you have the time or the patience to figure out what’s wrong. So, here are some quick ways to fix this error message quickly and easily.
Manual reinstallation of the printer driver
This method will only work if you have the installation software that came with the printer. If you do not have the installation software, you will need to skip this section and go directly to the “Automatically Reinstalling the Printer Driver” section.
- Put the installation CD in the drive. If it tries to run automatically, stop it.
- Click Start
- Click Control Panel
- Select Printer and Faxes or Printer and Other Hardware
- Select Add a new printer
- Run the hardware wizard
- Select “Search automatically for updated driver software”
- Follow the instructions on the screen
After the Hardware Wizard has finished, print a test page to make sure everything is working properly. If you still have problems, continue to the next section.
Automatic reinstallation of the printer driver
If the above method didn’t work or you want to skip it and go to a method that is guaranteed to find the correct and latest drivers for your printer, then this method will work.
First, you need to go online and find highly rated driver update software. You’ll want to look for a 5-cow rating from Tucows or some other rating service. Also, you’ll want to find one that works for Windows 7, Vista, XP, and Windows 2000. This will let you know that the software stays up-to-date with a wide variety of platforms. At a minimum, it should work with your Windows operating system.
Next, you’ll want to download the software and run the scan. It should say that your printer needs a driver. At that time, you will need to purchase the software to download the new drivers. Don’t be surprised if you find multiple drivers on your computer that need to be updated. This is normal and to be expected.
Finally, download and install the printer driver and any other drivers you find. The whole process, from scanning to finding and downloading the drivers, will only take a couple of minutes. After finishing, you may be prompted to restart your computer. Once you restart your computer, your printer will work fine.
How did my drivers get outdated?
Software companies continually update their drivers to work better and match Windows Update. When this happens, your drivers become outdated and you don’t even know what happened. Therefore, it is a good idea to check for driver updates at regular intervals.