Windows 10: Program Finding "Ghost" Printers

Our in-house computer program Epicor Eagle is finding printers that claim to be on windows middle window pictured below. As you can see Windows doesn't have any record of these printers. These printers were previously installed locally or from a network device on the computer but are since gone. I've spoke with tech support on our Epicor end and he seems to think its windows harboring old information. Any ideas where these devices could possibly be stored besides Print Management, Settings, or Device Manager? I've also made sure all the old ports were deleted and I've deleted/uninstalled e

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Removing Ghost Printer

Hi,

Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Community.

As per the description, I understand that you are facing some issues using Windows 10.

This might have occurred due to hardware conflicts.

Try the methods.

Method 1:

Uninstall the Printer Drivers.

Follow the steps given below to uninstall the Printer drivers.

• 
  Press Windows key + X and select Device Manager.
  
• 
  Search for Printer Adapters and expand it.
  
• 
  Right click on the Printer driver and select
  Uninstall.
  

Method 2:

Note: Ghost devices are the previously installed devices which are not connected but the drivers for that device is still present in the computer and sometimes shows in the
devices list.

To get rid of unwanted drivers, devices, or services, use the following steps:

• 
  Open the Start menu.
  
• 
  Swipe to the upper right corner to bring charm bar.
  
• 
  Type cmd in search box.
  
• 
  Select cmd from the displayed list, right click and
  Open as administrator.
  
• 
  At the command prompt, type in
  set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1 and press Enter.
  

(Note that nothing seems to happen. This is expected. You are actually setting an environment variable which is going to help you to see hidden devices.)

• 
  On the next command prompt line, type
  devmgmt.msc and press Enter. This will launch the Windows Device Manager Console.
  
• 
  In the Device Manager Console, from the
  View menu, select Show Hidden Devices.
  

As you expand the different drivers and devices in the device manager, you will see not only the items that Windows currently detects as installed on your PC; but you will also see drivers, devices, and services which have
been loaded in the past but were not uninstalled or are not currently started. You can find your offending device, right-click, and choose
uninstall to remove it from the system completely.

Note that ghost devices, drivers, and services are “grayed” out, but that does not necessarily mean that you should delete all of them. Only remove items you know you do not need. Be careful that you do not change too many
devices.

Once you have removed the ghost drivers completely from the system, try to reinstall the drivers for the Webcam and check if it helps.



Hope this information helps. Please let us know if you need any other assistance with Windows in future. We will be happy to assist you.

 

Windows can't find printer, finds nonexistent printers

As per your concern, we suggest that you follow the steps below:

• Make sure your printer is turned on and connected to your PC.
  
• If it still won't work, try running the printing troubleshooter.
• If you’re still having problems, your printer may need a new driver.
  
  
  
• Open Start,
  enter Devices and Printers,
  select it from the list of results, and select your printer. Then select
  Remove device at the top of the screen and reinstall your printer

If Windows doesn’t automatically find a new driver, look for one on the
device manufacturer's website and follow their installation instructions.

Let us know how it goes.

 

PC should be able to find printer, but it can’t.

Hi,

The issue that you've encountered regarding the printer on your Windows 10 computer may be caused by some configuration or components that prevent Windows from working properly. To sort out your concern, we suggest that you
uninstall and reinstall the driver and the printer application on your computer. This process will re-establish the good working state of the device and eliminate software conflict. To do this you may follow the steps below:

To uninstall the driver of the printer from the Device Manager of your computer, you may proceed with the steps below:

• Click Start, type Device Manager, and then press
  Enter.
• Locate the printer driver, double-click on the device to open its properties.
• On the Driver tab, click Uninstall, and then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

After uninstalling the device driver, you may also uninstall the printer application from the
Control Panel on your computer through the following steps:

• Click Start, type Programs and Features, and then click
  Enter.
• Find and click on the printer from the list of programs, click Uninstall, and then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
• After completing the steps, restart your computer, and then set up the printer again. You may refer to the user manual from the manufacturer's website of your printer to properly do it.
• Once you're done, you may check if you're able to use the printer on your computer properly.

Keep us updated about your concern for additional assistance.