Printer does not see a USB port. Recommendations

The HP printer does not see the computer. what to do?

As in the case of any computer technology, in printers and multifunctional devices (All-in-One Printer) HP may arise, which leads to the impossibility of working with it through a computer. Many malfunctions can be eliminated independently, but others. only with the help of specialists or the presence of certain skills in the repair of such equipment.

In printers connected to a computer via a USB cable, the same problems as any other USB device arise mainly. over, some of them are not directly related to the printer itself. Here is a list of the main reasons leading to the impossibility of determining the printer by a computer:

• Damage to the USB cable.
• Lack or malfunctioning the printer driver.
• Problems in the operating system software (in addition to drivers).
• Malfunctions in the work of built.in software (firmware) printer.

We will not consider the possible hardware malfunctions of the printers and the All-in-One Printer HP-there are quite a lot of things, and their elimination is practically unrealistic without the help of specialists.

Damage to the USB cable

First of all, we recommend that you verify the operability of the USB cable. It is quite banal and at the same time very often encountered malfunction. If it works, then when connecting the printer to the computer, a sound signal will be heard, indicating the detection of the connected device system. But this is an inaccurate way. If at least one of the wires is damaged in the USB cable, then the computer can still issue a signal about connecting the device.

To make sure that there are no problems with the cable (or vice versa), it should be checked on another printer or any USB device with a similar design of a USB port (usually it is a square shape). If this is not possible, then it remains either to find a deliberately working USB cable, or check the existing with the help of the multimeter (you can even, for example, assemble a home-made tester from the battery and the LED to check the integrity of the cable wires). Unfortunately, there are no other options.

However, it is always possible to connect the printer through a USB cable, but over the network. Depending on the specific model of the HP printer, this can be done both through a network cable and through a wireless Wi-Fi connection.

Connection of the HP printer via Wi-Fi with a faulty USB cable

Consider only the simplest way to connect the printer through Wi-Fi. The method is applicable to those HP printer models that support WPS technology (Wi-Fi Protected Setup-Automatic connection of devices to a Wi-Fi Router). The existing wireless router should also support WPS (most Wi-Fi Routers support this technology). This can be checked by examining the router housing. It should have a button designated as “WPS” or with this icon:

• Press and hold the “Wireless Communication” button on the device case, designated as “Wi-Fi” or the corresponding icon, until one of the following LED indicators: “Wi-Fi” (HP Tango), “Wi-Fi “And” Food “at the same time (HP jet printers),” attention “(laser printers of HP),” condition “(purple indicator present in some All-In-One Printer HP-Envy 6000, Deskjet Plus IA 6000, etc.).
• Now, click and hold the WPS button on the Wi-Fi-Root, while the Wi-Fi indicator (or one of those that was discussed) on the All-in-One Printer case will not light up stably. In some cases, you will have to hold the button on the router for 2 minutes (depending on the model of the router and the printer itself).
• As soon as the Wi-Fi connection between the router and the printer is installed, the latter will remain to add to the system. To do this, open the “control” panel from the “Start” menu, go to the “Equipment and Sound” section, then open the “Devices and Printers” subsection. At the top of the window, click on the “Add printer” button.
• For some time, Windows will search for the printer. If she succeeds, the name of the device will be displayed in the new window. It remains only to click on it, and then follow the instructions on the screen.

If the existing HP printer does not support work through Wi-Fi, then due to lack of USB cable, it remains only to find LAN cable (t.e. An ordinary network cable, compressed by standard LAN connectors on both sides). It must be connected to the LAN port of the computer and the printer itself, and then add to the system, having completed the last two steps from the instructions above.

Connection check

Make sure the technique is interconnected physically or by “air”.

If a USB cable is used for the connection, you must connect to the port on the back panel. The front connectors can often not connect directly to the motherboard, which does not allow to recognize the connected devices. Although the USB is an “unimplound” integer, yet the length of the cable can affect the stability of the connection. Therefore, it is never recommended to use extension cords. The optimal cable length is not more than one and a half to two meters. Follow the correspondence of the versions of USB integrations. Blue plug should be inserted in the same color input.

Make sure the printer is generally turned on. On the inclusion button or next should the indicator burn brightly with green. Other colors or atypical flashing talk about problems with the printer.

Damaged USB cable or port

If the connection is performed by a complete cable, and the printer is only bought, then it makes no sense to check the cord. The cable is new, it means that the probability of damage is reduced to zero. But the old cable requires careful research.

Inspect the outer shell of the cable. Any damage to the insulation, and especially if the bare sections of the conductors are noticeable, are the reason for the replacement of the cable.

If the cable is in good condition, look at the plug contacts. A lot of dust and dirt can accumulate inside. In rare cases, the contacts are even charred. This leads to the fact that the contact of the connector with the cable is violated and, as a result, the computer or laptop does not see the printer through USB.

In the latter case, the cable is subject to mandatory replacement. It is not recommended to use the wire anywhere else.

A similar situation with the connector on PC. With frequent and careless operation, the ports are damaged. Contacts are also clogged, the connector is strongly loosened and departs from the board. As a result, a signal from the printer, scanner, All-in-One Printer or other device does not receive a signal.

You can check the operation of the port with a test connection of another device, for example, flash drives, a cord from charging a phone, etc. D.

How to find out the printer port and which one to choose when installing via USB connection

A specific port is assigned to the device when installing a new printer. The most commonly used usb-dedication. But if the technique is technically outdated, then you can find more the following intenses: like LPT and COM. The first is used for parallel, and the second for consistent data transfer.

USB Inte Wee is always a priority. Now on almost all electronic devices works “Plug and Play” technology. Literally deciphens “Connected and play (work)”.

It is most often necessary to determine the port of a working printer if the device is on the local network. In this case, you need to look at the port to connect to it by another client. Sometimes errors that stop the operation of the printer may occur. And the change of port sometimes helps to solve problems.

How to determine the port of the connected printer

If the device has a full.fledged built.in display with a menu, you can “climb” in sections of the settings. Sometimes there you can see data on printers and connection parameters.

You can always find out the port of the printer through the computer.

Universal way for all operating systems

If the device is on the network, then instead of USB or LPT, a network address (IP), the name of the protocol and even the name of the model will be a working port.

For Windows 7

To find out the name of the port, then follow all the actions from paragraph 4 of the previous instruction.

Expeming the printer itself without a computer

The seal device can issue a printer’s technical condition.

If the device is with a display, then you can print a report through the menu.

For example, try to find the desired option in the sections “Settings”, “Parameters”, “On Printer”, “System”, “Installations”, “Report”. The function itself is called “report”, “quality report”, “report”, “seal of the sample” and so on.

If the printer is without a screen, and only a button panel is present on the case, then very often there is a separate key to receive a report sheet. The button will need to either be clamped for a certain time, or the report will be released after a one.time press. The method depends on the manufacturer and model of the device. Some units need to perform whole combinations of simultaneous and consistent presses.

When the report prints, the sheet will indicate technically the data, including the parameters of the connection. Depending on the type of connection (wire or wireless-Wi-Fi), the port will differ.

❸ Lack of printer driver

In general, the modern Windows 10 OS finds and puts drivers for most equipment (in T.h. and printers with scanners) automatically, immediately after they are connected to a USB port (if you have another OS. then in most cases the driver has to be set manually from the disk/from the network).

Be that as it may, I recommend checking the presence of the driver. To do this. open the device manager, click the “Update” button and view the “Print queue” tab. If the driver is installed on the printer, among the list of devices you must find its model (see. my example is below).

If there is no model of your printer among this list, open the other “disk devices” tab (if any). and see if there are devices with yellow exclamation signs (which means the driver is not installed).

To update the driver: just click on the right device with the right button and in the menu that appears, select “Update the driver”. Next, specify the automatic installation option. And Windows herself will try to find and update the driver. Comfortable?!

If you could not update the driver in this way, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the instructions that are given below.

To help!

How to find, install and update the driver on the printer. [see. Instructions]

❹ No driver on a USB controller

It is possible that you do not have a driver on a USB controller and therefore the printer connected to the USB is simply not determined and invisible to the computer (however, it is worth noting that in this case not a single device connected to this USB port will work ).

You can view the condition of the USB controllers in the same device dispatcher (example of cm. Below on the screen).

In general, updating the drivers to such “narrow” iron (and to finish various system libraries) is very convenient using the Driver Booster utility. After installing and starting it, you just need to wait for the system analysis, and then mark it with ticks what you want to update (see. screenshot below, the first line are updated by controllers. ).

Driver Booster. One button for updating all drivers

What to do?

In each individual case, it is necessary to carry out a certain order of consistent actions.

Incorrect connection

This is the most common problem due to which the computer may not see the printer via USB. In this case, it will be appropriate to try to disable and connect the printing device again. You need to make sure that the printer is turned on (whether the power button is pressed and whether the indicator on the control panel burns).

Cable problems

Carefully inspect the USB cable and a marriage or breakdown. In this situation, if there are no external signs of cable damage, it is recommended to turn off the devices again in the corresponding connectors. To check whether the connector itself is working, it is enough to disconnect the mouse and keyboard, and in the vacant nests, in turn, insert the printer cable. If the connection is restored in one of them, then the situation will be allowed.

Lack of drivers

Sometimes users forget about the installation of drivers and about their timely update, which can also adversely affect the work of the printer and computer. To correct such a situation, you should find a installation disk, which is usually included in the set to the printer. By inserting the disk into the computer, and then completing a number of simple consistent manipulations, you will install drivers. Then the computer will see an additional device.

If there was no such disk in the set, you need to independently find the printer manufacturer on the Internet, download suitable drivers and install them on PC. At the end of the installation, you should reload the computer, and only then start work.

Sometimes drivers can simply fly and then work incorrectly, then it is recommended to remove them and re.install them.

The computer does not see the device

If a problem appears with the visibility of the printer on the computer, you need to check if there are other connected devices. If in the checkpoint control panel does not stand near the right device, you just need to find it in the list of proposed connection options and establish the use of this printer by default. The checkmark will move to it and the connection with the computer will be restored again.

Not connected by printing service

The disconnected printing service can also make the printer invisible to the computer. The problem is eliminated in print settings, where the automatic launch type is used.

System failure

If the above methods of correction of problems have not worked, it makes sense to seek help from the service center, where a complete diagnosis of Windows will be made. If when connecting the printer to another computer, the printer vision problems have disappeared, it means that it can be argued that the problem lies directly in the PC. This is due to the fact that there was some serious failure in the computer operating system itself. The following reasons could cause it:

In this case, only a specialist will be able to correctly correct the situation that has arisen.

Common reasons

Malfunctions, due to which the system does not find the device, can be divided into several categories.

Often they are associated with a physical defect:

Perhaps the laptop does not see the printer and does not connect to it due to failure in the system.

• Service of the press service;
• error or outdating of the driver;
• damage to the system files of the OS;
• the impact of the malicious program (virus), due to which the printer is not installed.

There are also other reasons:

• The system sees an external device, but does not print the document. this is possible if another printer is selected by default;
• It is not possible to start work due to improper exit from the Hibernation regime;
• The laptop does not recognize the new device due to the error made when installing.

If until recently, the equipment worked without complaints, and then suddenly stopped, first it is worth checking it for the presence of the most common problems. When connecting a new printer, it is recommended to carefully study the instructions.

Some models require compliance with a certain sequence of steps, if it is violated, the device will work incorrectly, and the laptop does not recognize it.

What to do?

The user should start by checking physical defects.

• Inspect the USB cable for creases, twist, traces of pets teeth. Sometimes damage is imperceptible to the eye, so try to use another cord to check the operation of the equipment.
• Check the USB port-perhaps it is shattered or clogged with dust. Try to connect the device to another nest.
• If you use various adapters or a very long cable, replace them with a shorter cord.

Pay attention. some printers have two power buttons. One is located on the front panel, and the other. the hull behind. Make sure both of them are included.

Sometimes the reason lies in an incorrect exit from sleep or gibernation regime. If you try to send documents for printing, an error message appears. In this case, you need to restart the laptop. The problem may be related to the work of the drivers. First you should make sure that there are no viruses in the system. perform a check using antivirus software.

You may need to re.install drivers. This is done like this:

• Through the control panel, open the “Device Manager” and click the “Update” button;
• If everything is in order, in the “Printing line” tab you will find your printer;
• If it is not on the list, open “other devices” and see if there are icons with a yellow exclamation mark. this means that the driver is missing, it can be installed by clicking by the right button and selecting the corresponding point.

Often in the kit with the equipment there is a disk on which there is everything you need from the manufacturer. You can find the necessary files on it or download them from the Internet.

Perhaps there is no driver associated with the operation of a non-printer, but a USB controller. In this case, not a single device connected to the port will work. The condition of these drivers can also be checked in the “Device Manager”, in the USB controllers tab and update or reinstall if necessary. Windows OS has a special printing service.

If there is a failure in it, then the laptop sees the printer, but nothing happens. To view the list of services, follow the following actions:

• Use the combination of hot keys Winr to call a service window;
• In the field that appears, enter the Services command. MSC;
• Find the Print Manager in the list and make sure that he has an automatic launch mode;
• You can also try to stop, and then start this service again.

If you have several printing devices, for example, in the office, check that the desired printer is selected by default. Through the control panel, go to “Equipment and Sound”, and then to “Devices and Prinaters”. There, find the necessary model there and select “Use by default”, clicking on the right mouse button. After that, a green checkmark will appear next to the equipment image.

You can also view the print queue and clean it to remove unnecessary documents.

Try connecting the printer to another computer, you can even try to perform printing from the phone. many modern models support this. If everything works out, then the problem is in the operating system of the laptop. Check the integrity of the system files using the command line and starting the scan using SFC/ Scannow. You can also try to return to the previous recovery point, if before that the device worked normally and you are sure that you have not changed anything in the settings.

Sometimes antivirus comes into conflict with various programs and interferes with the work of devices. Try to turn it off for a while and check if the printer will print after that. It may be necessary to add it to the list of exceptions of antivirus software so that such a problem no longer arises. Modern models often support the ability to connect by Wi-Fi. You can use this function if you need to urgently print the documents and there is no time to search for problems or you can’t recognize the reason.

Possible reasons

Situations where a PC or a laptop does not detect a printer, several reasons starting from the usual inattentive attitude of a person can contribute to a malfunction of the unit itself. If the PC is unable to see the printing device using USB, the situation may be related to several points:

• Forgot to turn on the printer. The common situation that should be checked first.
• Incorrect connection of the device to a laptop or a stationary computer. The USB-shnur is not inserted entirely, or the connector/wire is damaged.
• Another apparatus was configured for printing.
• Automatic printing service is not included.
• There are problems with drivers. They can fly off the system or just do not stand on PC.
• Disconnecting USB controller in BIOS.
• Viruses.
• Windows errors due to the fact that damage to system files is observed.
• The technical component of the unit. In this case, only the repair will help.

What to do

If you use a computer on which Windows 10 or 7 is standing, experts advise initially checking the printer. This will need to start diagnostics. You can use a standard utility that is located in the “control panel”. To launch, you will need to go into the “elimination of problems”, “equipment and sound”, and then go into the “use of the printer”.

You can also use the official software for interaction with which you will need to connect a computer to the Internet and go to the official website of Microsoft. There you can download files for the desired application.

Drivers

All errors associated with drivers are the most common user complaint that is faced with a problem when the printer is not determined by the computer. On some OS drivers are simply not installed. In most cases, all software for the printer is located on a separate disk, which is complete with the device. If the disk is not nearby, you can use the official portal of the manufacturer.

The necessary files are selected not only for a specific brand with the printer model, but also for a specific operating system.

The newest updates that were released for Windows are convenient in that they independently load the software for all devices attached to PC. This option is not in all cases correctly, and if the OS is outdated, then there is no such function on it. In this case, the easiest way to use the disk. From it, the installation is carried out as follows:

• The disk should initially start;
• Then the automatic installer will open;
• According to the instructions, it is necessary to install drivers on PC;
• After all the actions are performed, the situation when the computer does not recognize the device will be solved, and in the future, the disk used will not be required, and it can be removed;
• If there is no disk in the configuration, the packaging with the printer indicates the link to the right software (if there is no link, you need to look for it yourself).

After downloading the necessary files, you need to install the driver. To do this, you can use step.by.step instructions:

• You must first check whether the selected software is compatible with the device used by the model and OS.
• When the installation is completed, PC should be reloaded.
• After turning on the PC, you need to see if the printer and fax printer and faxes used appeared. This file is located in the “control panels”.

When a personal computer does not find a printer, it may be necessary to reinstall the driver. To do this, several actions should be performed:

• Go to the “Device Manager” and find “drivers” there. The list will open in which you need to find a connected printer.
• By pressing it with the right button, you should select “Delete”.
• Then proceed to install the driver, which is suitable for the model of the device used.
• After these actions, you need to reload the computer and go to the Printer and Faxes. The system must display the printer.

Viruses

Sometimes the reason that the PC has stopped seeing the printer, or the device does not want to print, can be banal viral programs. To exclude this option, you will need to resort to scanning. The procedure is performed sequentially using several tools.

The use of antiviruses of different manufacturers allows you to test better.

However, the fact that the device is not connected can also affect the application for combating viruses. The antivirus program is not ideal, so it is able to come into conflict with files that do not carry the danger that are installed on the computer. The printer driver can also be perceived as a dangerous object, even if it was loaded from the official site.

If the PC writes that the printer is not detected, you should try to turn off the antivirus. To do it is quite simple:

• First you need to go into “administration”. It is located in the “control panel”.
• After that, you will need to click on the “configuration of the system”.
• You should choose the sections “Services”, “Automobile” in turn. They need to remove the checkmarks from all places where there is the name of the antivirus program.
• Then the PC is rebooted, and the problem should be corrected.

Damage to the connecting cable (USB-shnura)

This is a banal problem, which, for some reason, pay attention to at the very last moment. To scroll this cause of the malfunction, the USB cable can be tried to connect to another printer or to any other computer device with a similar type. If there is no printer or other device, then you will have to find a deliberately working cord. But he may not be at hand. In this case, it remains only to diagnose the existing USB cable.

The integrity of the USB cable can be checked using a multimeter. If the reader has such a device how he most likely knows. If there is no multimeter, you can resort to the “grandfather” method of diagnosing a cable, for which 3 pieces of wire, battery and LED/light bulb are required:

• The design of a homemade “diagnostic device” is simple. We fasten the wire to the battery with tape/tape. To one of the wires we fasten one of the LEDs/light bulbs (if the LED is selected, polarity must be observed, t.to. They have contact “” and “-”, they have no incandescent bulbs). To the second leg of the LED we attach the last. the third wire. Here’s a scheme:
• Most Canon printers (or even all) use a USB cable with different types of plugs at the ends-square (t.n. type-b) and rectangular (type-a) shape. The image below shows a cutting of such a cable (which of the contacts of one plug corresponds to the contacts of another).
• Now about the diagnosis of cable. All that needs to be done is to connect one of the wires of the improvised multimeter to one of the 4 contacts of the “Type-A” plug, and the second wire to contact with the same number “Type-B” plug. We also test the “Earth” of the cable. the external metal element of the nest. In a schematic form, it looks like this:
• If the LED lights up, it means that the tested contact does not have a cliff. You can proceed to the next.
• But the cliff of contact is not the only possible cable malfunction. There may also be a closure of contacts among themselves. To check the closure: we connect the device wire to the contact “1” of one of the plugs, and the second wire to contact “2”, then to “3”, to “4” and “Earth”; We rearrange the first to contact “2”, and the second. again we pass in a circle. And so. 4 times. If there is no short circuit, the LED should not light up when connecting the wires of our “Tester” to the contacts of the USB-strokes with different numbers.

Incorrect settings or software failures of the OS

In this case, the reasons for the settings and the functioning of the operating system are not related to the printer drivers (let’s talk about drivers later). There are three most common causes from this category:

• The printer is not selected as a default printing device.
• The System Service “Print Manager” was stopped.
• The printer is turned off programmatically.

According to the point, the decision is as follows:

• In the Printers block, find the icon with the name of the printing device, click on it with the right mouse button and select the “use by default” in the displayed menu. If there is no printer in this window, proceed to the next section of the article by decision of malfunctions with drivers. If there is an icon with an exclamation mark under the printer icon, proceed to the solution of problems on the item

At the point of problem with the System Service “Print Manager” are mainly due to the fact that it is simply disabled. It is easy to turn it on:

• First you need to open the system application “Service”. This is the fastest to do this by executing the MSC command from another system application “execute”: press the Win R keys at the same time, copy the indicated command (without quotation marks) in the window that appears and click OK ”.
• The “Service” application will open. In the Name column, find the Print Manager Service (may also be called in English “Print Spooler”). Check its current condition. If nothing is indicated in the corresponding column, then the service does not work at the moment. Click on it with the right mouse button and select the “Launch” item that appears in the context menu.
• Try to print something.
• Also pay attention to the column “Launch type”. It should indicate “automatically” (with a neglected service).
• If not so, click by the name of service twice with a mouse. In the window that opens, Expand the “Launch Type” list and select the option “automatically” in it, then click the “OK” button.

And according to the last point, any external computer device can be turned off software. T.e. Even if the printer is connected to a USB-cable computer, but turned off in the operating system settings, it will not be possible to use it. But this is easy to fix:

• To get started, let’s run the “Device Manager”. Call the application “execute” the “Win ​​R” keys, copy the MSC command without quotes and click “OK”.
• The next task is to find a printer in the list of displayed devices. Usually it can be found in the “Printers” section. No matter where he is. If the device is currently disconnected, then the name will be present before its name with the image of the arrow down. To turn on the printer, click on it with the right mouse button and select the “Turn on the device” item in the menu:
• If, opposite the name of the printer, there is a yellow exclamation/interrogative sign, this means the presence of problems with the driver. In the “Tasks Manager” you can not find the name of the printer at all. Sometimes, due to the driver’s failures, printers are placed in the “dispatcher” in the “Other Devices” section, and sometimes under the name “Unknown device”.

What to do if the laptop does not see the printer via USB

Imagine the situation. Connected a USB printer to a laptop, and it does not display in the OS. What to do? The reason is the system errors of the OS or hardware breakdown. Let us consider in more detail why the laptop does not see the printer via USB, and how to fix it.

The printer when connecting, by default it becomes visible in the OS. This does not happen if:

• Problems in the device;
• Cable damage;
• Problems with drivers;
• Errors in OS settings;
• After reinstalling the OS. Previous settings disappear.

Consider what to do in such a situation.

The laptop does not see a USB printer

The problem arises when leaving the sleep regime or “gibernation”. What to do? Reload the printer and PC. Check if the LED is burning that the device is connected.

Non.working cable

USB wire should be whole, without defects. Tightly fixed in the device. Clean the connectors of connection of the cable from garbage. There will be no contact otherwise.

Faulty port

If the laptop does not see a USB printer, the reason is the port malfunction. Try connecting it to another port.

Problems with drivers

Windows 10 after connecting the devices automatically finds and installs drivers. Check the presence of the driver in the OS. Click “WinX”, choose:

No driver

If the driver is not on the list, the “Unknown Devices” line will be displayed on the label, an exclamation mark will appear. Click on it PKM, choose:

Add manually

In the screenshot described above, select “Execute Search”. The window opens, where:

Select one of the proposed options:

Installation from the disk

If when buying a device, a disk that is included in the kit is preserved, the best way to install the driver from it. First delete the old drivers. Cross Winr, write down the command:

No driver for USB controller

The printer will be invisible for OS. See his condition in the window of the device manager.

Press service

Restore it. Click “Winr”, write down the command:

The default has been installed by another device

When working with Word, Excel office programs, after pressing the command, the laptop does not see the device. To be chosen by all the applications installed with the OS, click “Winr”, select:

With successful installation, a green checkbox will appear.

When printing, the printer will be determined automatically.

The laptop does not see the printer on Windows 10

Occurs after renewal of the OS. Launch the utility to eliminate errors. Click “Wini”, choose:

What manufacturers recommend

• Canon claims that the equipment should work on old drivers. If errors occur, it offers to download by my printer;
• HP offers to install divers designed for Windows 7 on Windows 10. Offers to download and install the Scan Doctor utility;
• For Epson models, install the Epson Status Monitor application. Update the drivers;
• Samsung models. Printer Diagnostics.

Breaking

What to do if the laptop does not see the printer after performing the recommendations discussed above? Possible reason is the physical breakdown of the device:

To solve such a problem, take the device to the service center.