Today we will learn with you how to remove printer drivers once and for all. This question, to be honest, is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance. In general, getting rid of any driver requires the right approach. Indeed, otherwise it will not work to complete the process. So let's try to solve the task set before us today.
Control Panel
How to remove the printer driver ? XP, 7, 8, 10, Vista or any other operating system you have installed is not important. The important thing is that the first step is to get rid of the application that your printer created during installation. This process is the basis of all work. Without it, the driver will not be permanently deleted.
How to get rid of specialized content? Go to the "Control Panel", select "Add or Remove Programs." Now you should see what your equipment is called. In the list that appears, find the name of the printer, and then highlight the line data. There may be several. Practice shows that usually there are about 2-3 of them. How to remove printer drivers? Just right-click on each line related to your printing equipment, and then select the "Delete" option. All this will help to cope with the task.
Programs
By the way, sometimes during the installation of the driver the computer simultaneously installs software for processing documents. And you also need to get rid of this kind of content. It often does not appear in the Control Panel. What to do in this case?
Go to the "Start" and select "All Programs" there. In the list that appears, you should find applications for printing (usually they have the name of your printer in the name). Go into the properties and go along the specified installation path. Ready?
Then, to once and for all figure out how to remove the printer driver from the system, select the root folder with the "editor". Hold Shift on your keyboard and press Del. You will see a message that tells you that the process is irreversible. The folder from the program will not be placed in the "Trash", it will simply disappear from the hard drive. This is exactly what we need! We agree with the warning and look at the result. But that is not all. It’s not enough to get rid of all the content that was installed on the computer. You need to follow a few simple steps so that you can understand how to remove printer drivers once and for all.
Device
Next, you have to worry about getting rid of the operating system from the printing equipment connected to it. That is, you need to take and remove the printer directly from the computer. This is especially true in cases where the driver will not be reinstalled on the printing device.
To uninstall the printer driver in Windows 7, look in the "Control Panel". But now you should pay attention to the service called "Equipment". In it, find "View devices and printers." Click on this line. You will be taken to a window in which all equipment for printing documents is displayed.
In the list you will have to find the model of our device. Highlight the corresponding shortcut, click on the right mouse button. You will see a context menu. It is worth paying attention to the "Delete device" parameter. Click on it. Most likely, the system will request administrator rights. Accept this message and confirm your actions. To do this, click "Yes" as soon as a small window pops up asking you if you really want to get rid of the installed printer.
Important: first you must delete the content and programs related to the device, and only then clear the list of equipment. If you do the opposite, the driver will not disappear completely. When reinstalling, the application will change, not reconnect the devices.
Work with the print server
Well, we are almost done with you considering how to completely remove the printer driver from the operating system. Now that the bulk of the work is done, it’s worth looking into a service such as a print server. Not all users do this when they get rid of the printer on the computer. The step is optional, but it is desirable to do it.
Press the key combination Win + X on the keyboard. A long list with possible actions will appear on the screen. Here you have to pay attention to the "Run." You can also immediately hold Win + R on your keyboard. You will be taken to the right service.
How to remove the printer driver from the system once and for all? In the line that appears, you will have to type some kind of command. In our case, this is printui / s. Click OK or Enter. We will find ourselves in the properties of the print server. Next, you have to go to the "Drivers" tab. You will see a short list of printing devices that have ever been connected to the operating system. To rid the computer of the driver, you need to find the printer with which we worked before. Now select the desired line and click on the "Delete" button at the bottom of the window.
You will have a small selection of actions: either you get rid of only the driver, or from it but with a special package. Choose the second parameter. It is called "Uninstall the driver and driver package." And then, as in all past cases, you just have to agree with all the changes. Click OK several times. The process is completed.
Garbage cleaning
In principle, all actions are completed. Printer drivers removed. But sometimes there are cases that some documents and files from the device remain in the operating system. It is advisable to get rid of them. Especially if the reason for removing the printer was a printing problem.
How to do it? Look for folders on your computer with the name of your printer, and then delete them. Most often, they are located in the sections of the Program Files hard drive. To get rid of everything found is the same as in the case of applications - holding Shift or clearing the basket at the end of all manipulations. This is what helps permanently remove printer drivers from the operating system.
Registry
The next step is also optional. But to make it desirable. After all, it not only helps to get rid of residual printer files, but also normalizes the operation of the operating system. We need to clean the computer registry. To do this, it is preferable to use CCleaner.
Install the application and run it. Now in the window that appears, click on "Analysis" and then click on "Cleanup". A few minutes of waiting - and all problems are resolved. You can be sure that we can answer how to remove printer drivers from a computer.
Possible problems
But there are some exceptions. Sometimes, due to unforeseen circumstances, the printer driver cannot be uninstalled. What to do in this case? There are several scenarios.
First, make sure your computer does not have a queue of print documents. If available, you will either have to print the files, or abandon them altogether.
Secondly, scan your operating system for viruses. Sometimes trojans and spies are able to block the removal of drivers.
Third, run all services with administrator privileges. This helps in many cases. If none of the above saved, then you can either forget about the idea, or reinstall the operating system. True, the latter option is used in exceptional cases.