HP is a popular hardware manufacturing industry and is best known for PCs and printer devices. These gadgets provide a simple interface so the user can easily run them. HP devices are robust and you can work on them reliably. However, the user still faces a few issues with HP printers sometimes. While setting the driver, the user can’t find the printer.
Reasons behind HP Printer not Found Error
- The HP printer is not connected correctly
- You have installed the wrong HP printer driver
- The firewall is interrupting the printer connection
- Outdated printer driver
- The printer spooler is not working
Troubleshooting HP Printer Not Found Error
Restart the HP Printer and PC
When you can’t find the printer, try restarting it. The device sometimes gets into service error and stops working. To fix this, the user has to restart the device. For an HP power restart, remove the power cord. Wait for finishing the renaming charge on the printer. When the electricity is fully drained, reconnect the cable. Your HP printer will start automatically and services will run from the beginning. Now reconnect the printer to the computer and check for errors. When you are still getting the error then restart the PC. If the HP printer is getting an error due to some PC files then restarting will fix it. After the PC restarts, go to the printer driver. Set the driver and now search for your HP printer.
Run the PC Troubleshooter
When the HP printer shows any error, you should go to the troubleshooter. Your printer troubleshooter will inspect all the HP printer related files. If the file is not working, the printer troubleshooter will repair it. On the PC, on the troubleshooter and run the printer troubleshooter. After repairing the files, go to the printer driver setup and then check for the HP printer.
Try HP Print and Scan Doctor
On an HP printer, you can use the utility tool. It will check the PC and diagnose the issues behind your printer error. This tool is available on the web; you have to install the setup and then use it. Run the setup and follow the steps, tap on the start button. Choose your printer and then you have to run the diagnostic. If you can’t see your printer name on the list then tap on My product is not listed and then use the given instructions. This Scan Doctor will repair the error reliably.
Reinstall the HP Printer Driver
The user also gets a printer error when he has installed an incorrect driver. While searching the printer, the user will get HP Printer Error Code 0xc18a0206 and can’t find the device. To fix the error, the user has to install the correct driver. Open the PC and go to the HP printer driver. Check the model name on the driver. If you have the wrong driver then uninstall it. Open computer and uninstall the driver. Now check the HP printer model name and open the web browser. Search for the correct driver to install. Restart the PC and go to HP printer driver, now search for the printer and use it.
Reconnect the HP Printer
Many times, the cable gets loose and the printer can’t create the connection. Whenever you can’t find the printer, check for the printer connection cable. Remove it and then insert it correctly. Check your cable ends for any damage. Don’t use a cable with kinks on the printer. Use a high-speed cable for the printer and then check for your error. When using your HP printer on the network, inspect the router. Restart your router and reconnect the HP printer. Enable the WPS pin and now search the network on the HP device. Select the correct network name for the connection and then use your device.
Check the Firewall
If the printer is working on cable but can’t find a connection on the network then check the firewall. Many times, the firewall interrupts the printer connection. The firewall inspects the printer as a malicious foreign device and blocks the connection. To use the printer, you have to disable the firewall. Go to PC and disable the firewall temporarily. Again, go to the driver and search the HP printer. The connection can show issues due to viruses and other malware on the PC. Scan the PC for malware and remove all of them. After cleaning the device, retry to connect the HP printer.