How to Install a Printer for a Computer

Level of difficulty: Easy

Having a printer is very essential when it comes to printing documents whether a computer is for personal home use or in the office. You can also use high-end printers to develop quality pictures. The printer that you would install should be appropriate to the hardware of the computer. There are printers using the parallel port and some prototypes connected through the Universal Service Bus (USB) port. In order to install a printer onto a computer, you should first check the BIOS settings if the parallel port is configured appropriately.

Materials Needed:
- Printer
- computer with Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) or Extended Capabilities Port (ECP)
- printer installation CD
- Internet connection (optional)
Step 1
Turn on the computer. Wait for the computer to completely load the OS.
Step 2
Attach the printer cable to the corresponding parallel port. After you securely connect the printer to the computer, turn on the printer. Windows will automatically detect the new printer and would prompt you to install the required drivers. Some printers may not be detected automatically by the computer. To manually detect the printer, click the 'Printers and Faxes' available on the 'Start' Menu. Double click the 'Add Printer' icon to launch the Add Printer wizard. If the computer still did not detect the attached printer, unplug and adjust the connection of the printer to the computer.
Step 3
The wizard would ask you to choose between a Local Printer and a Network Printer. The computer searches for the connected printer after you select the type of printer.
Step 4
The computer prompts you to install the needed driver. The printer usually comes with an installation CD which contains the drivers of the printer. Insert the installation CD on the CD tray. The computer automatically detects the driver files on the CD.
Step 5
You need to manually detect the driver required for the installation just in case the driver is not detected. Select from the predefined list of driver software depending on the manufacturer and the model of the printer.
Step 6
You may now proceed to perform a Windows update if you still cannot find the driver for your printer. You need to connect to the Internet in order to gather components from the online Windows product support.
Step 7
The computer finalizes the installation procedure after the driver is successfully installed. A notification would appear informing you that you have successfully installed the printer. A printer icon would appear on the taskbar. This enables easy access to the configuration and maintenance settings of your printer.


You are currently viewing How to Install a Printer for a Computer on Uniblue's how to archive.