Windows 7 can't find driver for shared printer hp LaserJet 3380

Anonymous

When I try to add a shared printer to my Windows 7 laptop, as a network printer, Windows 7 successfully locates it on the network, but I get the following error messages:

Windows can't find a driver for hp LaserJet 3380 PCL 6.

The file '*.INF' on (Unknown) is needed.

The printer is attached to an XP desktop pc on my home network.

I tried attaching the printer locally via USB to the Windows 7 laptop and successfully loaded the printer drivers and I printed to it. But when I reconnected the printer to the XP computer I got the error messages again.

This is shared, not a network, printer, so attempting to set it up with the TCP-IP option does not work.

Printing to this printer was successful under Vista. I did a clean install of Windows 7.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Jim

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous

The 32bit driver name is different than the 64bit driver name. You will need to create a Local Port which will basically copy the print formated data to the xpmachine share.

Here's the KB how to perform this task

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/282842

on Windows 7

Add Printer

Local Printer

Add Local Port

\XPMACHINE\printersharename (Make the share name one word or you have to "" quote the whole thing)

Select the driver installed when you connected the device to USB

complete the wizard

print test page.

Alan Morris Windows Printing Team; Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here: http://support.microsoft.com/search/Default.aspx?adv=1

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59 additional answers

Anonymous

2010-08-03T22:31:41+00:00

THANK YOU! I was trying to solve this on my own, with the help of HP, for 3 days back and forth by phone and email. I was trying to print from HP pavilion laptop with windows 7 through my home network that has an HP printer attached to a Compaq (HP) computer running XP. I came across your post and had my printer working in 3 minutes. HP should use this site for training, you wouldn't believe some of the answers I received from them regarding this problem. I just joined this site and I'll check here before HP with any other problems.

Thanks again.
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Anonymous

2010-08-03T22:25:37+00:00

THANK YOU! I was trying to solve this on my own, with the help of HP, for 3 days back and forth by phone and email. I came across your post and had my printer working in 3 minutes. HP should use this site for training, you wouldn't believe some of the answers I received from them regarding this problem.
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Anonymous

2010-07-31T17:13:05+00:00

I appreciate the fact that you noticed some of the other pointers. The paperless world is still far off. Printing is noticed MOST, when it does not work as one expects.

Alan Morris Windows Printing Team; Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here: http://support.microsoft.com/search/Default.aspx?adv=1
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Anonymous

2010-07-31T10:58:12+00:00

THANK YOU SO MUCH, Alan!

I was having the same sorts of problems trying to access our HP 3030 across our home network, and it is also on an XP machine. I had tried uninstalling, reinstalling, updating drivers, direct USB to the printer (which worked, but wouldn't work across the network), etc.

Your solution above worked PERFECTLY. Thankfully, I only spent 2.5 hours working on the problem before I found your solution here. I've just printed a test page and am good to go!

I wanted to comment with the HP 3030 so that if anyone else is looking for solutions in making the printer work with Windows 7 and XP networking, this post might come up more readily in the results.

Thank you, Alan, for all you do! I've seen your name a lot in these forums with good advice!
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