Windows 10: Printers: "Driver not available" and "cannot open add printer".

Hi allPlease help me. My Surface Pro running Windows 10 64 bit was working fine but about one month ago, the three printers I had loaded Canon, Epson, and Microsoft Print to PDF all stopped working at the same time.I tried uninstalling them and reinstalling them and the printers are found but when the installation process completes, I get a driver not available. This happens for the two third part printers independently. I have tried uninstall and re-install in multiple different ways, all fail. The printers work with other PCs in my home network. I then found that Microsoft Print to PDF

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Printer advice

hp printers have the most expensive ink of all printers, the most economical is cannon and epson so i suggest if you looking to keep costs down look at those brands.

that being said it may not have the best print quality if it uses less costly ink.

if keeping cost down is the most important then shop in reverse, find a brand that has cheap replacement ink cartridges then see what printers they are used on. then from that list look to see if you like any of those printers and if they are affordable to you, if not then select another ink cartridge and look at the printers that those are used on. this method will give you the most affordable printer and the cheapest cost of replacement ink.

personally i use the refillable ink cartridges like these: http://www.inkproducts.com/ink-store/catalog/Our-Epson-Refill-Kits-orderby0-p-1-c-4.html

 

No printer drive available for Printer under Devices and Printer

Hi,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



We understand that you see “No drivers available” for printer under Devices and Printers in Control Panel. However, it would be great if you can help us with the details requested below:

• What is the make and model of the printer?
  
• Are you able to print documents using the printer?
  
• When you say, “Is this why my fax isn't working” what happens when you try to use fax?
  
• How is the printer connected to the computer?
  
• Which build version of Windows 10 is installed on the computer? To check type:
  winver in the search bar on the Taskbar and hit
  Enter.
  
• May I know which update was installed recently? To check go to
  Start >> Settings >> Update & Security >> Windows Update >> View update history.
  

We would suggest you to check if the drivers are installed on the computer or not. Please refer the steps mentioned below:

1. Press Windows key + X, and select
   Device Manager.
   
2. Expand Printers and see if the printer is listed.
   

If the printer driver is not installed, we would suggest you to download the drivers from the printer manufacturer’s website and install them.



For more information, see
Fix printer connection and printing problems in Windows 10.



Let us know the results, we will be glad to help you further.



Regards,

Nikhar Khare

Microsoft Community - Moderator

 

Printer

I have tried this and my printer doesn't allow me to do this. It gives me choices to open, scan, etc.

It says the driver is unavailable. I have checked the HP site for a driver download for Windows 10 and none is available.