Why won't the network printer connect and what should I do?

Modern printing technology is generally reliable and fulfills the assigned tasks accurately. But sometimes even the best and most proven systems fail. And therefore, it is important to know why the network printer periodically does not connect, and what to do in such a situation.

Sending documents for printing on a local network is already quite familiar even for home use. The worst part is that adding a new device is relatively easy, but even this does not always help to avoid the problem. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the fact that the PC does not find and does not see the network printer is connected with an incorrect indication of the network address. The ping command will allow you to find out if the commands go to this address.

But a network printer is also one that is not connected to the users' computers themselves remotely, but to the main computer of the network. In this case, when it was not possible to connect to it, we can assume communication problems between computers. You will have to look for the address in the same way and check it with the ping command. Sometimes this fails, and if it does, the printer still does not work. It should be assumed then the occurrence of problems with the drivers. Often they are placed "crookedly", or do not want to be installed at all.

In more complex situations, there seems to be a driver, however, due to software glitches, viruses, Trojans, and hardware conflicts, they are unusable. It is absolutely impossible to anticipate such a development of events. You can only find it. The situation when the network printer is not displayed may also be related to the installation of an unsuitable driver version. She must fit not only the hardware itself, but also the software.

But even in the much more familiar and well-developed Windows 7, to which the manufacturers of all equipment seem to have already managed to adapt, various problems are likely. Likewise, you can fear inadequate driver versions or software conflicts. Regardless of the version of the operating system, sometimes the driver is not installed and the printer does not connect due to internal technical failure. With breakdowns, as well as with failures in the settings of the router, it is better not to fight on your own, but to contact the professionals.

The first thing to do is print a test page. This test, along with evaluating the health of the printer itself, allows (if successful) the network address of the device. Then, as already mentioned, you should check the installation of the drivers and the adequacy of their version. It is also useful to look at the connectors and plugs used for connection; if they are deformed, it is unlikely that it will be possible to achieve something without major repairs. Sometimes it helps to manually register the required IP if the system cannot set it correctly.

When the printer is not connected to the network directly, but through a router, it is worth restarting the latter. With a direct connection, the printing device itself is restarted accordingly. It is also worth checking the access rights to the systems used. But sometimes a different situation arises: the printer seemed to work for some time, and then it ceased to be available. In this case, clearing the print queue and restarting the print service in Windows often helps.

To avoid problems, you need to enable network discovery, access to files and printers, connection management and auto-configuration of network devices through the Network and Sharing Center. After that, you need to save the settings made, and not just exit. Access directly to the printer is divided into two items: "Sharing" and "Drawing print jobs". For normal operation, check the boxes in both positions.

The solution will be to add the device to exceptions.... If a computer running Windows 10, version 1709 has less than 4GB of RAM, it will not be able to communicate normally with the network printer, even if everything else is fine. You need to either update the system, or add RAM, or enter the command sc config fdphost type = own in the command line (followed by a reboot).

Not obvious to many, but a very serious cause of failures is non-compliance with the bitness of the drivers. Sometimes error 0x80070035 appears. It is necessary to deal with it systematically, providing general access, reconfiguring the SMB protocol and disabling ipv6. If all these methods do not work, it is necessary to test the printer when connecting to other machines. And when this does not help, it is better to leave further attempts to professionals.

See below what to do if the computer cannot see the printer.