Ending the Printer Health Monitor whack-a-mole permanently

[emr_wwd]

We are having problems with the HP Print Scan Doctor triggering the Printer Health Monitor and waking the computer from hibernate (not just sleep). My family makes heavy use of the hibernate feature, but having it power itself back on once a day is a needless waste of electricity.

Through various web searches, we got to the fix where you can disable this behaviour through Task Scheduler by navigating HP - HP Print Scan Doctor - Printer Health Monitor - Properties and unchecking the option "wake the computer to run this task". The problem I have is that whenever HP Smart updates itself, this setting resets.

I've seen other possible fixes, such as disabling the task or the service, but from what I've read these fixes similarly don't survive HP Smart updates. The most decisive fix I've seen online is to simply uninstall HP Smart, but the problem there is there are features within it that I genuinely need, so I'd rather not do this.

So my question is whether there is a way to permanently disable this completely unwanted and wasteful feature without uninstalling HP Smart?

[Dragon-Fur · Accepted solution]

@emr_wwd 

Welcome to the HP Community --

Your solution is below.

It is permanent until and unless you install the full driver printer software -- the full driver software, depending on its vintage might still contain the old doctor.

If the doctor "comes back", recheck / repeat the steps to remove it.

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The HP Print and Scan Doctor should be removed.

May / June 2025 – The Doctor is Kaput

 HP Customer Advisory - HP Print and Scan Doctor for Windows – Elevation of Privilege Security Vulner... 

Excerpted

Remove HP Print and Scan Doctor (Windows)

Remove HP Print and Scan Doctor by deleting the desktop shortcut and application folders.

    Open Windows File Explorer.

    Click Desktop, and then delete the HP Print Scan Doctor shortcut if it exists.

    In File Explorer, enter C:\HP\Diagnostics\PSDR in the address bar.

    If the folder exists, delete it and all its contents.

    In File Explorer, enter C:\Program Files (x86)\HP\Diagnostics\PSDR in the address bar.

    If the folder exists, delete it and all its contents.

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[emr_wwd]

Thanks. Knowing PrintScanDoctor not only can be deleted but should be deleted is good.

Anyway, I followed the steps but found a few were a bit different on my computer. The files were in C:\Program Files\HPPrintScanDoctor, also the associated service needed to be disabled first (via services.msc) before it would let me delete it.

Anyway, all gone now (also deleted from the task scheduler for good measure). If that linked article is to be believed then it should be gone for good!

[Dragon-Fur]

@emr_wwd 

You are welcome.

True -- things continue to evolve, move, and sometimes just look different.

Not sure it's good or bad, but we certainly need to be ready to adjust.

Smiling.

Happy-No-Doctor !

Thank you for participating in the HP Community --

Real people who own, use, and support HP devices.

Click Yes to say Thank You !

Question / Concern Answered, Click my Post "Accept as Solution"