My laser jet pro m203dw is not recognized in windows 11

[Cheryl4242]

Recently I made the mistake of letting a Microsoft tech re-install Windows 11.  Not only did he not fix the problem I was trying to resolve, but he created others.  One of them is that my HP printer is no long recognized, although I've been using it without issue for a long time.

I think I may need to download a driver but am having trouble locating one.

I appreciate any help.  Thanks.

[BeemerBiker]

Look here for software

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/hp-laserjet-pro-m203-printer-series/9365400

[Cheryl4242]

Thank you for the information.  I tried this twice, with the printer connected to my laptop but the printer still isn't recognized.

What's really frustratingl is that when I first got the computer I just plugged in the printer and it worked.  This is the result of Microsoft re-installing Windows, which caused multiple problems.  I'm afraid I will have to go back to Microsoft and hope the can undo their mistake.

[BeemerBiker]

I thought you were just missing the driver. The following might help with connections.

You may need to reset your printer.

Disconnecting the USB or ethernet cable may still leave the printer in the wired mode. Connecting an ethernet cable may still leave the printer in Wi-Fi mode. The Wi-Fi reset is used to put Wi-Fi printers into setup mode. Some printers have a semi-reset, a full reset and a factory reset. Please refer to the user manual to find the difference. Some resets are simple and others require a video to understand. Note that a reset video may show a slightly different model than yours.

You may need to reset the printer: Watch this video

Wi-Fi connection

Ideally, your Wi-Fi printer should connect to the modem or router. If your network has multiple boosters / repeaters, it is possible the printer may connect randomly to any of the units. The modem needs to provide the same IP address on every connection. This rarely happens with random connects. An alternate Wi-Fi connection is Wi-Fi direct. Your laptop or smartphone prints directly to the printer and does not go through the modem.

This video may be useful to see how to connect to the router.
This video shows how how to enable Wi-Fi direct and avoid configuring the modem.
A simple connection to the modem can be done by using the WPS pushbutton method.
This is explained on page 5 in this User Manual

Software

HP updates software periodically. Downloads shown below may be old. You should always visit the Software and Download page to look for new releases. You may need to select an operating system (OS) first. If windows 11 is missing then use 10. You can go as far back as Windows 7, 64bit to get missing drivers. After selecting the OS click the blue Open all button to view all downloads.

You can find all the software here.
You should select the OS and then look for the phrase "Open All" and click that.
Drivers from Windows 7 and up are usually compatible with the latest Windows OS.

Documents

All documents are available at the below HP site. The user and reference manuals show how to get status reports and analyze error indicators on printer that have no control panel.

All manuals can be found here

Support Videos - Parts - Disassembly

HP has a YouTube site and there are a number of video in English and other languages. Typically unboxing, clearing paper jams, and cartridge problems. You may also find instructional disassembly videos from other users.

One or more of of these videos might be useful to clear printer problems

Printer Reference

One or more printer reference is listed below. Typically your printer may be part of a series and use the same software and manual. The exact spec may be different.

Specifications for system or series: 203

[Cheryl4242]

Thanks.  I just assumed (and you know what the means) that it was a driver issue.  I don't want to use the printer in WiFi mode; I only connect my laptop when I want to print something.

Any suggestions as to how I can get this working again?