Windows xp does not see usb printer. Why doesn't the computer recognize the printer? Checking if the Print Spooler service is running

Today, printing devices are found in every company and in almost every home. This technique allows you to solve the issue of printing and scanning various documents (if we are talking about multifunctional devices). All of them have long been considered reliable and quite productive, but printers are not immune to breakdowns and malfunctions. Given the complexity of their technical design, these can be problems of various types, ranging from cases when the toner in the cartridge is consumed, ending with the computer does not see the printer.

What to do if the computer does not see the printer?

Let us say right away that there can be many reasons for such a situation. We will focus only on the most common cases.

Check the integrity of wires and contacts

If the computer does not see the printer, then the first thing to do is to check the serviceability of all types of connections and the integrity of the wires. The most common cause of this problem is simply bad contacts in the cable. That is why it needs to be pulled out, cleaned and put back in several times. Moreover, this must be done both in the printer and in the computer itself.

Make sure the USB connector is working

Also, you need to check the functionality of the USB connector. As a rule, a 2.0 interface is required, although if you connect it to 3.0 it will definitely not be worse. For a better test, you can plug the cable into several connectors one by one - one of them will definitely be operational.

Is the printer turned on?!

Oddly enough, another elementary reason that the computer does not see the printer, is the device is turned off. For example, due to the fact that the user simply forgot to press the start button of the device! You definitely need to check this point. If everything is in order, then the solution to the problem should be looked elsewhere.

Software diagnostics and driver reinstallation

For example, the driver could simply be deleted or the user forgot to install it. The fact is that without special software the device simply will not be recognized correctly. As a rule, it comes on a special disk that comes with each printer. If suddenly there is no such disk, then you can simply search for the software on the Internet on the manufacturer’s website. Here it is important to choose the correct device model, and that the driver matches the bitness of the operating system installed on the user’s computer.

After installation, you need to restart your computer, reconnect the device, after which you can use it.

Now let's consider the option when the software simply does not work correctly or has crashed. In both cases you will need to reinstall it. To implement this, you need to perform the following algorithm of actions:

• Step 1. First, go to the “Control Panel” tab, then “Programs and Features”, where we find the MFP driver and remove it, then restart the PC;
• Step 2. Go to the "Start" menu, find the "Printer and Faxes" tab, then open the "File" and "Drivers" menu or enter the "Device Manager";
• Step 3. Select the desired printer model and delete it;
• Step 4. We install the driver.

PC setup

Another common reason for why doesn't the computer see the printer? It may be a simple PC error that has defined another MFP as the “default device.” To fix this problem, just install the necessary equipment - right-click on its icon and check the “Use as default” checkbox.

An equally common cause of this situation is the “Automatic Print Service” option being disabled. It can be found in the "Start" menu in the "Administration" tab, where you will need to find the "Print Spooler" item. Inside it there is an inscription “Startup type”, which needs to be switched to “Auto” mode.

The latter reason may be a malfunction of the operating system itself on the PC. You can check its presence very simply - just connect the MFP to another computer. If it works fine there, then the problem is in the user’s computer.

If all the above recommendations do not help you, then you need to contact a specialist. , where experienced technicians will be able to find out the cause of the problem and fix it as soon as possible!

Greetings, friends! Sometimes it happens that when you need to print something, the laptop does not see the printer via the USB connection. It seems that everything is installed and connected correctly. There are several explanations for this, and below I will talk about all possible situations.

Types of faults

There may be several breakdowns due to which Windows 10 does not see the printer:

• the printer is not turned on;
• wire fault;
• missing or old drivers;
• another printing device is selected;
• virus;
• failure in the automatic operation of the printing service;
• USB controller disabled;
• physical breakdown.

The reasons why the laptop stopped seeing the connected printer are very different and most of them can be easily resolved on your own, without resorting to the services of specialists. The only exception is a physical breakdown; obviously, in this case, repairs will be required at a service center.

Physical malfunctions

So, if Windows 10 does not see the printer, then first of all you should check whether it is turned on. Many printers have two buttons that supply power. One is located on the front panel, and the second is often located at the back. Many users are unaware of it. It happens that someone turned off the power with the back button, and the new user did not take this into account. When the device is turned on, it has a light indication, which allows you to understand that the device is ready for use.

The second probable reason is that the USB cable is broken or disconnected. In the first case, the test is carried out by replacing the wire or connecting another device with this cable. If the computer or printer was recently moved, it could simply become disconnected.

Another point regarding the wire is the first connection to the PC. If the device is installed for the first time, you must strictly follow the recommendations specified in the instructions. Many manufacturers indicate that you should connect the printer and PC at a certain point in time when the driver installation program requires it. It is not correct to connect both devices before installation. The printer must be disconnected from the power supply when connecting a wire to it. When the laptop tells you to turn on the printer, only then is power supplied. Violating these recommendations is the answer to why the computer does not see the printer.

Programs with software

Software on a PC is an important element in the operation of any device. Without a driver or its incorrect operation, the device is not detected by the PC. An important point when installing the driver is to use the latest versions designed for a specific OS and Windows bit depth. Famous manufacturers HP, Canon, Epson include a disc with software in the kit. It is worth understanding that during the implementation of the device, the software may become outdated, as new driver versions appear. I recommend installing the program for the printer not from a disk, but by downloading the current version from the manufacturer’s website. This will help save time and effort.

What to do if the printer has been in use for a long time and it suddenly stops working. I recommend checking the driver. It could have been damaged by a glitch in the operating system or by a virus. First of all, you should install anti-virus software and clean the system, then, if there are available restore points, roll back the system to return to a working version of the software. If this does not help, then the easiest option is to reinstall the drivers.

An OS failure often causes malfunctions not in the operation of the printer itself, but in the laptop controllers used for connection. When connecting the MFP, a USB connection is used. For various reasons, controllers may stop working correctly. In this case, the laptop stops seeing the printer, flash drives, mouse and all devices connected via USB input. You can check whether the USB connectors are really to blame through the device manager. It displays all the nodes of the laptop; if any icon has an exclamation or question mark, then it is not working correctly. In this case, you will need to install a driver for it. This can be done directly through the properties (update driver item) or by first downloading it on the manufacturer’s website for a specific model.

Sometimes the printer is detected by the laptop, but printing still does not occur. This is possible if several printing devices are connected to it. The system always selects one of them by default. In this case, when sending documents for printing, the default printing device will perform the job. There are two ways out of the situation - set the desired printer for automatic printing or select it manually each time.

In order to become the main one you need to do the following:

Start - Settings (gear icon) - Devices - Printers and scanners. Here we will see all connected devices and by right-clicking on the one we need, select “use as default”.

If the printer will be used periodically, then you can send documents to it manually. To do this, simply select the desired device in the print settings selection window.

In order for the equipment to print documents itself, a special service has been installed. Due to a failure or outside intervention, it can be disabled or switched to manual mode.

You can correct the situation as follows:

1. Start – Search.
2. Enter the MSC command.
3. The print manager will open, go to its properties.
4. In the General tab, select the “Automatic” startup type, and also click on the “Run” button if it is active.
5. We save the actions and see if they produced results.

All of the above actions solve the main number of malfunctions that may prevent the user from printing. Sometimes the problem can be resolved even easier - just restart the computer, and in some situations the antivirus is to blame. That is why, before moving on to serious actions, you should restart your PC and disable antivirus applications.

Thank you for your attention! See you again! Sincerely, Rostislav Kuzmin.

Nowadays, you can’t live without such an important device as a printer. It makes life much easier by allowing you to print all kinds of information. But what to do when Windows cannot connect to the printer, and you need to print a document as quickly as possible? This article will discuss in detail this problem and ways to solve it.

Why Windows can't connect to the printer

If it weren’t for the computer and the printer connected to it, we would still be writing by hand, spending a lot of time and effort on it. And if everything is clear with a PC - it doesn’t work, which means you can’t create a document, then with a printing machine everything is different. We turn to it when everything is ready, and all that remains is to transfer information from the monitor screen to something that is not connected to the computer, maybe several:

1. The device is not physically connected to the PC.
2. The printer is not installed.
3. No drivers.

Checking the connection

The first step is to check if the printer is turned on and if the LED is on. If not, then turn it on, check the connection to the network, and whether there is electricity at all. This may seem funny, but Windows often fails to connect to the printer for this very reason.

Next, we check the physical connection to the computer, i.e. via cable. If the cable is connected, you should pull it out and plug it back in. It is possible that it was not fully inserted. Maybe the problem is in the cable itself: it burned out or broke. Therefore, it is best to take the same wire from a working device somewhere and connect it to ours. If the machine started working, then the problem was in the cord.

Installing the printer

Often Windows cannot connect to the printer because it is simply removed or faulty. The cause may be a virus or a driver failure. In this case, the latter can remain. Therefore, go to “Start”, then “Devices and Printers”. Let's see if the one we need is on the list. If it is not there, click “Add a printer” and “Add local”.

Click “Next” and select from the list first the manufacturer, then the model. Click next, after which the printer icon should appear. If it is there, but there is an exclamation mark on it, delete this setting and install it again.

Install the drivers

Any Windows has a set of drivers for many printers. Once you connect the printing device to your PC, it immediately starts searching the database for the required driver and installs it, after which you can immediately start printing. But since the operating systems were released relatively long ago, such software is not available on all models, especially new ones. Therefore, Windows cannot connect to the printer, because the system cannot install the driver on its own. You shouldn’t rule out cases where the drivers were simply corrupted for some reason. You can see this by right-clicking on the “My Computer” icon. In “System Properties”, click on the menu on the left side (“Device Manager”). We expand the “Other devices” list and see that the printer driver is faulty (there is an exclamation mark).

Select it and delete it. If this list is not present at all, then the reason why Windows cannot connect to the printer is that the driver is simply not installed. In both cases you need to install it.

If the printing device was purchased relatively recently, then a disk with software should be included with it. It's simple - find this disk and install its contents. If there is no disk, no problem, download the necessary “firewood” from the Internet. We go to the manufacturer’s website, go to the “Support” or “Service” section, select “Download drivers”. Next, from the list by brand (in most cases you can find it ahead of the printer model name), we find the one you need, download the files and install them.

Often, drivers for old printers for Windows 7 are presented not in the form of an installer, but in the form of an archive with many incomprehensible files. They are installed as follows: click on “Start” / “Devices and Printers”. Click on “Install” / “Add local” / “Next” / “Install from disk”.

Click “Browse”, select the unzipped folder with drivers and click “OK”. Now everything is installed and the printer is working.

Connecting external devices is a very important component of the functioning of any personal computer, because without it it is very difficult to imagine today. Almost every user at home has not only the PC itself, but also other peripheral devices, scanners, printers, faxes and the like. And it is completely logical that problems with these devices are inevitable. One particularly common problem is that a desktop computer or even a laptop does not see the printer.

One of the main reasons why the user’s device stops “recognizing” a printer connected via USB is the absence or problems with the contact. This could be either mechanical damage to the cable connecting the PC and devices, or to the USB connector.

In addition, if you have Windows 10 pre-installed on your personal computer, then you might encounter this problem after the release of some updates. Also, users who upgraded from Windows Seven to may experience these difficulties.

Another common cause of problems can be malicious software installed on the device. This, in turn, can affect the performance of drivers, the registry, and much more.

And another common reason for this type of breakdown can be the incorrect initial choice of device. This can happen to those users who have a large number of external devices connected to their personal computer or laptop.

In addition, many users have a large number of different devices connected to one PC. If there are several printers among them, then it is likely that one of those that is not involved is intended to be used by default. And the computer mistakenly tries to communicate with the disabled one, notifying that it cannot be detected.

What's the first thing you should do?

For owners of computers with Windows 10 or Windows 7 installed, it is recommended that the first step is to conduct a full scan of a device such as. To start the diagnostic process, you can use a standard utility, which can be found in “Control Panel” - “Troubleshooting”, then go to the “Hardware and Sound” section and find “Using the Printer” there.

Another way to run diagnostics using official software is to download a file with the corresponding application from the official Microsoft website.

Checking and updating device drivers

If the personal computer does not see the printer connected via USB, then it is best to check special software for problems. In order to exclude or, on the contrary, confirm your own guesses about driver malfunctions, you must perform the following steps:

We carry out the driver reinstallation procedure

If a device such as a printer is not displayed due to problems with drivers, then the instructions below will help you fix this problem in a matter of minutes. In order to update the software for an external device, you must:

Note! Before downloading a package of documents from the site, make sure that it is official. If the site is not verified and approved by the manufacturer, then it is likely that your desktop computer will be infected with malware. This, in turn, can lead to much more serious problems than problems with the printer.

Activation of a special service

A service called “Print Manager” is responsible for such a function as printing or its queue. One of the possible reasons that the PC does not see the printer may be the failure to use this software. Therefore, it is necessary to make sure that this application is functioning and, if necessary, make some adjustments to its operation. To check this you need to:

Default external device assignment

When connecting many external devices, it becomes necessary to manually set the “default assignment” parameter. This value allows you to assign “priority” to certain devices. Thus, devices with priority will perform actions planned by the user out of turn. In order to do this correctly, you should:

Another reason why the computer may not display the connected device is poor connection contact. The user should double-check whether the connection was made correctly. In most cases, it turns out that there is no breakdown at all.

Note! On most modern PCs, there are several connectors for connecting “USB” devices - “USB 2.0”. "3.0", "Micro" and others. It is quite possible that the connection was made to a port that the device does not support. To do this, you should repeat the connection procedure, but using a different port.

Conclusion

Problems that arise with the so-called “invisibility” of the printer are mostly associated either with the inattention of the owner of the personal computer or with a software malfunction. Cases where mechanical rubbing of the wire occurs, which leads to its failure, are considered rare. Troubleshooting such problems on a PC will not take the user much time, but if none of the methods correct the situation, then it is likely that the problem lies in the . Therefore, in this case, it must be submitted to specialists for diagnosis.

Video - Problems with the printer (the printer is not detected)

Problems with setting up and installing a printer or MFP usually arise before the first start. In some cases, the settings disappear, for example, after reinstalling the operating system. Less often, the reason lies in technical problems: a broken wire, a loose cable socket in the printer or USB port.

If a computer or laptop does not see the printer, you need to carry out detailed diagnostics and start with the simplest thing - a visual inspection. Connect the printer to the network, connect the wire to USB and the printer socket, turn on the device and computer.

The procedure is as follows.

1. Functionality check power cable.
2. Turn on the PC with the button, check its functionality (the printer does not turn on).
3. Inspect the USB cable from the printer to the PC. Try wiggling it around the socket, if the computer finds and loses the device, it's probably the nest is loose. Check the USB port in the same way.
4. Make sure everything is system lights are on.

It is convenient if you can check the operation of the printer by connecting it via a wireless network or to another computer. Repeating the same error will be evidence that the printer is faulty. If other devices see the printer, we look for the cause of the problem in the PC.

Driver installation/reinstallation

When installing an MFP or printer, the user updates the device drivers; usually, this is enough for the device to function properly. If the original software (from disk or official website) is not updated or produces errors during installation/unpacking, this is a reason to clean the system of viruses, debug the operating system, or completely reinstall it. Before taking drastic measures, you can search compatible drivers

(from previous or subsequent models), but this method is rarely beneficial.

In Control Panel, find the "Devices and Printers" section - the printer should be displayed here. When it is detected as an unknown device, then reinstalling the drivers and restarting the PC should solve the problem. If the computer stops recognizing devices once, this is a minor system failure, but if the error repeats regularly, you need to check all the settings.

If possible, connect to your PC via a wireless network; the presence of a connection indicates that the cable from the printer to the computer is faulty. Install/reinstall printer drivers for your operating system, for example, Windows. If the disk with the program is lost, the drivers can be download on the official website

manufacturer. Find your model through the search and install the software.

Print service and system failures The computer may not see the device because it disabled in print service

, the device will not be detected by the computer. Go to control panel - administration - services. In the list you need to find “Print Service” and check the startup type, there should be two marks here: status - running, startup type - automatic.

System failure is an abstract concept; this is the name given to all operating system errors that are difficult to explain. The cause of the failure may be as simple as a sudden disconnection of the PC from the network or different programs. It is possible that various software were updated before this, after which the Windows system files were damaged. The solution to this problem is, but it helps only at the initial stage.

Printer failure occurs quite rarely and regardless of the brand - HP, Epson, Canon, etc. Perhaps this is influenced by indirect reasons that are invisible at first glance.

Viruses and antivirus software Antivirus programs may interfere with the installation of additional equipment, including printers. While using the program, the computer simply does not see the installed hardware. Temporarily pause PC protection

Cleaning your operating system from viruses is a very useful activity. Not all malware is safe; there are very nasty programs that can cause almost mechanical damage to your computer. It is recommended to use only licensed programs to check your PC.

Don’t forget that you need to clean not only the system, but also all external drives and flash cards.

Testing the USB port

Printers are connected to a PC via a USB port version 2.0, but due to an accidental failure of the operating system, USB activation in the BIOS may fail, in which case the port simply will not be seen by any external media or accessory: headphones, removable disk/flash drive, USB- Hub. To solve the problem, you need to turn on the controller; you can enter the BIOS only when the operating system starts. The combination of hot keys depends on the version of the computer software; if you don’t know how exactly to do this, press the F1, F2, F8, Tab, Del and all the “neighboring” keys in turn.

The BIOS interface varies; the user needs to find the following partitions and activate them (Enabled setting):

• USB Mouse Support (mouse detection);
• USB Keyboard Support (keyboard detection);
• USB EHCI controller (controller activation);
• Legacy USB storage detect (supports flash cards, external drives).

Exit and save your settings. Restart your computer.

In most cases, all of the above manipulations will help solve the problem, determine and eliminate the reason why the computer does not see the printer.

As practice shows, usually all manipulations end with reinstalling the drivers.