HP Photosmart C4280 Scan Features Don't Work with Windows 10

[Rong1]

As s s s s today, there are no drivers for printing or scanning utilities on the HP website. I was able to get to get the printer to prit,butttttnosaninfunctions work with the push button on the machine. Also, since i lost the original CD that came with it, I can not get the scanning utilities to work. I'm not sure the CD would even work with Windows 10. Anyway, will HP be doing a Windows 10 upgrade for this printer to include the scanning functions? Thanks

[X-23 · Accepted solution]

Hey @Rong1,

Welcome to the HP Support Forums!

I see that you would like to use the print and scan features of your HP Photosmart C4280 All-in-One Printer on your Windows 10 computer. I would like to assist you with this today. I am happy to tell you that the Full Feature Software and Drivers are available for your printer!  The drivers just haven't been added under the Windows 10 dropdown on our website yet. However, I will link you to the driver package to install your printer. Please follow the steps below. 

If you're using a USB Cable connection between your printer and computer please disconnect that cable now. 

Step 1: Remove Printer:

We will want a clean slate to install your printer with on the Windows 10 computer. Therefore, I am going to have you ensure no trace of your HP Photosmart is currently showing installed on your computer. 

1. Click on your Start button

2. Just type Programs and Features. If a search doesn't automatically start, you may need to type Programs and Features in the 'Ask me Anything' box.

3. Click Programs and Features to launch the window.

4. In Programs and Features, a list of programs installed on your computer will populate. Please scroll down the list and look for your HP Photosmart. If you see your HP Photosmart listed, click it and choose Uninstall.

5. Please follow any onscreen prompts to complete the uninstall. Once the uninstall has completed successfully please close Programs and Features.

6. Next, click on your Start menu again

7. This time type Devices

8. Click Devices and Printers to launch the window.

9. In Devices and Printers look for your HP Photosmart. If you see if please right click on it and choose 'Remove' or 'Delete'

10. Once your HP Photosmart is no longer showing in Devices and Printers please click on any device under the Printers list once just to highlight it. Click Print Server Properties at the top

11. Click on the Drivers tab

12. Look for your HP Photosmart driver. If listed, please click on it and choose Remove

13. Select Remove Driver Only

14. Select OK

15. Click Apply and OK under the Print Server Properties window.

16. Close Devices and Printers. Please proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Install Device: 

1. Please click here to download the Full Feature Software and Driver download for your printer
2. Once the download is complete please follow the onscreen prompts to install your printer
3. If using a USB Cable connection, leave the cable disconnected until the installer prompts you to connect it

Once the install is complete please test printing and scanning. 

Please respond to this post with the result of your install. Good luck! 🙂 

[Rong1]

Thank you for your help. I now have all my printer and scanner features working.

[ColinP2]

I have tried everything to get my HP c4280 all-in-one printer/scanner to work since upgrading to Win 10 from 8.1. The scanner works fine. The printer doesn't. I realize this is an older device, but it's in good condition and I'm loathe to throw it out.

The printer shows up as an "other device" in device manager, but no amount of trying to update the driver works. Sometimes it identifies a driver to install, but then says it can't find it. 

I have uninstalled and reinstalled all the HP software to no avail. When I look at the devices in Win 10, the printer shows with "driver unavailable." I have run the various HP diag programs etc., to no avail. HP doesn't provide just the driver, so I can't play with that.

Sometimes, HP software suggests the printer is plugged into a USB 3.0 port (when it isn't).  Either way, a port wasn't an issue under 8.1 or prior Win versions.

This is pretty aggravating. Any ideas welcome. Please and thanx in advance.

Cheers.

Col

-=-

[ColinP2]

I have tried this solution several times, to no avail.

In my case, since upgrading to Windows 10 from 8.1, the scanner works fine, but the printer will not. The driver is not recognized. I've tried everything.

The only thing that works is to add a different printer (C4700, eg). I can then print with that one, and scan with the 4280. A kludge to say the least.

Cheers.

Col

-=-

[X-23]

Hey @ColinP2,

Welcome to the HP Support Forums!

I see that you Windows 10 computer is not accepting your HP Photosmart C4280 All-in-One Printer driver. However, you are able to scan. Because of this we know that there is sufficient two-way communication between your printer and computer. This also proves that your printer is installing properly. It is very odd that the specific Photosmart print driver is not being accepted. Because your computer fails to 'allow' you to update the driver via the Device Manager, the only quick solution I can currently provide would be to utilise an alternate driver with the machine. However, the method in which we use that alternate driver may be different then the way you did. Can you please take a look at the steps below. 🙂

NOTE: For troubleshooting purposes and to avoid additional driver conflicts it is crucial that we have a clean slate to work with. Therefore, I will be having you remove every trace of your printer on your computer prior to performing the fix.

Step 1: Remove Printer:

1. Click on your Start button

2. Just type Programs and Features. If a search doesn't automatically start, you may need to type Programs and Features in the 'Ask me Anything' box

3. Click Programs and Features to launch the window.
4. In Programs and Features, a list of programs installed on your computer will populate. Please scroll down the list and look for your HP Photosmart. If you see your HP Photosmart listed, click it and choose Uninstall.
5. Please follow any onscreen prompts to complete the uninstall. Once the uninstall has completed successfully please close Programs and Features.
6. Next, click on your Start menu again
7. This time type Devices
8. Click Devices and Printers to launch the window.
9. In Devices and Printers look for your HP Photosmart. If you see if please right click on it and choose 'Remove' or 'Delete'
10. Once your HP Photosmart is no longer showing in Devices and Printers please click on any device under the Printers list once just to highlight it. Click Print Server Properties at the top
11. Click on the Drivers tab
12.  Look for your HP Photosmart driver. If listed, please click on it and choose Remove
13. Select Remove Driver Only
14. Select OK
15. Click Apply and OK under the Print Server Properties window.
16. Close Devices and Printers. Please proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Clear Temp Files:

1. Click on your Start menu

2. Type Run. Click Run to launch the Run dialogue box.

3. Type %temp% in the Run box and click OK

4. When the Temp folder opens, select Ctrl + A at the same time on your keyboard. Everything in this folder will now highlight.

5. Select the 'delete' button on your keyboard. The Temp folder contains temporary internet files. No actual files or folders on your computer will be affected by deleting the Temp files. Should a Temp file still be used than you will automatically get the pop up to 'skip' that item.

6. Close the Temp folder once it is emptied

7. Right click the Recycling Bin on your desktop and select Empty Recycling Bin. Please proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Install Device:

1. Please click here to download the latest drivers for your HP Photosmart
2. Once the download is complete follow the onscreen prompts to install your printer
3. Once installed successfully, please proceed to the next step to make driver adjustments

Step 4: Add Alternate Driver:

1. Click on your Start menu

2. Open Devices and Printers

3. Right click on the HP Photosmart C4280 printer

4. Left click on Printer Properties

5. Under the Printer Properties window select the Advanced tab

6. Under the Advanced tab click on New Driver. The 'Add Printer Driver Wizard' box will now open. Click Next.

7. You will now see a list of Manufactures and Printers. Click HP as the Manufacturer on the left. Click the HP Deskjet 9800 as the Printer on the right. Lastly, click Next.

8. Click Finish under the 'Add Printer Driver Wizard' window.

9. You will now be brought back to the Printer Properties window. Please click on the General tab. Rename your printer back to the HP Photosmart C4280. Click Apply and OK to save the changes.

10. Next, right click on your HP Photosmart one more time and select Printing Preferences

11. Click the Paper/Quality tab

12. On the right, select the Print Quality dropdown and change this to 'Fast Normal'

13. Click Apply and OK

14. Close Devices and Printers

Now that the alternate driver has been successfully installed please test printing. By altering the driver under the Printer Properties for the specific product you avoid having duplicates of your printer installed, and the software and scanning will not be affected.

Please let me know if these steps work for you. If you don't want to use an alternate driver we can attempt advanced troubleshooting steps to see if we can get the correct Photosmart C4200 series driver installed. I look forward to hearing from you! 🙂

[ColinP2]

Thank you for your detailed help. Alas. Despite trying it twice, it resulted in the exact same issue (printer driver not available, but scanner working).

(In addition, despite following your steps, I could not find the 'advanced tab' to pick a new driver and HP Deskjet 9800 was not an option for me going the search local route.

However, I did finally manage to replace the driver with a C4700 series driver and that appears to have done the trick ... Both printer and scanner now work locally. The scanner doesn't work via a network, but that's no big issue.

(It does seem to insist it's plugged into a USB 3.0 port, when it's actually in a USB 2.0 port.)

Thnx, again.

Cheers.

Col

-=-

[CaptainCaveman]

This has worked, and my printer is now working.

Thank you very much 🙂 🙂 🙂

[Clived48]

I have done all of this on my wife's Photosmart c4700 printer. It prints fine locally or as a network printer, but I can't get it to scan. Using HP Scan and Capture I get a "General Failure" messahe and using Win 10 fax and scan, to does not connect to the printer/scanner. 

Peally frustrated with this