[bauhsoj]

I experienced some sort of driver conflict that prevent Windows 8 Pro from starting, so I did a Refresh. Didn't understand how that worked, so I got the nasty surprise that all my desktop programs and drivers were uninstalled.

So I've been reinstalling everything and just when I've finally got everything else in order I find out I can't install any printer drivers at all, despite being Windows 8 certified drivers. Not even PDFLite.

I get the message "error while testing for existing printer" followed by message "printer installation error -1001 (0)".

What's up with Windows 8 refusing all my print drivers?

 

[OldGrayGary]

Next time, you might have better luck using System Restore, using a restore point from before the driver conflict. System Restore can be started from the Windows 8 Recovery Environment by selecting the Troubleshooting option, then selecting System Restore. You likely rebooted into the Windows 8 Recovery Environment when your system wouldn't restart successfully.

The Windows 8 Recovery Environment is also available when booting your computer from a "repair disk" CD or DVD (you can type "recdisc" into the Search box available from the magnifying glass icon on the Windows 8 "Charms" bar, and then select the "recdisc.exe" icon to create such a disc). You can also create bootable USB from the "create a recovery drive" icon: type "Recovery" into the Search box, then select "Settings", then select the "create a recovery drive" icon.

The advantage to using System Restore is that most programs won't have to be reinstalled (and your personal files are kept safe, as well).
_______________

RE: your present printer predicament
1) Unplug any connected printers. Power off wireless printers.
2) Remove any printers listed in the "Devices & Printers" applet in Control Panel.
3) If a Windows 8 driver is available from the printer's manufacturer's website, download the one that matches your version of Windows (64-bit or 32-bit).
4) Reboot.
5) You can power on any wireless printers previously powered off. Do NOT connect any USB printers yet. You can power your USB printer on, but don't connect it yet.
6) Run the installer file for the driver you downloaded from the manufacturer's website. If your printer is a USB printer, do NOT connect it until told to do so by the installation program provided from the manufacturer's site.
_______________

Some printers do not have files available at the manufacturer's websites, but do have drivers built into Windows 8. If you find that installing the printer automatically - that is, letting Windows 8 detect it & automatically find and install a driver - fails again and again, repeat steps 1,2,& 4 from the above list [Power off / disconnect the printer(s) -- Remove printers from the Control Panel's 'Devices & Printers' applet -- Reboot].

After restarting your computer, and with your printer still off and disconnected, go to the Control Panel's Devices & Printers applet, and select Add a printer. If your make & model appears in the list, select it. Note that many printers come in printer model "families" (especially true of Hp printers), so that often the driver for a "Photosmart 8700 series" is the one you should choose if you have a Photosmart 8750, etc.. If your model series does not appear on the list, click on the item "The printer I want isn't listed". Next, choose either "local" for a printer connected by a USB cable, or choose "network" for a wired/wireless printer connected to your network by ethernet cable or wireless. For USB printers, you can then select the "use an existing port" option, and then select LPT1: At this point a Windows Update option should be available, let Windows Update download the latest drivers. When done, choose your manufacturer from the list, then your printer model, then you can connect the USB printer cable (and power the printer on, if it isn't already on). In the Windows 8 Taskbar, you should now briefly see an item "Installing Device Driver Software" - wait for it to finish & disappear. You can now click "Cancel" from the "Add Printer" window, and you should now see your printer in the list of printers in the main "Devices and Printers" window.
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If any of your printers happen to be Hp printers, they have a Windows 7 & 8 Printer Installation Wizard you can try --- HP Printer Install Wizard for Windows | HP® Support --- Note that the Wizard does not work for Windows RT

Let us know how it goes
. . . Gary


Late note: Hp printer customers also can try the HP Scan & Print Doctor, which can diagnose connectivity and other issues for printers both local and networked --- HP Print and Scan Doctor | HP® Support

 

[bauhsoj]

Hi Gary,

I tried to remove the printer, but each time I select Remove it asks me to confirm and then does nothing. So I tried uninstalling all printer drivers. Each of them gave me an error during uninstallation and could not complete the process.

 

[bauhsoj]

Figured out the problem. Print Spooler wasn't running and couldn't start because the HTTP dependency had the wrong start value. I corrected that to value 3, restarted and now the printer uninstalls/installs just fine.

Thanks for the help!

 

[OldGrayGary]

Good work.

In case anyone else has this problem on their computer, were you able to figure out how the wrong value ended up in the HTTP Service dependency? Since there isn't any service in the Computer Management Services applet by the name of "HTTP Service" (though the WinHTTP Web Proxy Auto-Discovery Sevice is listed), did you have to manually change the value with a Registry edit? Could you post the registry key here?

I'll guess that the printer is networked, rather than connected by a USB cable?

Very interesting stuff.
. . . Gary

 

[bauhsoj]

Yes, networked printer.

The HTTP value was set to 4 so it wouldn't start because it was using port 80. Another program or service occupying port 80 prevents my web server from running. I hadn't realized the print spooler uses the HTTP service in Windows 8. Very frustrating because it means I have to restart my computer and shut down the AMPPS web server just to print and then reverse that process just to run the web server.

Windows 8 is not impressing me so far.

 

[OldGrayGary]

You might try a quick post over in our TSF Networking forum. I wonder if the network gurus know a way to get the servier to dynamically share port 80 without causing any untoward conflicts. They know a lot more about the networking side of things than I do.

Hope it works out!
. . . Gary