Compaq printer reinstalls when connected

[Michael 23]

I have a friend using a dell laptop, which she carries from home to
office.
She has a Compaq printer at the office, connected via usb.

Every time she plugs in the usb cable for the printer, her laptop
installs another instance of the same printer. Annoying as heck - I
checked once and she had a dozen or so of the same printer!

Any ideas how to get rid of this?
I think she said that it only happens if the laptop is on and then she
plugs in the printer. If she remembers to hook up the usb cable before
booting the laptop, it is fine... I think.

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

That's standard.... she should always ensure she connects it to the SAME USB
port. But if there is no unique ID hardcoded into the prnter, it will
always install it, since XP cannot tell whether it is the same or another
instance of the printer.