driver cache problem

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G

Guest

hello,

this post is in regards to my printer not being recognized when i try to add
a printer from the control panel.

ive had this printer working fine, in xp, then, recently i had a problem
with it and had to both remove it from the printers & faxes area, and
physically remove it. my printer is an older, hp printer, that i know xp
includes drivers for. especially as it has worked fine before in xp. and
there is nothing wrong with the printer itself i dont think.

somewhere along the way, while using various 'uninstall programs' that ive
downloaded, to 'clean' my hard drive, i think i mustve deleted certain files,
or a vast horde of files, that xp might need to install some supported
hardware. --and not known i had deleted those files. even now, when i try to
add the printer again, it recognizes it by name and model, but stops there,
and cannot find the drivers. i dont even get the list of brands, in the found
new hardware wizard dialog, to add the driver manually.

i dont know exactly what ive done to my computer for this to be happening,
but i suppose there is something that i should be able to do, using my xp
setup disc. can i somehow initiate a command prompt command or something, to
pull the driver files, INFs or whatever off the disc again, and back to their
default location on my computer?

if anyone is wondering, i do have the dllcache folder in my system32
directory, but there is no i386 subfolder in the dllcache folder. if this
particular i386 folder is created and filled by default in windows setup, i
mustve accidentally deleted it or something. but my question here is NOT
about any missing i386 folder, but windows ability to normally find and
install the driver for my printer, which is a deskjet 670tv. --recognized by
windows as a 670C. but windows wont install the driver anymore. when i bought
my printer new, it did not come with any software or drivers. i bought it
initially for use with webtv, and now that i use a pc, i had to go to the hp
support website to download drivers for earlier operating systems. but hp
says that drivers for xp systems, are included with the system, and therefore
hp does not provide standalone drivers for xp. and ive never downloaded
drivers for this printer, for xp, as the printer has always set up fine on
its own.

thank you
 
John said:
somewhere along the way, while using various 'uninstall programs' that
ive downloaded, to 'clean' my hard drive, i think i mustve deleted
certain files,
Click to expand...

In this case, the System Restore tool will fail most likely.
i dont know exactly what ive done to my computer for this to be
happening, but i suppose there is something that i should be able to do,
using my xp setup disc.
Click to expand...

See if the repair install helps:
"How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP"
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=315341

Note that all available system updates have to be reinstalled afterwards.
 
so,

will using the repair install, be like re running xp setup from the cdrom,
or what? my concern in all that, is later having to also reinstall my
preexisting hardware drivers and any other leisure programs i currently have
on my system. my system is too vast, as far as already-installed programs are
concerned. if doing this would be like starting over from scratch again, is
there another way of getting these drivers back? i dont want to have to
reinstall my systems drivers, and all the many other programs ive installed
from disc. i have many computer games with settings and saves that i dont
want to mess up or lose, by running this repair install solution. please
explain. thanks
 
additionally,

i do not use windows update and nor have i applied any hotfixes or related
system updates. i have not actually 'updated' anything in my system by means
of downloading any software setup program

windows xp also did not come installed on my computer. i built and installed
the hardware and software on my computer myself.
 
John said:
will using the repair install, be like re running xp setup from the cdrom,
Click to expand...

Just follow the steps as mentioned in the referred MSKB article using
Method 2, for instance.
my concern in all that, is later having to also reinstall my preexisting
hardware drivers and any other leisure programs i currently have on my
system.
Click to expand...

Why don't you read that article first since it points to other articles
as well, answering your questions eg. KB312369 and KB312368. And yes,
it's always a good idea to backup important data prior to such action.
 
John said:
additionally,

i do not use windows update and nor have i applied any hotfixes or
related system updates.
Click to expand...

Any unpatched system is a huge security gap today.
windows xp also did not come installed on my computer. i built and
installed the hardware and software on my computer myself.
Click to expand...

That doesn't really matter as long as you have the installation media
(WinXP CD) and the Product Key handy. Good luck.
 
so,

will using the repair install, be like re running xp setup from the cdrom,
or what? my concern in all that, is later having to also reinstall my
preexisting hardware drivers and any other leisure programs i currently
have
on my system. my system is too vast, as far as already-installed programs
are
concerned. if doing this would be like starting over from scratch again,
is
there another way of getting these drivers back? i dont want to have to
reinstall my systems drivers, and all the many other programs ive
installed
from disc. i have many computer games with settings and saves that i dont
want to mess up or lose, by running this repair install solution. please
explain. thanks
Click to expand...

Read the link Detlev gave you. Here is another excellent link on doing a
repair install.
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

A repair install should keep programs and data in tact, but as you should
know with computers, things do happen, so make sure there is a backup. You
will have to revisit windows update and reinstall all the updates. Normally
you should not have to reinstall drivers but I have seen that required on an
occasional basis.

I don't know what kind of backup solution you have in place, but you might
want to look at using a drive imaging program to image the system to a
networked or external hard drive. Image before doing the repair install,
then if there is a problem with it making matters worse, restore the image.

Programs that do this are Acronis True Image, Norton Ghost, Terabyte
Unlimited Image for Windows, and Casper XP which does drive and partition
cloning, but not imaging. I currently use and recommend Acronis True Image.
 
John said:
additionally,

i do not use windows update and nor have i applied any hotfixes or related
system updates. i have not actually 'updated' anything in my system by
means
of downloading any software setup program

windows xp also did not come installed on my computer. i built and
installed
the hardware and software on my computer myself.
Click to expand...

Why have you not updated the system? Without it you are open to security
risks and operating problems. An XP system should be at the SP2 level and
updated with all necessary the post SP2 updates. Not all of them are
needed, but some are quite important.
 
well, if running the repair means i will later have to reinstall drivers and
other programs that use save date, i am not doing it. i browsed the knowledge
base articles, and did not find answers to my questions. i have too many
programs and other information on my computer that i dont care to back up and
re install again if i really dont have to
 
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