HP LaserJet 4 on Windows 10

[KMON724306]

I wanted to provide this information to load older HP Printers for Windows 10. 

1. After pc tries to search for printer, select "The printer that I want isn't listed."
2. Select Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings.
3. Select your port, for older printers where you have a parallel port to usb cable for the old printers, select USB001 (Virtual printer port for usb).
4. After searching for your pinter and not finding it, connect to internet and click Windows Updates.  It will gray out and say it's searching.  This took me about 20 minutes to finish.  Wait as long as it takes because once it is done, you will get just about every printer that was made by HP.  Found my HP Laserjet 4P and test page came out.

[RiskBeing]

I've been tryin g unsuccessfully unable to find a printer driver for my LaserJet 4 printer (not 4P, 4M, 4 Plus, etc., just a plain LaserJet 4) that will install on a Windows 10 (64-bit Professional version) machine ? 

I am familiar with and have used the following process on my Windows 10 machine:

1) Select "Printers and Scanners"

2) Select "Add Printer or Scanner"

3) Select "The printer I want Isn't Listed"

4) Select "Add a Local Printer or Network Printer with Manual Settings", then NEXT

5) Select "Use an Existing Port

6) Select "USB001 (Virtual Printer Port for USB)", then NEXT

7) On "Install the Printer Driver" page, pick "HP" for Manufacturer, then click "Windows Update" to get updated list of printers. The updated list in (7) returns a larger number of printers, including several printers in the LaserJet 4X series (4 Plus, 4/4M Plus, 4/4M PS, 4L, etc.), but nothing for the Laserjet 4 specifically.

😎 If I try and select any of other "similar" Laserhet 4(X) models, then NEXT, then NEXT to "Printer Name", the driver install begins, but terminates before finishing, with the error message "Printer Driver Was Not Installed". 

9) If I repeat 1-8 and select some totally unrelated printer, it MAY finish the install. but now I have a driver installed for a printer I don't own.  All my attempts to install drivers for any LaserJet 4(X) printer fails.

Is there (a) a printer driver available for the LaserJet 4 (no suffix), or (b) a driver for any other HP printer in the list that will work for the laserJet 4 printer that will work in the Windows 10 environment ? I'm at my wit's end here.

[codekraken]

The driver went missing sometime in 2018 - I know this because I built my system in December of 2017, and it contains my current Win10 installation which indeed had the Laserjet4 driver at that time - yes via the 'searchWindows update' option during printer install. However, my son had attempting to install the driver on his Win10 system several weeks ago, and the driver is no longer available in the second list after searching windows update. I sat with him and attempted the entire process myself to no avail. Microsoft has been abandoning older hardware devices since 2000, and this is just another nail in the coffin. I will obviously have to locate and archive the driver installed on my system if I ever want to use the printer on a fresh install or new system. I will host it somewhere and link it here once I find it.

Funny how I can still run the LJ4, and even old parallel port dot-matrix printers on any modern Linux distribution. This is why Microsoft is merely a gaming platform to me. Productivity is not Microsoft's goal. Revenue is. Oh look, Azure is down again lololol.

[SlowBrain]

Have read every message here on this HP Laserjet 4 problem.  I have a HP Laserjet 4L which I do not use because of upgrading to Win 10 on my Desktop; and 8.1 on my Laptop. 

Mr Paul Tikkanen Everything you have suggested, I have accomplished to the letter ... However, unlike all the others who got their driver loaded, I am still getting the dreaded "no compatible Driver message" .... and I made darn sure I used Driver #1 on the Win8,1 Laptop and Driver #2 on the Win10 Desktop.  My readout of the file matches yours exactly.

Any other suggestions? 

Know you are tired of this thread; agree Microsoft and HP must monitor the comments here to VOID the solutions which force throw aways of perfectly good machines ... Buy New .... MONEY RULES

[SlowBrain]

I have a Laserjet 4L driver on an old  XP laptop .... will it work on my Win 8.1?  If so, where will I find that driver file; it's name?; and how do you transfer it from the XP to the Win8.1?

Thanks for your help.  BTW, were you able to find your Win10 Driver for the Lasetjet 4x?

[heatermike]

I used laserjet 5200 pcl 5 driver and virtual usb printer port and was succcessful 

[DonnyJohn]

I got my Laserjet 4L installed and working on windows 10 64 bit  

The first time I ran Windows Update and looked under HP I found no Laserjet 4L as a choice.

The closest thing I could find was Laserjet 4000 Series PCL 5.  I installed it anyway. (the test page looked bad).

Then I ran Windows Update again and all of the 4 series printers appeared (including 4L)

Apparently when you try to install a laserjet begininng with 4, it updates the list of available printers

This is a great printer and hope to get many more years of printing from her.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CNZnzR-4e9yb2q91iciTSuPRtkmQeXiY 

[Reliable_HP4P]

Hi, I have here a trusty Hewlett Packard Laserjet 4P printer that just keeps going.  It's connected through the parallel port.

Today I re-installed Windows 10 and then had the usual struggle.  Here's how to get it working if you have the same.

1. Search for 'Add Printer' or go to Settings or Control Panel > Devices and Printers > Add a Printer

2. Don't bother waiting, select 'The Printer I want isn't listed'

3. Select 'Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings', then Next

4. At 'Choose a printer port', for 'Use and existing port', select LPT1: (Printer Port)

5. For Manufacturer, select HP, if you don't see HP. click Windows Update

6. Select HP LaserJet 3390/3392 PCL5, then Next

7. Done!

Hope that works for you!