Windows 10: Windows refused to delete HP Printers, do I need to use regedit?

Do I need to use regedit to delete some printer drivers that Windows refuses to delete normally?

This post is a continuation of the issue in this thread: Deleted printer still shows up in Windows, prevents print operations. I followed the instructions in the last message in that thread to remove all references to HP printer drivers, but Windows denied access to the *.inf files.

To summarize, on my wife's Lenovo730 laptop, Win 10 Home (but will upgrade when I can to Pro), there are 2 HP 400 Laserjet installs. The APOLLO link is still present, even though I zapped all HP LaserJet drivers on APOLLO and the Devices & Printers window doesn't show this printer anymore.




The "HP LaserJet 400 M401 PCL 6 on APOLLO refers to a printer install on system APOLLO that was deleted 3 days ago. The "HP LaserJet 400 M401 PCL6" refers to a new install via USB of the same printer on my wife's Lenovo laptop. I deleted both these printers in Control Panel / Devices & Printers and the operation seemed to work, but after I rebooted the system, the printer re-appeared. Right now Firefox won't print because of a "LaserJet" printer.

I followed the instructions from the prior thread to try to delete the drivers for these two printers, but Windows refused:




So I did a regedit search and found this key: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Print\Providers\Client Side Rendering Print Provider\Servers\APOLLO\Printers\{A2BE63E6-EA6B-4947-B7D5-D001E272D8C5}
Here is the partial data for this key. Notice the reference to APOLLO.



So is it OK to delete this key? Is it necessary to delete this key and the corresponding key for the other HP 400 printer install?
Is there a tutorial? Moderators: If you want to do a tutorial, I will be very happy to help out.

:)

 

HP Printer messed up

Hi,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



We appreciate the efforts you have taken in trying to resolve this issue. We understand that after an update you are unable to print from your HP printer. However, it would be great if you can help us with the details mentioned below:

• Do you receive any error message/code when you try to print? If yes, what is the error message?
  
• Were you able to install the drivers successfully?
  
• May I know which update was installed on the computer recently? To check go to
  Start >> Settings >> Update & Security >> Windows Update >> View update history.
  

We would suggest you to check if the Printer is listed in Device Manager. Refer the steps mentioned below:

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

We would suggest you to run HP Print and Scan Doctor on your computer and see if that helps. The HP Print and Scan Doctor will automatically detect for the issues and diagnose them. You can download the HP Print and Scan Doctor from the
Utility-Diagnostic Tool section in
HP LaserJet Pro M203dw Printer.



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



As you have mentioned that you are unable to remove the printer from the computer, we would suggest you to follow the steps mentioned below and remove the traces of the printer from the registry, restart the computer and then try installing the drivers.



Note: Important this section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow
these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs.



Refer the article to
Create a system restore point.



Step 1: Restart Print Spooler service

1. Press Windows key + R, type
   services.msc and click on OK.
   
2. Now, look for Print Spooler service, right click on it and select
   Restart.
   

Step 2: Cancel print jobs

1. Search for Print management (PMC) on the search bar in the
   Taskbar and open it.
   
2. Click on Printers, select all the printers (Press
   Ctrl when selecting), right click and select
   Cancel all jobs to delete the pending print jobs.
   
3. If PMC is not available, open printer’s print queue via
   Settings (Windows key + I, Devices) and
   cancel all pending print jobs.
   

Step 3: Remove all third-party printers

1. Press Windows key + R, type
   control printers and click on OK.
   
2. Now, right click on the third party printers and select
   Remove.
   
3. If this doesn’t work, press Windows key + R, type
   regedit and click on OK.
   
4. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers
   
5. Under Printers, delete all the third party printers except:
   

• Fax
  
• Microsoft Print to PDF
  
• Microsoft XPS Document Writer
  
• OneNote
  
• Send To OneNote2016
  

Step 4: Remove all third-party drivers

1. Press Windows key + I, to open
   Settings.
   
2. Click on Devices, and select
   Printers & scanners on the left pane.
   
3. Now, click on Print server properties and select the
   Drivers tab.
   
4. Remove all the third party drivers. Do not remove any
   Microsoft print driver.
   

Step 5: Uninstall OEM software

1. Press Windows key + R, type
   appwiz.cpl and click on OK.
   
2. Find and uninstall all the printer related
   OEM software.
   
3. Verify the same from registry by navigating to
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitor
   
4. Delete all the third party print monitor from the location except:
   

• Local Port
  
• LPR Port
  
• Microsoft Shared Fax Monitor
  
• Standard TCP/IP Port
  
• USB Monitor
  
• WSD Port
  

Step 6: Set Print Spooler service Startup Type to Automatic

1. Press Windows key + R, type
   services.msc and click on OK.
   
2. Look for Print Spooler service and double click on it.
   
3. Set the Startup Type to Automatic from the drop down.
   
4. Restart the computer
   

Step 7: Re-add the printer

1. Press Windows key + I, to open
   Settings.
   
2. Click on Devices, and select
   Printers & scanners on the left pane.
   
3. Select Add Printer or Scanner to re-add the device.
   

Let us know how it goes.



Regards,

Nikhar Khare

Microsoft Community - Moderator

 

regedit help

any step by step guide?
that is like chinese to me

edit:
i did this that you posted and deleted after and it worked:
psexec -i -d -s c:\windows\regedit.exe

but the problem is still there *Frown

 

Hp printer

Hello Vanessa,

For us to better assist you, we'd like to know the following:

• Confirm which build is currently installed on your device. To check, follow the steps below:

• Press Windows key + R, then type in winver.
• Click OK.

• What is the model of your printer?
• Were there any recent changes made prior to this issue?

Meanwhile, we suggest that you perform the troubleshooting steps in this
article
on how to resolve printer issues in Windows 10.

We look forward to your response.

Regards.