How to remove or replace locally installed driver for deployed printer

[laatru]

In a student computer lab, I mistakenly installed the "HP DesignJet Z6dr 44in PDF V4" driver. This driver is installed locally but the print server has the correct (non-pdf) driver.

There are three related issues. Maybe the first two are too Windows oriented for this forum but am hoping someone else has run into this and knows how to handle it.

To describe the environment: The computers are Windows 10 and in an Active Directory domain along with a print server. It worked worked fine when the non-pdf driver was installed, so this is new to some point after that.

1) How can the PDF driver be removed?  I've tried commands similar to what is below, but get errors related to it being in use. I've tried elevated command prompt, logging in as an admin.

• pnputil.exe –f –d oem<number>.inf
• Remove-PrinterDriver 'drivername'

2) I'd like to match my installed printer to the correct driver, but every time I switch it in printer properties, it reverts back on restart. How can I make this stick? 

3) The reason I don't want to use the "HP DesignJet Z6dr 44in PDF V4" driver is that the Paper Size and Handling  options are grayed out when printing from the Acrobat. Is this just a bug?

[Repairatrooper]

Did you delete the printer instance before trying to remove the driver. I know that is a basic level suggestion but my time here has taught me that it is easy to overlook the obvious. Setting being blanked out would be common if there is a driver mismatch which it sounds like you have if you have a PDF V4 driver communicating with a print serve with a different drive installed.

[laatru]

Thanks for your reply. Yes, the printer was not mapped at the time, though something in there seems to think it is.

[laatru · Accepted solution]

Stopping the print spooler (as admin), removing related keys from the registry cleared it.