Windows 7 does not have printer driver, Puppy 5 does! SOLVED

Problems and successes with specific brands/models of printers
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8-bit
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Joined: Wed 04 Apr 2007, 03:37
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Windows 7 does not have printer driver, Puppy 5 does! SOLVED

#1 Post by 8-bit »

I have my printers set up and connected to a PC running Puppy 5.00.
I was able to set up my Canon MP 390 as a networked printer after updating the drivers in windows 7.
But the driver for my xerox docuprint p12 lazer printer is not listed in the driver choices.
I checked the microsoft compatability site and it said the driver was included in windows 7 64bit and there was no offer of a download.
I can print to the shared printers just fine in Puppy 5.00.
So chalk one up for Puppy linux 5.00
And minus one for windows 7 64bit.
It actually pisses me off that the microsoft site does not offer the download of the printer driver and says it is included when it is not!
Last edited by 8-bit on Thu 17 Jun 2010, 08:14, edited 1 time in total.

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James C
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#2 Post by James C »

I Beta tested Windows 7 and things that worked fine in the Beta and RC suddenly stopped working when the final release came. Gotta love Microsoft. :)

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rcrsn51
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Re: Windows 7 does not have printer driver, Puppy 5 does!

#3 Post by rcrsn51 »

8-bit wrote:I have my printers set up and connected to a PC running Puppy 5.00. I was able to set up my Canon MP 390 as a networked printer after updating the drivers in windows 7.But the driver for my xerox docuprint p12 lazer printer is not listed in the driver choices.
You don't always need a Windows driver. Go here and read the section Sharing your Puppy Printer with Other Windows or Linux Machines about how to use a Postscript driver instead.

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8-bit
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#4 Post by 8-bit »

I have tried using a generic xerox postscript driver that was one of the drivers in win 7.
But the printer prints messed up supersize print at its native resolution of 600dpi and the driver seems to insist on it with no way to change it.
As I said before, the win 7 compatability web site showed the printer as being compatable and stated it would install automatically when connected with no additional software required.
That is par with microsoft though.
Their software does not include drivers for old hardware and requires a faster processor, more ram, and more drive space as they update to a new version.
The user is supposed to buy, buy, buy updated hardware to be able to use their OS.
And driver compatability goes down the drain.
The same printer worked fine with Puppy and also with windows Vista.
Why did the driver get dumped?
Planned obsolesence!

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8-bit
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#5 Post by 8-bit »

My problem is solved!
I used an HP Lazerjet III printer driver for my Xerox DocuPrint P12 and it worked.
Windows 7 kept telling me a driver was not available when in fact one was!

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