I have been trying for 3 days to connect my HP Deskjet F300 series printer to my new computer with Win 7. I downloaded the software and drivers for Win 7 and when I get to the part where it says to connect the printer to the computer, I do it(yes, my printer is on) and it is not recognized. I don't get the next button. Any ideas from anyone?

Bets Wouldn't you know it. I post this then I get it.

HP also has a diagnostics utility for connection issues, have you tried running it?

Download drivers and software

I got it InlandAz. Just after I posted this. Isn't that always the way it goes?

What did you do differently that got it working?

Uh.........I took out the USB cable and uh.......rebooted and uh.......waited a little longer after I installed the cable and uh........oh shucks, I feel stupid.

Been there! Done that!

Yepyepyep...been there done that, too.

flutist,

I have had the same trouble with my new computer and the printer. I had a lot of trouble with my router and the cable company came out and got everything but the printer working. He didn't work on the printer because I had to run the install disc again and he had been here for two hours. I thought that it would connect once I ran the install disc and went through the steps. Dumb me!

It shows that it is on the network but when I try to print, it says that there is no connection. I have run the set-up disc many times but I am sure that I have done something wrong.

At least it will work if I plug it in to the pc. Glad you got yours working and keep your fingers ctossed that I will figure out what is wrong with mine.

Frustrating, isn't it. My problem was that the printer was connected to the PC when I downloaded The Win. 7 software. That was a no no, pluss I needed to give the PC time to detect the driver.

Good luck.

What kind of printer do you have, gatsby? I ask because I just went through the same exact thing. I did finally figure it out though. I have an HP Photosmart 309g. I'm assuming it IS a wireless printer, right?

InlandAZ,

Yes, it is a wireless one made by Canon. I am at work and don't have the model number handy.

Well, then I guess the Canon stuff will be different. What I had to do was open up the software installation and instead of selecting "install," I selected "change from USB to Wireless." After I let that wizard run, I was up and running.

Gatsbygirl,
Did you get your printer going? I just installed a wireless Canon Pixma a couple of weeks ago. Be glad to help you out if I can. (don't have number handy, but will look it up if necessary)

The main thing I remember is get the printer working with network setup. Use setup on printer pad. Then run the install disks on each computer. If I remember correctly I had to tinker a little to get everything to see everything correctly, but I think it was my router.

lazydaisy,

No, I haven't had a chance to try it again. I remember when I installed it on my other computer, it didn't work wirelessly because I didn't have a network key or something. My son-in-law was here for a few days and he used the key he has at home to get it to work. I thought that because I have a new computer, it might be easier.

I think that I should have hooked up the computer to the router with a LAN cord (at least that is what I have read) but I might not have done that correctly. Is a LAN cord different from a USB cord?

I have so many set-up discs for various things that I have gotten confused. I found my disc and my printer is a Pixma MP495 series. It seems to print okay (when plugged in to the computer) but it is noisy.

Thanks for your offer to help. I always need lots of it!

Ok, yours is a different model than mine, but it should work in a similar fashion.

1) Do you want the printer to work wirelessly only or attached to you computer? I'm assuming wireless for below information.

2) Is your computer connected to the network now? It can be either with LAN cord or wireless. That depends on what you want and what your computer can do.

LAN and USB are totally different. LAN is the cord that connects your computer to the router that gives you a network connection. It looks kind of like a telephone connection.

USB is a cord that connects things like printers or hard drives or mice or keyboards or whatever to the computer. Kind of a flat connection thingie "old computer term"

3) Is your printer connected wirelessly to the network now? If yes, great. If not, you will need the security code that you have on your wireless network so that you can enter it for your printer. Sounds like maybe your son-in-law got the printer connected to the network wirelessly??? Is this right?

4) If you printer is connected to the network by wireless, you just need to put the disk that came with your printer into your new computer. Then install the drivers. It should be able to find the printer if both the printer and computer are connected to the network. It doesn't matter if they are connected wireless or LAN.

I hope this makes some sense to you. If not, ask questions. I'm happy to try to help you through this. I know I got a little frustrated when I was setting mine up.

Although I have an HP, that is essentially what I had to do. I had to have my security password which I used to set up my wireless network. When I was connecting my printer to the network, I also had to enter the network security password for the printer. The printer setup software asked me to briefly connect the USB (flat connection thingie) so the software could take to the printer and tell it what the network security password was. Then it told me I could disconnect the USB cable. Gotto love those old computer terms!

Voila! Printer is now on the network.

Installing the software first is not just for printers. It's a must today to read to read the documentation that came with the device, be it a Printer, Camera, Scanner, or Webcam. Invariably, you will need to "Insert the CD First".

With some devices like HP Printers, if the install went wrong from the beginning, you might need to download that company's "Cleaner" that will help get rid of whatever elements got installed incorrectly by Windows. Then start over by installing the software first.

In my case the Canon printer was to be connected to the wireless network first. Using the tiny screen and buttons on the printer to set up the printer on the network. (Including security codes.) No USB cable involved at all.

Then the computers that were to be able to access that printer on the network all had to have the software installed from the disk that came with the printer. It was during that software/driver install that they recognized the printer on the network. With my desktop that took a little while. I thought everything was locked up, but suddenly "voila" everything was found and it works magically. The laptop with Vista seemed to find it easier.

You are so right, sureshot. Read...read...read all the documentation. Not like it used to be -- plug it in and get on with life.

We call it Plug and Pray now !!

I like that one, sureshot!

Thanks Draclvr - we get to say that a lot where I work