Solved Microsoft Office 2007 shows phantom printers

[Victek]

So I was called to work on a computer because Microsoft Office 2007 apps weren't printing. It turned out that the Office apps were still listing printers that had been removed from "Devices and Printers" and were defaulting to one of the previously removed printers. The problem was solved by simply selecting the correct printer, but the question is how can the nonexistent printers be removed from the list of available printers? TIA

 

[Layback Bear]

Go to Start Orb and select Devices and Printers.
If you see the old printer there just right click on it and select Remove Device.

 

[Victek]

Go to Start Orb and select Devices and Printers.
If you see the old printer there just right click on it and select Remove Device.

Thanks for replying. Unfortunately I don't have access to Office 2007 at home to check that out, but I expect I'll be called back by that customer at some point. Meanwhile is something similar available in 2010 that I can check out?

 

[Ranger4]

Go to Start Orb and select Devices and Printers.
If you see the old printer there just right click on it and select Remove Device.

Thanks for replying. Unfortunately I don't have access to Office 2007 at home to check that out, but I expect I'll be called back by that customer at some point. Meanwhile is something similar available in 2010 that I can check out?

As suggested by Layback Bear the same method applies for removal of Printers & Devices from Windows, so this applies to the whole OS. So removal of an old not attached printer applies to all programs loaded on to the actual computer. Therefore it applies to Office 2010 as well.
Hope this helps.

 

[Victek]

As suggested by Layback Bear the same method applies for removal of Printers & Devices from Windows, so this applies to the whole OS. So removal of an old not attached printer applies to all programs loaded on to the actual computer. Therefore it applies to Office 2010 as well.

That's what I would have thought also, but this is not the case. The old printers have been removed from "Printers and Devices" - in other words removed from the OS - and should not appear to be available to any application, and yet they appear on the list of available printers in Microsoft Office apps. It is possible to select one of these nonexistent printers and "print" to it though of course nothing happens since it doesn't exist.

 

[Layback Bear]

When you are in Devices and Printers do you have the proper printer selected as default printer. Their should be a big green circle with a check mark.
If not right tick on the proper printer and select Select as default printer.

 

[Victek]

When you are in Devices and Printers do you have the proper printer selected as default printer. Their should be a big green circle with a check mark.
If not right tick on the proper printer and select Select as default printer.

There is only one printer actually installed and it is the default printer.

 

[Layback Bear]

Could you post one of these.

 

[Victek]

Update!

I was able to return to the customer and take another look at the phantom printer problem. What I discovered was although the printers had been deleted from "Devices and Printers" there was still software installed for them in "Programs and Features". When I uninstalled those entries the phantom printers in Microsoft Office were removed. My thanks to everyone who responded. I will mark the thread solved