Why does my printer no longer have option to save scans as PDF

[trevor34smith]

There used to be an option to save scans as PDF's but that has disappeared.  How can I get it back?

I've tried the Print and Scan Doctor, but that didn't help.

The "virtual agent" suggested a way to do this but I didn't understand the answer and there was no way to say "please explain this differently".

[Betty0610]

@trevor34smith

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

Let's try to do a root uninstall and reinstall of the software:

Unplug any USB cable, if any, before doing this.

1.) In Windows, search for and open Programs and features

2.) Select your HP Printer

3.) Select Uninstall

4.) In Windows, search for and open Devices and printers

5.) In the Devices and Printers windows look for your HP printer. If you see it listed right-click on it and choose 'Delete' or 'Remove Device'

6.) Open up the run command with the "Windows key + R" key combo.

7.) Type printui.exe /s and click Ok. (Note: there is a space in between “printui.exe” and “/s”)

8.) Click on the "Drivers" tab

9.) Look for HP Printer driver. If you see it Click on it and click Remove at the bottom

10.) Select Ok

11.) Select Apply and Ok on the Print Server Properties windows

12.) Close Devices and Printers

13.) Open up the run command with the "Windows key + R" key combo

14.) Type c:/programdata and click Ok. Go to Hewlett Packard folder, remove any printer related folders & files.

15.) Restart the computer.

Once done, please download and install the software from here:

https://support.hp.com/in-en/drivers

Let me know if this helps.

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the Accepted Solution and Kudos buttons, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

Thanks!

Have a great day!

[trevor34smith]

Hi,  Thanks for trying to help me but I'm afraid your suggestion failed at point 3. 

I clicked to uninstall the printer but I shortly received a long error message.  I could not copy and paste it.  Instead, I wrote it down and here is what it said:  Call to Driver Package Uninstall returned error 5 for package 'C:\\Windows\System32\Drive Store\File repository\hpwia_oj6970inf_amd64_8f73f7c74b2221\hpwia_oj6970inf': A caller of Driver Package Instal must be a member of the Administration group to instal a driver package.

The Printer was then still in the list of programmes.

This is my desktop computer at home (It's an HP Computer), so if there is an Administrator it can only be me.

Do you have any further suggestions?

Regards,  Trevor

[Betty0610]

Restart your Computer and Printer and retry the steps.

Let me know if this helps.

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the "Accept as solution" button, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

Thanks!

Have a great day!

[trevor34smith]

Hi Betty,

Sorry for the delay in my reply.

I turned the printer off and on again, and I also shut down the computer and restarted it and ran through to uninstall the Printer, bit it produced the same result I'm afraid.

Any other ideas, please?

Best Regards,  Trevor

[Betty0610]

Ok are you able to do a simple uninstall of the software? Also, if you have any other Computer, are you able to save scans as PDF there?

[trevor34smith]

Uninstallation:  I have gone to Control Panel then Uninstall a Program and selected "HP Office Jet Pro 6970 Basic Device Software" and then opted to uninstall.  This failed with the same error message as previously.

Another Computer:  I went to scan something.  My computer is no longer listed on the screen when the printer, effectively says "What do you want to do with the scan", so I sent it to my wife's computer which is also set up to use the 6970.  My wife's computer opened the scan using Adobe Acrobat Reader, and it would have been able to save that scan.

Now that I've done that I think it is possible that my computer used to open scans sent to it with Acrobat Reader, but that's not the programme that has been opening them recently.

Do you have any more suggestions?

Trevor

[Betty0610]

Yes, PDF is Adobe Acrobat Reader itself. Please open the saved scans using that.

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the "Accept as solution" button, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

Thanks!

Have a great day!

[trevor34smith]

Thanks for your reply.

You'll note that in my previous reply I said that my computer was no longer listed in the Scan options.  So it would seem that the Software had been uninstalled even though my computer had told me that it couldn't do that.

So I've reinstalled the software and done another scan.

I have realised that the programme that is opening - which doesn't allow scans to be saved as PDF's -  is actually Windows Fax and Scan.

This might be outside of what you can advise on, but how do I turn off  Windows Fax and Scan, so that my scans open in Acrobat?

Trevor

[Betty0610]

Simply right click on your scan and select open with and select Acrobat Reader.

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the "Accept as solution" button, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

Thanks!

Have a great day!