How to find, install and update a printer driver

User question

Hello.

I have a relatively old printer and a new PC. For some reason, Windows 7 did not automatically select the driver for the printer. I found them (with difficulty) myself on the Internet, downloaded them, but they are just a regular folder with files. How can I install them if there is no exe file ...

All the best!

There are always a lot of questions about printers and scanners ... In general, modern Windows 10 more and more often finds and installs drivers automatically, and saves you from this problem. But unfortunately, even she does not always solve the issue (therefore, I will not recommend upgrading to Windows 10).

In this article I will consider several questions: how to find a driver for a printer, how to remove an old driver (if there is one. It's just that in some cases it interferes with updating), and, accordingly, how to install a new driver if there is no executable file.

And so, let's dull ...

Solving Printer Driver Problems

How and where to find and update the driver

Option number 1

The easiest and most obvious way to update a driver is to use the driver disc that came with your printer. All you need to do is insert it into your CD / DVD drive and follow the instructions of the wizard (usually click next / next / next ...) .

But more often (I speak from experience) several problems happen:

either the disk is no longer there (it was lost for a long time)
or there is a disc, but there is no CD / DVD drive to read it (which is no longer a rarity on new PCs, laptops).

Epson Printer Driver Disc

Option number 2

There are dozens and hundreds of special programs for updating drivers on a PC. With the help of them you can find drivers for any hardware on your computer (not just for a printer)!

Among the programs there are both those that need an Internet connection, and those that can work autonomously. In general, I have several articles on this on my blog, I recommend that you read (links below).

👉 To help!

1) Programs for working with drivers (update, backup, uninstall, etc.)

2) Programs for updating drivers (in Russian, compatible with Windows 10).

Option number 3

Knowing the model and brand of the printer, you can easily find the driver on the official website of the device manufacturer (unless, of course, you have a "no name" Chinese manufacturer).

The easiest way to find out your printer model is to inspect the case. It probably has either stickers or inscriptions on it. Most often, they are located on the front side (as in the example below).

Printer make and model: Xerox Phaser 3155

Also find out information about the printer and help find the driver - specials can. utilities for viewing the characteristics of the PC. One of these is, for example, AIDA64.

To see all printers connected to your PC, simply open the section "Devices / Printers" (as in the screenshot below 👇).

AIDA 64 - Printer Information

👉 To help!

Utilities for viewing PC characteristics (including AIDA 64)

Further, having found out the brand and model of the device, just go to the official website of the device, open the section "Support" and download the driver.

Below are some links to the official websites of popular brands of printers:

Epson;
HP;
Canon;
Samsung;
Xerox.

Option number 4

You can also update the printer driver through device Manager ... To enter it, you need:

press the keyboard shortcut Win + R ;
then enter the command devmgmt.msc and press Enter.

Launching Device Manager - devmgmt.msc

In Device Manager, find your printer: open the tabs Other devices , print queues .

Next, click on the unknown device (on which the exclamation mark is lit), and click "update drivers" , as in the screenshot below.

Driver update

After, choose automatic installation.

Automatic search

Windows will start searching for software on the network - if it is found, then everything will go through automatically, and there is nothing more to comment on ...

Installing the driver

👉 By the way!

If you do not have drivers installed, the system crashes, an INF file error - check out this article

Option number 5

If there is no printer connected in the tabs "Other devices" and "Print queue" , you need to do the following:

turn off and turn on the printer;
then click the button in the device manager - "Update hardware configuration" .

If there is no printer

Next, it will search for Plug and Play devices.

Searching for Plug and Play devices

If the PC saw the printer - Windows will search and install the driver ...

Installing the driver

How to remove an old driver

The old driver may need to be removed in cases when:

the new driver is not installed, giving all sorts of errors;
you just want to turn off the hardware so it doesn't work (note: not the best way);
want to replace the driver that Windows found with a driver from some "craftsman" ...

Most an easy way to uninstall the driver for any printer / scanner (and other) from Windows OS is to go 👉 to Device Manager and open properties desired device.

After, in the tab "Driver" you need to click on the button "Remove device" (see example below 👇).

Device Properties - Driver Tab

In general, I already have an article on my blog dedicated to different ways to uninstall drivers. By the way, the driver for the printer is removed in the same way as for any other devices! Below is the link ...

👉 To help!

How to remove the driver of any device (3 ways!)

How to install a driver if there is no executable file

In general, this is a question from the past. Previously, most drivers had to be installed manually (as they say, from A to Z). This is now - all that is required from the user is to press 1-2 mouse buttons ...

Most often, such driver kits, representing an archive containing several files, are for old printers. Below I will consider the most common way to install such a driver in a modern OS Windows 7, 8.1, 10.

And so, installing the driver, without the executable file.

First you open device Manager ... Next, right-click on an unknown device (that is, a printer) and press the button "Update drivers ..." .