How to Install a Printer’s Basic Driver Manually

Here in this article, we’ll guide you on the step-by-step guide on how to install the printer driver manually. Sometimes we need manual printer installation because the company’s installation package has failed to install or give any error message while installing. Manual installation is the basic and lightest way to install the printer driver and use printer too. In the manual installation only the driver does install — but in the driver/software installation package installs all the components of the software and the drivers. In the manual installation, you have to install the scanner driver separately if your printer has a scanner inbuilt.

We need the manual printer installation if the existing printer drivers got infected with driver conflicting. And even unable to uninstall itself. Then there is another option to install the printer driver manually and it has the option to replace the drivers to clean the driver conflicting.

Watch this video tutorial to know how to install a printer’s basic driver manually. In the video tutorial, we are installing p2055 model number printer as an example. So please replace it with your printer model number. If you don’t have its basic driver, then you can make a driver request here.

How to Install a printer driver manually

Here in this guide, we’ll show you the step-by-step guide on how to install a printer driver manually using its basic driver (.INF drivers). Follow the steps.

1. Firstly, download the installation package or its basic driver from its own official website and save it to your download folder or anywhere you want to save it. Click here for more detail. Note: You may also find the basic driver from our website search here. You may request for the basic driver here. You’ll get the drivers within 24hours.
   
2. Save the installation setup file in your hard drive. We’ll need this installation setup file later when the manual process will ask for driver “.inf” file – then we’ll extract the driver file from this installation package.
3. Let’s start – Click on Start button, and click on Control Panel.
   

• Click on Hardware and Sound.

• Click on Devices and Printers.

• Click on add a printer.

• Now, Click on Add a Local printer

• Select the option “use an existing port” and then “Choose a port”. (See below screenshot)
• Note: Usually the common USB ports for USB connection are;
  • USB001 (virtual printer port for USB)
  • USB002 (virtual printer port for USB)
  • USB003 (virtual printer port for USB)
  • Maybe it is listed under your printer model number.
• So, you can select one of them which is related to your printer model number. If none of them is related to your printer, then choose first one = USB001 (virtual printer port for USB) and go for the next step.
  Note: These above-given ports are visible only if your printer is connected to your computer so make sure it is connected properly and it is turned on.

• Choose your printer driver
• Choose your printer grand name from the left side pane and the select the exact printer model number from right side pane and click Next button. If your printer model number is not listed there, then you have to browse the extracted driver’s .inf file – Click on Have Disk

• Click on Browse Button.

• Now navigate the location where you have extracted the drivers and select driver’s .INF file.
  Note: Most of the printer brands extracting their drivers in %temp% folder. Some brands uses different location than temp folder. It maybe C:/ drive or another path – eventually it depends on brands. In that case you have to find out the extract location, where is the driver installation package will extract the drivers. Most of the installation package extract the driver’s core files save temporally somewhere in the computer. so you have to take care about that.
• For example: we have extracted the deskjet 1000 printer driver installation package and they have extracted the core drivers files into the %temp% folder named as 7zs7988.
• So open up the extracted location %temp%/7zs7988.

• Now choose the driver “.inf” file named as “Autorun.inf” (INF file name maybe differ) and click on open.
  Note: Driver “.inf” file name maybe differ according to your printer model number and brand.

• After click on “Open”, you will bring back to “Install from disk” menu with filled the full path. Now, Click on OK to get inside drivers.

• Now, Click on NEXT

• Next window will show you two options, choose the second option (replace the current driver)

• Click on Next button.
  

• Now it is asking you for sharing this printer to other computers on your network. Choose the option according to your need. Select the option “Do not share this printer” if you do not want to share it to others. Then click on NEXT.

• Select the check-box “set your printer as default” and then click Finish.

• Now your printer is ready to use.

If you have any questions regarding this manual installation, please share with us on below comment section.

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FAQs

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Q: For Lenovo laptop, can I use this driver 1018?

A: Yes, you can use for your Lenovo laptop. We recommend you to use the laserjet 1018 basic driver and then follow the above given manual installation guide.