-
×InformationNeed Windows 11 help?Check documents on compatibility, FAQs, upgrade information and available fixes.
Windows 11 Support Center. -
-
×InformationNeed Windows 11 help?Check documents on compatibility, FAQs, upgrade information and available fixes.
Windows 11 Support Center. -
- HP Community
- Printers
- Scanning, Faxing, and Copying
- HP Print and Scan Not Working For No Discernible Reason

Create an account on the HP Community to personalize your profile and ask a question
02-20-2022 08:19 PM
Running an HP Color LaserJet Pro M478f-9f. Running HP Smart App and HP Scan and Capture software.
Open up Scan and Capture software, attempt to scan. "Device cannot be found" error.
Open up printer settings. Verify printer is online. Print test page to verify printer is online.
Open Scan and Capture software. Go to Settings, Select Device, select the device which the app is detecting. Hit scan. "Device cannot be found" error.
Run printer troubleshooting software. No issues found.
Run HP troubleshooting software. No issues found.
Restart computer, repeat process, same result.
...The app is, somehow, simultaneously finding the printer, and also not finding the printer. This is fascinating to me: how poorly this software is made. How is this possible? Has HP managed to circumvent the fundamental laws of logic (Aristotle is spinning in his grave) and create a contradiction?
This printer just drops capabilities around 50% of the time. It will not scan, print, fax, you name it, 50% of the time. Sometimes, you have to uninstall and reinstall the printer. Sometimes, it refuses to work unless you install HP's data-sucking app on your system. Sometimes, it works without doing any of that. Sometimes, it does not work at all. Sometimes, it works fine.
You just can't rely on this garbage for personal or professional needs. If I can't get this thing to work what, 90% of the time, at least - I mean, what's acceptable here, a 10% error rate for your business? - do I just switch brands?