Default printer driver doesn't work, Win7 won't update it. Ricoh mp171

briligg · 02 Oct 2013

I downloaded Win7 x86 drivers for our Ricoh Aficio MP 171 from Ricoh, to load them onto a machine freshly updated from XP to Win 7. Every time i try to install them, Windows tells me the default driver it chose is the best one and won't install it. The driver it is using does squat, the printer was working fine when it was connected to XP, now the most we have gotten out of it is a few pages of jibberish when we tried to print a photo.

I have tried manually installing the driver from the device manager, i tell it to use a folder on the desktop where i copied the driver, but when i press next it immediately says the driver being used is up to date. I tried telling it to read from a dvd i burned the driver folder on to, it doesn't like that either.

I am toying with the idea of deleting the default driver from system32 (but copying it first to a data key), disconnecting from the 'net, and then installing the one from Ricoh.

pebbly · 02 Oct 2013

Hi briligg, Have you tried installing the drivers in admin mode Run as Administrator Some times you have to overrule win7 and tell it you know best this time

briligg · 02 Oct 2013

hi Pebbly
It's an administrator account, i thought that made it automatic. Is it that right-click, run as administrator routine? I'll try.

briligg · 02 Oct 2013

hi Pebbly
It's an administrator account, i thought that made it automatic. Is it that right-click, run as administrator routine? I'll try.

Oh, i read the Run as Administrator link - but i'm not opening a program, i'm messing with the device manager.
Looking around, it seems i was already in administrator mode - the control panel entry for device manager has the administrator symbol. At any rate there were no 'run as administrator' options on the right-click menu anywhere along the process.

I tried deleting the driver windows is using, but i can't because i'm not a 'trusted installer'.

briligg · 02 Oct 2013

Okay, it seems that there are 2 drivers being used - one is usbprinter.sys, to pass data to the printer through a usb port. I'm guessing it is the problem. The other seems to be the Ricoh driver. According to the system both are working fine. I see now that i can click on the two drivers listed as being used for the device and get properties for either one, i didn't realize before they were separate entities.