Problem connecting HP Officejet 5740 printer to laptop: 'Unable to Find Printer'

[Allison-P]

I am trying to set up my new Officejet 5740 printer and I've gotten to the step where I have to connect the printer to a laptop/computer and/or mobile device. I went to 123.hp.com and followed all of the steps. My printer successfully connected to the internet, but when I tried to connect it with my laptop via wifi, I got a screen that said 'Unable to Find Printer'. Before that, it asked me to put in the IP Address that shows up in the printer's wireless settings.

I have a dual band wireless router, and it seems that my printer can only connect to the 2.4 GHz frequency range. My laptop can connect to either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz ranges. I made sure that the laptop was connected to the 2.4 GHz range when I did this step. I even redid the same process on my sister's laptop (she has Windows 10), but I ran into the same problem. Also, the screen with the error message said I should make sure firewall wasn't getting in the way of the connection. I tried turning Windows Firewall off, but I still got the same result.

I'm at a loss for what to do here. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am positive I put in the correct IP Address, and I even tried using the host name. Also, I know that both my laptop and the printer are connected to the same wireless network. Everything I did for this step in the installation process was with wifi (not ethernet, USB, etc.).

[Sunshyn2005]

Hi @Allison-P,

I would be happy to help you complete the setup of your Officejet 5740. I understand the issue is communication related, and that you have tried multiple approaches to resolve the issue without success.

Running the Print and Scan Doctor might help. The HP Print and Scan Doctor is a free utility (tool) that helps to quickly resolve common printing, scanning and connectivity issues including but not limited to:

• Connectivity:

  USB: Verifies that the USB connection from your computer to the HP product is working correctly.

  Network: Verifies that the network connection between your computer and your network is working correctly.

• Device Status Test: Checks for device errors such as out of paper, paper jams, carriage stalls, and paper feed issues, and then provides instructions for fixing the error.

• Driver Check: Checks for missing or corrupt driver files.

• Device Manager: Checks for problems in Device Manager that would prevent printing.

• Device Online: Checks if the product has been paused or set to offline, and then sets the status back to online if necessary.

• Print Queue: Checks for and clears pending print jobs in the print queue (a log of print jobs waiting to print).

• Port Match: Checks the port settings for the HP product.

• Device Conflicts: Checks for conflicts with other drivers, such as other printer brands.

• Ink Issues: Checks the cartridges and ink levels for issues that affect print quality.

• Print Settings: Checks and adjusts the print quality settings.

• Test Print: Prints a test page for print quality evaluation, and provides options for cleaning and aligning the printhead if necessary.

• Scan Tests: Checks the scan mechanism, drivers, and registry entries.

Source:Try the HP Print and Scan Doctor for Windows

Click here to download and run the Print and Scan Doctor> >>>>> www.hp.com/go/tools

Although this may not resolve the issue, it is a good place to start and can help point us in the right direction. Please post back and let me know if there are any symbols other than green check marks and what they are next to of course. The wrench is not always easy to spot as the wrench and the check mart are in the green circle.

• If you see only green check marks (), the tool did not find any problems.

• If you see green wrenches (), the utility identified an issue and corrected it automatically.

• If you see yellow exclamation points (), the test failed and required user action, but the step was skipped.

• If you see a red X (), follow the on-screen instructions to resolve the issue.

Also, when the Print and Scan Doctor closes you will see a survey window, please complete this survey to help us help you. All feed back is appreciated and valued.

Thanks, I look forward to hearing back from you.

[Allison-P]

I've tried running the HP Print and Scan Doctor before, but right at the beginning, when it's searching for products, my printer doesn't come up. I don't know how to fix this problem. I've followed all of the Print and Scan Doctor's recommendations, but nothing works.

[Sunshyn2005]

I found the following suggestions in an HP document, they may or may not help, but I thought it would be worth consideration:

The following tips can help you troubleshoot and avoid wireless connectivity issues. You can try these tips separately or in combination to get a successful wireless signal.

• Move the printer and the computer closer to the access point (router), but no closer than 6 ft (1.8 m). Wireless signals can be weaker at greater distances between the printer and the router.
• If you are experiencing a slow or intermittent wireless connection, try restarting your router. Consult your router manufacturer, Internet service provider, or network administrator for instructions on how to restart the router.
• Make sure that the printer is connected to the same network as the computer that you are installing the software on.
• Remove any metal objects between the printer, the computer, and the access point (router). Objects such as refrigerators or metal bookcases can interfere with wireless transmission.
• Move any device that emits radio signals, such as microwaves and cordless telephones, farther away from the printer. Such devices can interfere with wireless signals.
• Your firewall software might prevent the printer from accessing the computer. Make sure to accept or allow any firewall messages that display during the printer software download and installation.
• If you downloaded the software from the HP website, make sure that you are installing the software that was designed for your specific model, and for the operating system running on your computer. For example, if your product is the HP Photosmart C309, you must determine the specific model number (C309g or C309h) before you download the software. Incorrect software might result in a failed installation.
• If you previously installed the software and are now trying to reinstall it, make sure you have performed a complete uninstall before trying to reinstall the software again. Also make sure that you delete any existing TCP/IP printer ports.

Here is some information about firewalls too, it is possible there is something else on the computer blocking the communication: Security Information and Firewalls.

Something else we could try is to connect to the printer using the Wireless Direct feature. If this works we will have determined the issue is related to your router/network not the computer/firewalls.

Please let me know if the outcome of your efforts and we can proceed from there. I may not be available if you post back today, but if you do, I will be here first thing tomorrow to followup with you.  🙂

[Allison-P]

I was able to successfully connect and activate the printer using the wifi direct option. I tried some of the other things listed above, but still no luck. The HP Print and Scan Doctor still isn't picking up my printer, but it did pick it up when I used wifi direct. Thank you for the help.

[Sunshyn2005]

Since the computer can see the printer when we connect using Wireless Direct, the issue must be stemming from the router. You did mention that it is dual band, this could be related, but I suspect the best thing to do at this point is to contact the router provider.

I did find another document that may help, but some of the solutions mentioned I have already addressed. With that being said, I still suggest taking a look, maybe something here will help and save you from having to contact the router company: Tips and Workarounds for Common Wireless Network Printer Issues.

[Allison-P · Accepted solution]

Good news! I figured it out. I  reset all of my wireless settings to the default factory settings and that fixed the entire problem. Something about the router state must have been off when I set it up the first time. Thank you for helping me!