In 2008 I struggled and struggled to get Windows Vista and a HP Laserjet 1010 printer working correctly. It didn’t matter how many times I installed it or changed HP Laserjet drivers, it seemed that no driver software was going to work until I literally stumbled onto a solution that on the surface shouldn’t have worked.
Fast forward a few years and I found myself in a position where I need to use the HP Laserjet to print onto some fancy paper that the Canon MP610 ink jet isn’t all that compatible with.
Following is the driver installation process I have just used in Windows 7 to get the HP Laserjet 1010 working. Your mileage may vary to mine, depending on the year of your printer or computer setup but it has worked for me.
HP Laserjet Driver Install Process
- Click the Start button and open Devices and Printers
- Click “Add a printer”
- Click “Add a local printer”
- Click “Use an existing port” and select DOT4 from the dropdown list
- Select HP from the Manufactuer listbox
- Click “Windows Update” button to download the latest set of drivers from Microsoft
- Browse the Printers listbox and select HP Laserjet 1015
- Give the printer a name or use the default
- Finish the process
At this stage, you should have installed the Microsoft provided HP Laserjet 1015 printer driver. Coincidentally, I think that same driver will also work for a HP Laserjet 1010, HP Laserjet 1012 and obviously a HP Laserjet 1015.
If the above driver installation process doesn’t work for you, HP provide a Windows Vista 32bit and Windows Vista 64bit driver for the HP Laserjet 1010 that it states works with the 1010/1012/1015. I don’t know if the Windows Vista drivers are compatible with Windows 7, though it might be worth a shot – keep in mind though that it would of course be unsupported by HP; then again so is what I outlined above.