Windows 10: Win 10 Home 1803 can't install printer drivers for network printer

So, the subject pretty much sums up the issue, I have a new Lenovo laptop that won't install a network printer. (Ricoh AP3800C) Yes, it's an old printer that is end of Life from Ricoh, but they released drivers that are still working for every other Win 10 machine I have, and they still work on one machine that's running 1809, which is more recent than the version that's currently running on the new machine.


If I use Windows update to download the printers, it doesn't find the needed driver any more.


Thing is, I have 2 other Win 10 computers that are working very happily with this printer, and one of them is on a later version of 10, but in both cases, the drivers were installed under an much earlier version of 10. That's how I found what's working, I did a test page on the working machines to get the driver version, previously, Windows Update found and installed them with no issues at all.


I found the drivers in the update catalog by Google searching for the driver version (6..1.7233.0) and downloaded them.


They won't install from the .cab download, so I have tried unpacking them into a stand alone folder and installing via the printer install routine (have disc) but one driver fails with a missing file, and the other thinks I'm trying to use the wrong driver for the device, despite the fact that it's installed on the other machines and working fine. I can't find any install logs that might provide a clue about what's going wrong.


I spent nearly an hour on the phone with support on this, and that ended with me deciding to end the call before I lost my temper, as the relevant rep would not take ownership of the issue, she was trying to blame the hardware manufacturers, which was unacceptable, given I have other hardware that's working completely correctly, the only difference now is a newer version of Win10, everything else is unchanged.


What then makes it more annoying is that there is a relatively easy fix, using printmanagement.msc, but for reasons best known to Microsoft, that option is not available in Win10 Home edition, (I have both Home and Pro here) so I can't export the working configuration from a working machine to import into this one.


Nett result is that I have a mid range (pricey) laptop that I can't use, because I can't print from it, and I'm not about to throw a perfectly good printer and a lot of spares and consumables out because Microsoft have yet again broken a working system.


Is there any way to find out where the drivers are stored on the working machine and install across the network? If not, it looks like I don't have a Windows future, as moving to another hardware device is unlikely to resolve this, and throwing out a good working printer is unacceptable, the replacement cost is unsustainable right now.


Thanks for any ideas or suggestions.

:)

 

printer won't work on network but will over usb

his printer has a built-in print server.

What you need to know what ip is being give to the printer. Perhaps you can print a status sheet from the printer.

Then Go to printers in control panel

add a new printer

local printer attached, uncheck automatically detect and install PnP printer

create a new port, select standard tcp/ip port

a new window should open and enter the ip there where it says printer name or IP address (port name then should be also be filled as you go)

and pretty much follow the rest of the steps, you will need to install the printer drivers.


These steps is the easy, but not the right way.

The right way is to use the network option on the initial screw and search for the printer server...but that can be tricky to configure.

 

networking a printer

It can be networked through the computer through control panel settings<view installed printers<your printer< share this printer I think is simple way someone else correct me if I'm wrong. Once you do that try connecting on your other comps by adding printer over network.

 

networking a printer

true ive done it at my courses *Smile
so you just have to connect it to the pc and that one should be connected with the network *Smile