HP Smart not installing print driver, win 10

[texgeekboy]

I've been working at this for over 8 hours.  The HP 8020 printer on my wifi network will not print anything from my HP Envy laptop, even a simple print test from the utilities.  My wife's older HP Envy laptop works fine, as does any iPad or iPhone with ApplePrint.  The printer is visible on the network for sure.

I thought this was a Windows problem on my PC (I have more updates than my wife's), but no setting seemed different.  I then proceeded to delete the HP print devices from the settings stuff, and device manager.  I did NOT do anything with regedit.  After 3 complete tries of deleting everything, using the HP Smart app on my laptop to install the driver, and then trying to add it via the Windows settings, I give up.  Each time it almost installs it but then when I go to add the printer in the Windows setting stuff it says the printer driver is not available.  I can not get it to use any of the installed drivers.

I long for the days when I could download a .exe file and it would have everything and install it.  The dance with the 123hp.com site, and HP Smart is a nightmare.

BTW, I'm a 30+ year computer professional.

Addendum:  I did not mention that the 8020 had been working for many, many months and then stopped a few days ago.  Perhaps there was a win update then, I can't recall.  I have no doubt that Windows has some problems, but if the printer driver installation process from HP doesn't install a printer driver, that seems to be the bigger issue IMHO.

[Leonard1060]

Did you ever get an answer as to why the HP Smart is not installing ? I have the same problem with an Envy 5055.

[texgeekboy]

Just to be clear, the HP Smart app installs on my Win10 Pro X64 system.  However, when I try to use it to install the software/drivers for my HP Officejet Pro 8025 P/S/C, it apparently does not install the printer driver.  When I go to add the 8025 as a printer in the Windows Settings window, it says there is no printer driver.  It does say that the scanner driver was installed though.

I have no received an answer to my post.  I've searched the forum for similar items, but can't seem to find a close enough match.

[IanT66]

Same issue with Envy Photo 7830. Won't install the printer driver but definitely visible on the network. Tech to make life easier? My ***se!

[texgeekboy]

There's a recent post where the user has asked for a way to install the drivers without using HP Smart due to corporate policy.  I have a link to that thread at the end.  In the thread is a link to a youtube video on how to do that.  I've tried it, and it works as per the video.  However, the device driver is still not installed.

Come on HP, do something.

The thread is here 

[texgeekboy · Accepted solution]

Well, after another 2 hours of trying this and that, I finally have my printer back.  You may ask what was the solution, and I have no freaking idea.  I did reset the printer to the factory defaults.  In my downloads folder I got a 135 MB  file from the HP site named

OJP8020_Full_WebPack_49.9.4593.exe

and ran that as administrator.  It seemed to do stuff.  I BELIEVE I then went to device manager, and there was an 'Unknown device' under printers.  I then right clicked it to 'update driver'.  At that point, things were added to my system.  I still don't have an HP printer under 'Printers' in device manager, but it shows up under software devices.

All in all, I truly believe I was lucky to hit upon the right combination of button clicks.

I have spurious printers showing up in the lists, but I'm leaving them for now.

As an aside, I had HP printers for many years, but became increasingly irritated at their software (80s and 90s).  I went to Canon and was very happy with them.  The printers were cheap, so I had to replace them every 6-7 years or so.  But, they started getting cheaper and had to be replaced every 2 years.  I went back to HP about 6 years ago with this printer, and have been very happy until now.  I'm pretty sure when this printer is replaced, it won't be an HP.