It seems that Microsoft will never be able to get rid of hardware and driver compatibility issues that haunt the users after the release of its OSes. This has been a case with the Windows 9x series of operating systems. Even after the release of its most feature packed and redesigned OS the problem persists.
A number of Windows 7 users are facing problems while trying to connect their existing printer or MFD to their PC after installing Windows 7. Users who have relatively older models are more likely to face this problem. According to the major printer manufacturers, the majority of the existing MFDs and printers will work with Windows 7 if the users try the drivers meant for Vista.
Those who are upgrading their PC from Vista to Windows 7 and have drivers for Vista already installed may not suffer from driver issues and the Windows 7 installation disc may include the drivers for his printer. However, this depends on the model and manufacturer. According to Microsoft, such a user should keep his printer or MFD connected to the PC while the upgrade process runs. If the Windows 7 disc does not contain the required printer drivers, the user needs to check at the website of the printer manufacturer for Windows 7 drivers.
In case someone fails to obtain Windows 7 compliant drivers for his MFD, the only option for him would be to use the Vista drivers. Microsoft has listed a number of printers and MFDs in its site that will work under windows 7 using the Vista drivers. As an alternative, one can try running the installation under compatibility mode for Vista. The compatibility mode also works with PCs running Vista with Service packs.
If the Vista compatibility mode does not work, as is the case with some of the HP printers, the users can try adding the printer drivers manually. The Windows Add Printer Wizard utility can be used in this context. However, things can get a bit tricky if the printer is connected to a LAN. In that case one needs to instruct the wizard that he is installing a local device. The person needs to select LPT1 port and after the driver gets installed the port settings need to be changed to quite an extent.
In case someone’s MFD or printer refuses to work with Windows Vista drivers he can opt for Windows 7 UPD or universal printer driver. However, the printer needs to be compatible with either PostScript or PDL. The companies like Xerox, Ricoh and HP provide OS specific PostScript and PCL drivers for their products. The HP UPDs do not work with other models at all. However, a UPD may not support the advanced features of a printer. The inkjet and entry level laser printers mostly do not use Postscript or PCL. For the owners of these printers the best option is searching the web for a Windows 7 compatible printer driver. The users can look up in the online forums and gadget blog sites for suggestion if all the aforesaid options fail.
