HP Pavilion laptop won't recognize color laserjet MFP M281fdw

[KLC2]

Just bought our new color laser jet all in one from Costco.  I had many problems getting wi-fi to work and received some help from the community here to no avail.  I decided to go another route.  I have a hard wired ethernet connection in the room where the printer and PC are located.  I bought a tp-link 5 port switch and plugged the printer and PC into it. I ran setup again to change the printer from wireless to ethernet.

I have successfully printed from the Win7 PC, the computer recognized the printer immediately.  I have also printed from an iPhone, iPad and Macbook Air laptop.  In all cases the devices immediately found the printer and there were no problems.

My wife has an HP Pavilion laptop running Win10 and it can't find the printer, it doesn't appear in the list of printers available.  When I try to add a new printer it searches and searches and can't find it. When I then try manually entering the IP address it gives me a list of outdated printers to choose from and my printer isn't on the list.

Yet when I go to Device Manager and look at Printer Queues the new printer is listed there.  I click on it to get properties and try to print a test page, I get a message saying it has been sent to the printer but nothing happens.

At this point I'm just going around in circles trying to get this one device to recognize my new printer.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks

[KLC2]

Bumping this up in hopes of a reply.  Original post was flagged and then released which made it first appear far down the list of new posts.

[KLC2]

I'm going to bump this one last time with some extra information.  I brought a Dell laptop running Win10 home from work. Sitting at the same table as the HP laptop that can't recognize the new printer, also using wifi, the Dell found the new printer in less than 5 seconds.  What is keeping the HP laptop from communicating with the HP printer?

[Riddle_Decipher · Accepted solution]

@KLC2 Due to the current global COVID-19 situation, we're seeing an influx of customers coming in for support and we appreciate your patience.

That said, the issue seems to be related to Windows 10 & the Printer drivers as it works on all other devices, here's what I suggest we do:

Use these steps to connect your printer and troubleshoot any connection issues.

Step 1: Run the HP Print and Scan Doctor

 Download and run the HP Print and Scan Doctor to automatically diagnose and resolve printer hardware and connection issues.

If your printer is not found on the Choose Your Product step, click My product is not listed for steps to connect the printer.

Try to print. If the issue is not resolved, continue to the next step.

Step 2: Uninstall and reinstall the HP driver and software

Some HP software components might have installed incorrectly, even if the printer setup failed. Remove and reinstall the software to clear any possible issues.

1. Disconnect the USB cable from the printer, if necessary.

2. In Windows, search for and open Control Panel.

3. Under Programs or Programs and Features, click Uninstall a program to open the list of installed programs.

4. Click the HP printer name to open the uninstall confirmation window, and then click Yes to complete the software removal.

5. Make sure the printer is turned on, cartridges are installed, and plain paper is loaded in the main tray.

6. Go to 123.hp.com. This guided service automatically locates the correct print driver or app for your computer operating system version.

7. Follow the instructions to download and install the driver or app. During the installation, select HP Smart or the full software option to get the most out of your HP printer, and then follow the steps to set up the printer connection.

Try to print. If the issue is not resolved, continue to the next step.

Step 3: Troubleshoot the printer connection

Troubleshoot connection issues with network or USB-connected printers.

• Troubleshoot a Wi-Fi Printer Connection

• Troubleshoot a USB Printer Connection

• Troubleshoot a Wired Network Printer Connection

Also, Here's a related post that has helped others resolve this similar issue: click here to view.

P.S: Welcome to HP Community 😉

Let me know how that pans out,

If you feel I was helpful, simply click on Accept as Solution to help the community grow,

That said, I will have someone follow-up on this to ensure you've been helped,

Just in case you don't get back to us, 

have a good day, ahead.

[KLC2]

Thank you.  The Print Scan Doctor found the printer on the network immediately.  That was always the problem, finding the printer so I could install it, no matter what other solution I tried the printer remained invisible.  Once it was identified I installed the necessary software and drivers and now I can print.

[Echo_Lake]

@KLC2

Thank you for posting back. 

Let's try these steps to resolve the issue:

Root level uninstall and reinstall printer drivers: 

• Go to Control panel – Programs and feature – Select all the HP LaserJet printer entries and uninstall them.
• Now go to Control panel – Devices and printer – Select all the printer entries and remove the device.
• Then press the "windows key" + "r" to get the "Run" window open - Type "printui.exe /s" and press enter.
• Under print server properties, go to drivers - remove any entry there as well.
• Again, go to run window, type – “c:/programdata” – Go to Hewlett Packard folder, remove any printer related folders & files.

To reinstall, click here.

• If the issue continues, uninstall and reinstall printer Basic drivers from the link: Click here
• If the issue still continues, install using Using the Windows Built-in Print Driver: Click here

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.
Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.