absent drivers

[TO44]

Installed above printer a few days ago  all fine for 24 hours. Printer no longer shows up in settings & I cannot download the drivers no matter what I do??

[GOLD_MASTER]

Hi @TO44, thanks for posting. A printer that works for a day and then vanishes from Settings is usually a connection or a spooler problem rather than the driver itself, so let's check that first:

1. If it uses USB, unplug the cable and plug it into a different USB port on the PC (avoid USB hubs), and check that the printer is on (the power light should be solid). If it uses Wi-Fi, print a network configuration page from the printer and check it has an IP address.

2. Restart the print spooler: press Windows key + R, type 'services.msc', find 'Print Spooler', right-click it and choose Restart. Then open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners and see if the Smart Tank 5115 is listed now.

3. If it is listed but greyed out, remove it and add it again.

4. For the driver download: go to HP's official printer driver search page (https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/printers — I checked this link today), type 'Smart Tank 5115', choose Windows 11 and download the full software/driver package. If the page will not open, try a different browser, or install the HP Smart app from the Microsoft Store, which can find and set up the printer itself.

5. Also run Windows Update, including optional updates — Windows often delivers the printer driver that way. Please tell me how the printer connects (USB or Wi-Fi) and what exactly happens when you try the download (what message or error you see).