|
HP
Printers All In One
| Buy
HP Printers | HP
Printer Reviews | HP
Printer Troubleshooting |
|
HP
Printers All In One
| Buy
HP Printers | HP
Printer Reviews | HP
Printer Troubleshooting |
|
Install HP Printer Without CDMost HP printers install as an application due to additional software necessary to provide the best possible results. To install an HP printer without CD, you will need to go download the latest drivers for your operating system. Most HP printers come with a cd to install the necessary software for the most popular operating systems. But these printer cds often wander off or are misplaced. When you get a new computer, you might also have a newer operating system than was around when the HP printer was manufactured. In either case, you can easily install HP printer without a cd. One good idea to mention before we get to the finding and installing the proper HP printer driver is a good way to keep track of your HP printer cd. When you buy a new printer, after you install the software from the cd, put the cd back in the envelope and tape it somewhere on the printer. Next time you need it, it's going to be easy find. OK, so the first thing we need is the model number for your HP printer. We're going to go to the HP website and look up your printer model to download the installation files. The exact URL for the printer driver search on the HP website is http://www.hp.com/country/us/en/cs/support-drivers.html. Here's a screen shot:
Next you will click on the green box that says Drivers and Software. This will take you to the actual page where you will type in your HP printer model number. Here is a screen shot of the HP printer driver input page:
You can actually find your printer drivers and software two ways. You can type in the model number or click on the blue box for automatic detection if your printer is connected to your computer. The auto detect actually works pretty well. HP embeds the model number in the chipset on most if not all of their newer models (the last five years). Once you have detected or input your HP printer model you will be taken to the actual download page with a list of available software and drivers for your particular model. There are two things you need to consider when you make your choice to install HP printer without cd. Each printer normally has a choice of operating systems (XP, Vista, Win 7, etc.) and whether you want the basic drivers (for barebones operation, no scanning or photo editing and etc.) or the complete software with all the software available to do anything. The barebones is the way to go if you just want to print. It's usually less than half the size of the full blown package and will not put a lot of software that you would never use on your computer. If your printer is an All In One model, you are probably better off downloading the complete package to get full functionality of your HP printer. Don't forget to double check that the operating system is correct. Download HP Printer Drivers These software and driver packages install like an application. So once you click on the driver package of choice, it can take a couple of minutes to download since they can be more that 200 megs. Make sure when you download HP printer drivers you save them to a location that you can find when we get ready to install. The Desktop is fine since you will probably delete the install package once you get up and running. OK, now we have the drivers downloaded and we're ready to do the actual install. You want to unplug your HP printer before you start the install. Most if not all drivers will ask you about two thirds of the way through the install process to plug in your printer. This is very important since I have seen installation go sideways if the HP printer is plugged in to your computer before being asked to plug it in during install. Also be aware that the install is not quick if you went for the complete set of software for your HP printer. They install 2-3 large applications (photo editing, scanning, pester software to buy ink, etc.). It takes a good 10-20 minutes depending on your model and capabilities so be patent. HP printer installation without cd is not the quickest process but it is pretty straight forward. Once the HP printer installation is complete, you can go delete the install files since you most likely will not need them again. Or if you want you can copy them or back them up on a external USB device or make a cd with the drivers and tape it to the HP printer like I suggested earlier in this article. Even if this is going to be your only printer you should mark it as default since Microsoft automatically installs two printing devices for fax and XPS Document Writer. This HP printer installation without CD is not hard but it is slow due to the downloading and install applications. Always make sure you select the right operating system and make sure you unplug your HP printer when you start installing and it should be a simple process. I often install HP printer without cd for clients remotely so it's not difficult. |
|
