Need Help installing driver for printer

Hello ATS members,

I am having issues and am hoping someone in this community can help me solve this problem.

I have a Toshiba Satellite P305-S8820 laptop with windows vista (32-bit) on it and a HP photosmart P1000 printer connected via USB

the issue i am having is getting the driver to install. I have tried installing it both from the disc that came with it and from HPs website (they dont show a vista version of the driver on the website).

the message it displays says that it found the driver but it could not install it due to an error: the required section was not found in the INF

I am not a tech person so I have no idea what that means. however i am capable of following directions. i have looked for this issue with a google search but have not yet found a post containing a solution that fits my setup. i am assuming the printer is too old for the laptop but i feel there is some work around to this that i would not be aware of.

If anyone out there that comes accross this thread has the know how (or knows someone that does) to fix this problem I would be very grateful for your advice. thanks for taking the time to read my issue.

Your problem is Windows Vista. Vista was designed for more security than other Windows platforms, but Microsoft hardened the OS so much that it is almost impossible to install drivers for anything. Try following these steps for starters, and if this doesn't work let me know.


Installing printer drivers in Vista

reply to post by HiroProtagonist


The reason Windows 7 came out so soon after Vista is because Vista is such a pain in the neck to install anything.

Originally posted by HiroProtagonist
Hello ATS members,

I am having issues and am hoping someone in this community can help me solve this problem.

I have a Toshiba Satellite P305-S8820 laptop with windows vista (32-bit) on it and a HP photosmart P1000 printer connected via USB

the issue i am having is getting the driver to install. I have tried installing it both from the disc that came with it and from HPs website (they dont show a vista version of the driver on the website).

the message it displays says that it found the driver but it could not install it due to an error: the required section was not found in the INF

As with most things, the first problem is "Vista" and the second is "microsoft in general". An INF file is an automated installer. Theoretically, you don't necessarily need it....however I have some questions for you concerning the driver(s) themselves given that there is no vista-specific driver.

1. Which driver are you using? Is it a Windows XP driver or a Windows 7 driver?
2. Is the driver the 64-bit or 32-bit variety. Your computer will only run a 32 bit driver.
3. Open the folder which contains the drivers and/or click on the disk after you get the random error msg. Do you see a .exe file of some type? If so...click it. All an INF file really does is simply run an .exe file automatically, such as when you insert or mount a disc.

If those fail, try installing and using the Vista driver for the deskjet 5500...I'm about 85% sure that will work. If that also fails, try one of the other alternate drivers listed here: h10025.www1.hp.com...

There are really only a handful of ways to get a printer to talk to an OS. HP has a tendency to cycle their product lines through a few different protocols just to convince people that they periodically need to buy a new printer more often than they should.

My money is in the deskjet 5500 driver...but one of those listed should work. The only thing to really watch is to make sure that you are not using any 64 bit (x64) drivers...they will most assuredly not work no matter what.