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HP Recommended
Microsoft Surface Pro 3
Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit)

I have recently got the dreaded 'Driver is unavailable' problem with my OfficeJet Pro 8730 and Windows 10 (64 bit). I have searched for solutions and tried the lot with absolutely no success. I have:

1.  Uninstalled all 8730 drivers

2.  Deleted all HP folders from c:\programdata 

3. Uninstalled all HP programs

4. Rebooted between each step

5. Reinstalled the latest HP software

6. Checked all Windows updates are installed and up to date

I have done all of this many, many times and still end up with the 'Driver is unavailable' error. PLEASE please someone who is familiar with this problem give me a clue on how to sort it out. Other PCs on my network and mobile devices can print to the 8730 and I can scan from the 8730 to a network folder. Is is just my Surface Pro 3 that has suddenly stopped printing.

8 REPLIES 8
HP Recommended

@DAG55, Welcome to HP Support Community!

 

If the printer is connected wireless, follow the steps below-

 

1.  Select “Start” and type “printers” in the search box. 

2.  Choose “Printers & scanners“. 

3.   elect “Add a printer or scanner“. 

4.  Wait for the “The printer that I want isn’t listed” option to appear, then select it. 

5.   Select “Add a printer using a TCP/IP address or hostname” , then select “Next“. 

6.   select “TCP/IP Device” in the “Device type” list. 

7.  Type the hostname or the IP address of the printer. Select “Next“. To find the IP address of the printer, touch the Wi-Fi icon on the printer's control panel.  

8.  Windows should find the printer if the printer is on and configured correctly. You may have to specify more information. If prompted, Select the type of network adapter installed in the printer in the “Device Type” drop-down list. You can also click “Custom” to specify custom settings for the network printer. Select “Next“.

 

Try printing.

 

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

 

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

TEJ1602
I am an HP Employee

HP Recommended

Dear TEJ1602,

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my question and propose a solution. I have tried your suggestion and I still have the problem. I have also tried several other paths to installing the HP OfficeJet Pro 8730 driver with no success. Here is what I have tried ...

 

  • Carried out all of the steps listed in 1-7 below
  • Let Windows add the printer via ‘Printers and Scanners’ Add a printer – failed with 'Driver is unavailable'
  • Re-did all of steps 1-7 below
  • Ran OJ8730_Basicx64_38.8.1942.exe with Administrator rights – failed with 'Driver is unavailable'
  • Re-did all of steps 1-7 below
  • Followed your instructions and installed the HP OfficeJet Pro 8730 PCL-6 driver from Windows Update. The installation failed with an error window saying ‘Printer driver was not installed. The system cannot find the file specified’.

 

Steps I take every time to clean up the system before attempting re-installation:

  1.  Deleted printer in ‘Printers and Scanners’
  2. Deleted driver in ‘Print Servers’
  3. Deleted printer in Control Panel
  4. Deleted all references to ‘HP’ in c:\ProgramData
  5. Ran ‘pnputil /enum-drivers’ at cmd prompt with administrator rights
    1. Check no entry with an ‘Original Name’ of nullprint.inf
    2. Deleted using  pnputil /delete-driver <published name>
      •       Published Name:     oem160.inf - Original Name:      hpfwupdatestub.inf
      •       Published Name:     oem36.inf - Original Name:      hpwcus01.inf
      •       Published Name:     oem26.inf - Original Name:      hpwe7a124_x64.inf
  6. Uninstalled all HP application software in ‘Add or remove programs’
  7. Rebooted PC
HP Recommended

@DAG55

 

Thanks for replying!

 

Create a new user account and try adding the printer-

 

1. Tap the Windows icon.

2. Select Settings.

3. Tap Accounts.

4. Select Family & other users.

5. Tap "Add someone else to this PC."

6. Select "I don't have this person's sign-in information."

7. Select "Add a user without a Microsoft account."

8. Enter a username, type the account's password twice, enter a clue and select Next.

9. Tap the Windows icon.

10. Select the User icon at the upper left corner of the Start menu.

11. Select the new user. You'll then sign into your account with your password from step 8.

 

Use this link to download and install the new driver. Configure the printer and try printing.

 

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

 

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

TEJ1602
I am an HP Employee

HP Recommended

Hi,

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I created a new local Administrator account and followed the setup instructions. Unfortunately the install failed with 'driver unavailable' error. ☹️

HP Recommended

Not impressed with the quality of HP software,  this problem has been reported widely across the web and yet HP has not come up with any definitive fix. This will certainly influence which printer I buy next ...

HP Recommended

@DAG55

 

We shall escalate this issue to the concerned team.

 

Please look for a private message from me requesting additional information. Keep in mind not to publicly post personal information (serial numbers and case details).

If you are unfamiliar with how the Community's private message capability works, you can learn about that here.

 

Thank you for visiting the HP Support Community.

 

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping

TEJ1602
I am an HP Employee

HP Recommended

Thank you for persevering with this, TEJ1602.I will check my private messages.

HP Recommended

I had this issue and it turned out to be an issue with the WSD port and not the driver. So no amount of driver reinstall worked.

 

Try adding a printer by creating a new tcp/ip port instead and direct to the IP of the printer.

 

If it works then fix the IP on that printer and make sure it is out of the DHCP range on your router so it doesn't conflict in the future.

 

You can google all those instructions.

† The opinions expressed above are the personal opinions of the authors, not of HP. By using this site, you accept the <a href="https://www8.hp.com/us/en/terms-of-use.html" class="udrlinesmall">Terms of Use</a> and <a href="/t5/custom/page/page-id/hp.rulespage" class="udrlinesmall"> Rules of Participation</a>.