Printer going offline--auto shut off is disabled

[jmspns]

My HP Envy 4500 printer is intermittently offline--I checked the auto shut off, it is disabled.  Running Windows 10.   It was working fine up until about a month or two ago.   If I want to print, I need to shut down the printer and start it back up, then it works fine for that print job.  I downloaded the latest firmware, I don't see where there's any updates to download.  

Just now I restarted my printer, works fine.  But, I went into control panel and found this message: 

Currently, this hardware device is not connected to the computer. (Code 45)

To fix this problem, reconnect this hardware device to the computer.

Can anyone give me any suggestions on what to do?

[Rainbow23]

@jmspns,

Welcome to HP Forums, this is a great place to get support, find answers and tips.

Thank you for posting your query, I'll be more than glad to help you.

I understand that your HP ENVY 4500 e-All-in-One Printer keeps going offline and you need to keep restarting it.

This issue could occur if the network connection is not stable.

Let's go through a few steps to resolve this issue.

And here's the step by step guide for you in the link: Printer is Offline (Windows)

You may also check the link: Printer Does Not Maintain Wireless Connection

If the issue still persists, then you may need to update the firmware from the link: Firmware Update

Let me know how this works.
 

You have a good day ahead.
 

[jmspns]

Hi Rainbow 23, thank you for your suggestions.  I downloaded the HP Printer and Scan doctor (your link didn't work, but I found one that did).  I ran both the printer and scanner, it said everything was fixed--but the problem continued.  I downloaded the latest firmware, still having the problem.  It's interesting to note, if I can't print from my desktop to printer, I can print from my laptop to printer--so I'm assuming it's not the wireless connection.

Everything was installed and working fine in December, then last month the problem began.  Would it make sense to remove the printer software and reinstall?  (If so, could you give me a refresher on how to do that?)  Otherwise, I'll just have to restart my printer every time I want to print a document--which is annoying!  Thanks you.

[Rainbow23 · Accepted solution]

@jmspns,

Thank you for your reply, I'll be more than glad to help you.

I understand that the issue still persists after following the steps provided in the previous interaction.

This issue could occur if the drivers installed on the desktop is corrupted.

And here's the step by step guide for you in the links to uninstall and reinstall the drivers on the desktop:

Step 1: Uninstall the Drivers:

Please follow the steps provided to uninstall the printer software in the link: Uninstalling the Printer Software (Windows)

Also, please follow the steps provided below to completely remove the printer software from printer properties.

Steps to remove printer driver files from Print Server Properties:

1. Open the Print Server Properties dialog window by doing one of the following:
   • Click the Start menu and in the search field type 'printui /s /t2' (without the quotes), and then press Enter or click it in the search list.
   • Press WINDOWS-R on the keyboard to bring up the Run window, type in 'printui /s /t2' (without the quotes), and then press Enter or click OK.
   • From the Start menu or the Start screen:
   • Open Devices and Printers.
   • Select any printer and then click "Print server properties" at the top of the window.
   • Click on the Drivers tab.
2. Select the printer driver you wish to uninstall.
3. Click the Remove button.
4. Select "Remove driver and driver package" and click OK.

Step 2: Download and install the Drivers from the link: Full Feature Software and Drivers​​​​​​​

Let me know if this works.

You have a good day ahead.

[jmspns]

I was able to uninstall drivers from the control panel but ran into issues trying to remove printer driver files from Print Server Properties.  I reinstalled drivers, everything seems to be working okay now. Thank you!