HP Photosmart Printer Won't Install

I have used my HP Photosmart 309g Printer for over 3 years with no problems whatsoever . . . until now. Recently, I had a problem which told me to reinstall my printer software. I don't know the reason why but I uninstalled the software and then tried to reinstall it per HP instructions. I am using a PC with Windows 7 OS. I am using the original HP Disc but I keep hitting a "fatal error" when the software reaches the installation stage. I have followed HP's suggestions for all the error codes related to the error to no avail. It seems HP doesn't have a specific fix solution but uses a generic solution for all their printers. I have tried to load in a basic configuration, tried to load a basic driver and also the full program but nothing seems to work. It looks like I might have to dump a perfectly good printer for a new one. I hope not and someone out there has an answer. Thanks in advance.

 

I fixed it by:
1) Did a level 4 clearing of all HP stuff. You can find the level 1 thru 4 on your original software disk and on the latest download of the software and drivers (full) from HP site. I downloaded the file from HP and used the one on the download.
2) after cleaning and reboot I turned my virus and malware protection (Microsoft essentials) off and installed.
3) if you follow the instructions exactly, it works fine including the scanner. I have an all-in-one (C4280).

I could not get it done until I turned off the virus protection. I tried it many times over a two week period before discovering the problem was caused by Microsoft essentials.

 

High hopes but no cigar....I went into the CD and did a level 4 (uninstall4.bat). Rebooted, turned off virus (AVG), turned off malwarebytes, turned off firewall. Followed your instructions exactly. Result: The "fatal installation error popped up faster with error code 1603 ". This is becoming very frustrating. Any other suggestions out there?

 

Does the original disk include Windows 7 drivers? I would visit the Driver Download page for your printer and insure you are using the correct driver. Make sure you properly select 32-bit or 64-bit, to match the version of W7 you are using.

 

I have tried the OEM disc, the full driver prg. and basic driver prg. from HP. Same result with different reasons.

 

Printer Problem Update

When I tried to upgrade my 309g driver from the OEM disk it says that it found the driver but encountered a problem in installing it. Where can I find help?

 

Thanks but as I have said before, I have tried all of Windows, HP and other suggestions. I even called an aftermarket remote fix site and after almost two hours on the phone, this (so-called expert) decided I had a USB port problem. Where he came up with that idea, I have no clue. Obviously, that was not a solution. Next stop was HP (out of warranty) repair service. After an hour and a half with them, the expert gave up and said that since I can access my 309g printer from my laptop (OS windows 7 also) and print, my problem lies with my desktop (duh) and I need to reinstall windows and clean everything. Well, that of course is not an option because I don't want to lose certain programs for which I don't have discs for and I don't think I should have to get that drastic. I'll keep hoping someone finds an answer. In the meantime, I have found that I can load a HP Photosmart 309a driver but that doesn't give me full function control of the 309g Printer.

 

Onward and upward. After trial and error, I finally got a 309g driver to load but for whatever reason the device manager shows a question mark on the description. I can print from my computer now and scan (in a round-about way) but do not have the HP Solution Center so I know the full function of the printer is not working as yet. I dare not run the install again for fear of losing what I have gained.

 

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At your discretion, you may mark this thread closed not necessarily resolved but I don't feel anyone has any input that will resolve the situation. Thanks.