connecting computer to printer

[paulawhitenack]

when I rebooted computer everything was lost including printer connection. I have restarted printer and reinstalled HP printer.  It shows my phone is connected to the printer.  I am unable to connect computer with HP Smart or any other way. HELP!

[Garp_senchau]

@paulawhitenack, Welcome to HP Support Community,

Thank you for posting your query.

Oh no, losing everything after a reboot is never a good surprise! 😩 But don’t worry, we’ll get your printer reconnected to your computer in no time.

Since your phone connects to the printer, that means the printer is working fine - your computer just isn’t finding it. 

First, restart both your computer and printer. Then, check your Wi-Fi connection - make sure your computer is on the same network as the printer (no guest networks or different bands like 2.4GHz vs. 5GHz).

Next, open Control Panel > Devices and Printers, find your printer, right-click it, and select Remove device. Now, reinstall it. Open Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners, click Add a printer, and wait for Windows to detect it. If it doesn’t show up, click the printer that I want isn’t listed, choose Add a printer using TCP/IP address, and enter the printer’s IP address (you can find this on the printer’s display under Wireless Settings or you can print a network configuration page).

If HP Smart isn’t connecting, uninstall it completely, restart your computer, then reinstall the latest version from the Microsoft Store. When setting up, make sure you select Wi-Fi Setup and not USB, unless you plan to connect it that way.

If all else fails, resetting the printer’s network settings might help. On the printer, go to Setup > Network Settings > Restore Network Defaults, then reconnect it using the HP Smart app.

 That should clear up any connection issues! Give it a try and let me know what happens - let’s get this printer talking to your computer again! 

Refer this to print test pages: HP OfficeJet 6960, 6970 Printers - Printing Self-Test Pages | HP® Support

Here is a guide for network reset: Restore Wi-Fi setup mode on your HP printer | HP® Support

Take care and have a good day. 

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Regards,