Hewlett-Packard All-in-Ones are excellent machines and are designed and tested by the world’s bests. However, these instruments does not stand alone by itself. It could not function well with existing Personal Computers’ softwares like, Microsoft, Mac, and Linux with out its Software and Driver.
As the products spread like virus, incompatibility issues arises some of which are still without solution. But most of these issues require a full uninstall and reinstall to fix.
Commonly asked questions:
Why do we need to uninstall and reinstall?
Hp softwares were programmed and debugged thousands of times to work, ideally, on fresh installation. However, over time, HP software can sometimes be affected by third party softwares like registry cleaners, anti-viruses, or Windows itself. The problems cause by these applications are hard to trace that is why it makes sense to uninstall and reinstall it to reset it back to its original working state.
How much time does uninstalling and reinstalling take?
It takes about 30min to 40min.
Do I have to uninstall and reinstall often?
It depends, HP is constantly updating their software and are fixing new issues as they arise. Generally, the answer is no.
In this tutorial, I will be show you how to uninstall and reinstall HP software in three ways. I am going to categorize it depending on the situation, so that you may know what to choose.
1. I DONT WANT IT TO FAIL – This route is for extreme issues, wherein repeated uninstall/reinstall failed. It will completely remove everything and reinstall the software fresh.
Steps:
a. Download the latest full feature software and driver from HP.com. Downloaded softwares tend to be more reliable compared to discs. Plus, it is updated.
b. Using your CD, explore to contents of your CD and launch the following uninstallation files:
- x:\Util\CCC\Uninstall-L1
- x:\Util\CCC\Uninstall-L2
- x:\Util\CCC\Uninstall-L3
- Do not run Uninstall-l4, I do not recommend it. It may damage your computer.
Where “X:\” is the drive location of your disc.
- DONT HAVE THE DISC? if you dont have the disc, all you need to do is double click on the downloaded software to extract its contents. After extracting, welcome back screen appears. Do not install it yet, just click on exit. Click on start – run – and type in the box “%temp%” to go to temp folder. Locate the folder that starts with “7z…”. E.G. “7z6nC”… The content of the “7z…” should be the same with disc’s.
c.Go to Control Panel – Add and Remove Programs (for XP), or Programs and Features (for Vista). If there is any HP Software related to the AiO, go ahead and uninstall it.
List of HP softwares that may be removed: note: do not remove anything aside from softwares that belong to this list.
- HP Imaging Devices Functions
- HP AiO Drivers (i.e. HP OfficeJet J4500 Series)
- HP Photosmart Essentials
- HP Solution Center
- HP Image Zone
- HP Photo and Imaging Gallery
- HP Software Updates
- HP Share to Web
- HP Director
- HP Memory Disk
- OCR Software (Optional)
- Shop for HP Supplies (Optional)
d. Delete the HP Folder (or Hewlett Packard if it is an old AiO) located at C:\Program Files. If it’s an HP computer delete only Digital Imaging folder inside the Hp folder. If you are having an access denied message restart your computer and try again. If you still cant delete the folder try renaming it.
e. (This step is Optional.) Check if all the HP Services have been uninstalled, run SERVICES.MSC search for:
- HP CUE Device Discovery
- HP Network Device Support
- hpqcxs08
- Net Driver HPZ12
- PML Driver HPZ12
If services are still there running or with an error like stopping, you may need to remove those manually from the REGEDIT. ( Note: Do not proceed if you do not know what you are doing, you may render your computer unusable if not done properly, instead you may skip this step.)
REGISTERS OF HP SERVICES TO ELIMINATE IN ORDER TO PERFORM A FULL UNINSTALL:
Location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
- HPQCXS08
- HPSLPSVC (HP Network Device Support)
- HPQDD (HP CUE Device Discovery)
Delete the ff if they are present:
- Net Driver HPZ12
- PML Driver HPZ12
f. Restart the computer.
g. Install using the downloaded software.
2. SIMPLE – If it is not that complicated follow this route.
Steps:
a. Go to Control Panel — Add and Remove Programs”(for XP), or Programs and Features (for Vista). Remove the following programs:
- HP Imaging Devices Functions
- HP AiO Drivers (i.e. HP OfficeJet J4500 Series)
- HP Solution Center
b. Without restarting, install the HP software CD on your computer. A restart should be prompted.
c. Restart your computer and follow on the on-screen instructions when installation resumes.
3. I AM LAZY – if you dont have time to this yourself, follow this route.
Steps:
a. Call HP technical support.
b. If you are still in warranty, then you will be supported for free, HP tech support will fix the problem for you. However of you are already out of warranty, there is a Support Fee (around $35-$50). I you can’t afford paying you may chat with an HP agent for free, or you can email us.
I have been uninstalling and reinstalling forever! This tutorial helped me fix my problem..
thanks to the author.
@Bill,
Specifically, what portion of the tutorial?
The “I dont want it to fail part” fixed my problem.
I’m using an HP Laserjet 1007. There is no \Util folder on the cd. I’m still searching for a manual ininstall fix. Do u know the name of hp drivers in System32 folder?
joel
you may download and install this driver. it should fix your problem…
laserjet 1007 driver
Finally was able to uninstall the HP printer using this procedure. Thanks
After getting , Windows No Disk C0000013 75b6bf9c 475b6bf9c 475b6bf9c
Exception Processing Message only when I connect to the HPC7280 printer.
I uninstalled the printer following the recommendations here. ( Using the utility on the CD) I still get the Exceptions message.
I suspect this has to with the USB flash drive on the printer.
Any ideas how to get rid of this error.
IAn
This error may be cause by something else. Yes probably a flash drive, or a non existing drive. I recommend downloading the driver here:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareCategory?product=3204785&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&lang=en&cc=us
Select your operating system and use the choose the full feature software and driver. By not installing from any removable drive there is a high possibility it will work fine… Let me know how it goes, Ok?
Regards,
Nik
[...] L1 and L2 HP uninstaller. Restart [...]
Thanks! Followed this guide and I managed to install it on Windows 7 RC1. Before I launched the installer, I went to right click > properties and changed compatibility mode to Windows Vista, and ticked the “run as admin” box. Note that I did get an error at the very end when it was “configuring printer settings” and was stuck at 96% for ages, and I get an error message, but it still managed to work after, so that’s fine by me.
Your welcome! It’s good to know it is resolving this issue..
regards,
nik
Spent hours trying to uninstall. Doing it this way was a snip. Absolutely brilliant. Perhaps I should send a copy to HP!!
Thank you for your comment Hef. YOur comment shows how effective this document is.
REgards,
Nikolai
Man, this tutorial saved my life.
I’ve done everything do get the scanner back to work, and only your tutorial could help me.
Thanks thanks thanks!
OMG. You guys ROCK!!!!! I tried everything and thankfully found your website. The “I don’t want it to fail” process was easy and, more importantly, it worked!!!!! How can I ever repay you? Do you take donations?
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!
OMG!!! You guys ROCK!!! I’ve been without the use of my AIO for MONTHS. Thankfully found your website. The “I don’t want it to fail” process was easy and, more importantly, it WORKS. I’m bookmarking your site for the next time HP screws something up.
How can I ever repay you???? Do you take donations?
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! VTHANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
I used “I don’t want it to fail” and not only did my Photosmart C5280
install with the latest HP package, it’s the first time the scanner has ever really worked right. I wish I’d had the procedure three months ago.
I have no idea how many unsuccessful install attempts I made before, only
to have your procedure work the first time I ran it. Thank you for the new AIO.
Thanks V much for this guide – reaaly helpfull. Enabled me to uninstall corrupt D2560 drivers and software.
Cheers!!!
John
My register cleaner disables my HP Photosmart C5280, so I reinstall more often than many users. I customized the no-holds-barred reinstall
procedure to my own needs. The result is quick and virtually foolproof
reinstallations. It grieves me to recall how much work and frustration I
experienced before I found your site. Hint: Download HP software to desktop for convenience.
HP solution Center is sending me over the wall. It has corrupted my windows installer so it comes into action everytime I scan, copy or turn the retched machine on. Worse still I have tried to remove/change HP Solution Center but prog just sits there. Cannot get rid of it.
Help
Thanking you for our time and attention
Joan
[...] Uninstall everything related to you HP product. [...]
[...] Uninstall everything related to you HP product. [...]
Thanks for the article. It worked for my psc 1410 printer. It’s always nice to find someone who knows what he/she is talking about and not just guessing.
you know what? I love you… the “I DONT WANT IT TO FAIL” way saved me…
I was uninstalling and reinstalling for 2 days before that…!
Thank you very much!
I did step I DONT WANT IT TO FAIL .
Then I tried to install Full Feature Driver for HP OfficeJet J4580 for Windows 7 64-bit.
It freezed on final stage of configuring device and then eventually displayed me “Fatal Error during Installation” with path to hpzsetup.exe as a heading.
Next – it had collected error logs, sent them to HP and prompted me to unistall all HP software.
Basically – it was the problem that lead me here…
I don’t know what can be wrong with me.
P.S. Windows 7 was installed as an upgrade from Windows Vista.
No other compatibility issues were detected.
just tried I DONT WANT IT TO FAIL uninstall.. gonna try to install the software from the website now.
HP Photosmart C5380
The software from the website has not been working in the past and the software from the disc creates its own problems.. once it is installed i can never print directly on cd/dvd because the computer doesn’t recognise the device! yet i can still print and scan and in solution center it states that my device is ready to use! this has been driving me mad for months.
well here goes the install from the website… i’ll let you know..
Very strange, the software has extracted but i dont get the choice of install or custom install! it says welcome back!
i get these options..
Install more software
uninstall
read me
add a device
exceptional online offers
its the same as it was before i used you’re advice. after installation the i only get solution center and when i click it it not found? very strange.
You can choose add a device.
You should choose to add a device. That will probably solve the problem.
i still have a problem!! i did everything in this tutorial and i cannot unistall the drivers from my HP deskjet F380! it says that i have the latast drivers on my pc when i run the installer! help me please!
this is my mail: elrey_504@hotmail.com
Thanks!
To HJAA try the following link the microsoft uninstall utility may be what u need..
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2008.08.utilityspotlight.aspx
Thanks for the Technet link, Hef.
The ‘Must not fail’ has worked well for me many times, until I did a clean install of XP and all three service packs. The ‘Found new hardware’ wizard is a royal pain. I finally let it have the original install disk and it first coughed up a ‘failed installation’, then it finished installing anyway. At least the C5280 prints. If the wizard doesn’t get the disk and I cancel it instead, it freezes the installation at that point and keeps coming back. If anybody out there
knows how to disable that wizard I’d sure like to hear about it.
One more thing…Revo Uninstaller saves my tail on uninstalls on a daily basis, maybe my most indispensible single program.
thanks Hef but i try it and dont work for me! the support of HP cant give me a solution too!! help please! i need to use mi printer!
Hi there,
My HP laptop having problem operating Microsoft Excel 2007. It always pop up the message ” Microsoft Office has encounter a problem and need to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience”; whenever I try opening a file from email and C:.
I know that the error message is pointing to my HP printer driver, because the Printer setup always pop up before the error message appear.
Anyone here could help?
Thanks
I was having a problem with hpz12 services not coming back after sleep mode, so I uninstalled according to the above suggestions (including deleting registry entries for hpz12 services), and then reinstalled the Vista drivers for HP PSC 1401. But the hpz12 services did not reinstall with everything else! I tried multiple reinstalls and still nothing. Why the hell wouldn’t those services be re-added to the registry and come back on with a reinstall? Something is screwy.
GREAT JOB! Tried almost everything.. Finally found your site and it worked, thanks
Will this work for Mac?? I have a MacBook running 10.5. The printer worked fine when I was under 10.4, but since my upgrade, I can only print, cannot scan, and the startup assistant (which launches every time I restart my computer – very irritating) cannot complete its task and leaves an error. Anyone seen this before?
No. This does not work on Mac Computers.
I had great success with your I DON’T WANT IT TO FAIL option. Do you have any words of wisdom regarding the scanner feature? My AIO is connected through my wireless network and the scanner feature works sometimes and doesn’t work other times. When it’s not working, after clicking on the “Scan Document” button, the HOP Digital Imaging Monitor just sits there and doesn’t bring up the scanning features. When I try to open the utility again I get an error that states “The application is currently in use or unavailable. Close any open programs and try again.” Usually I have to reboot my pc and the AIO several times before I can get the dang thing to scan. Very irritating.
Hi Jane, for intermittent Issues like that, try focusing not on software but on the printer. It is highly possible that the printer does not get enough power. To ensure sufficient power make sure the printer is connected directed to the wall outlet.
Hi, I went down the ‘don’t want it to fail route’
I’ve downloaded the post script driver from the HP website. It has a .exe to unzip itslef but then no further .exe files.
How do I get the install underway?
Thanks in advance
I went down route 1
I downloaded a post script driver from HP for windown vista. It is a zip file with a .exe to unzip itself. I can’t see the .exe to initiate the install.
How do I install from here?
Thanks in advance, Tom
The intallation files are located in the temp folder.
Click on start – run – and type in the box “%temp%” to go to temp folder. Locate the folder that starts with “7z…”. E.G. “7z6nC”… The content of the “7z…” should be the same with disc’s.
There is a file with an Hp log on in named setup.exe. Run that file.
Hi Nikolai, There is nothing in the temp file; 7z. The driver unzipped to C:HPCLJ3800, but I can’t anything called set up in there.
Any suggestions?
What is the model # of your HP product?
HP Coor LaserJet 3800
Q5981A
A while back I copied the “7zS*** install files from the temp folder to a
dedicated folder on the system root. It simplifies install and uninstall
processes and only needs to be updated once in a while. When I must uninstall, I start with running the setup.exe file, which in my case is a good first-round uninstaller. Revo Uninstaller Pro, which I finally bought, is a very useful tool for uninstalling, too. I use a C5280 all-in-one and live with the inconvenience of reinstallation because when it
reinstalls properly it works well. On my income, it has to.
I no longer follow “Must not fail” verbatim, but it was the first reinstall process that actually WORKED for me, and I’m still getting useful bits of information from this site.
Dave
I am glad you find this page helpful Dave. If ever you encounter problems, do not hesitate to ask for help, ok?
I tried your “I dont want it to fail” on my Deskjet F2120 that I am using on Windows XP Home Edition, but somehow when I tried to click on HP Solution Center, it still keeps saying “No HP device is detected, HP Solution Center will close”… Any suggestion?
Thanks !
Thankyou had to do the whole lot including Deleting Hp folders in the via Regedit. HP couldn’t help me. Working properly again. Amazing.
Hi,
I tried to follow “I don’t want it to fail” but it didn’t work. I have a Scanjet 3800 and an OfficeJet 4355 (All-in-One) and my laptop runs Windows Vista.
I don’t have the disc for either device and my temp directory did not have a subfolder with a name starting with “7z”, so I had to skip that step. However, I uninstalled all HP products from the Control Panel/Programs and Features, deleted the HP folder from Program Files and removed HP services via regedit.
When I try to install HP software anew, it informs me that the Solution Center is already installed and only installs the drivers.
Any advice?
I found the problem. I missed the part in step (b) where you explain how to run installation program up to a point to make sure that HP uninstall scripts appear in the temp folder. When I did step (b) properly, everything worked. Thank you!
Thank you for detailed instructions
Thank you. I have spent many hours trying to install the software. I found your site and tried “I Don’t Want It to Fail.” It worked the first try.
We have an HP officejet d135. A few weeks back, we had a malware infection that a friend helped remove, but printer files (not sure which ones) were corrupted and removed as part of the process.
I am attempting the “no fail” option and the CD does not seem to contain the util\ccc\unistall series of files suggested. When I attempt to download the driver from the HP website, an error message pops up that the “installer has detected that you have already completed the installation of this software”. Thank you for your help.
After being rung out and just sick and tired of all of the HP “fixes” I was seriously considering throwing my $450.00 hp L7680AIO out the window. Your organization is to be commended for a fine job on offering a resolve to a problem the manufacturer did not seem to know a thing about or wanted you to pay for the solution. The I did not want it to fail worked exactly as described and I’m a somewhat happy HP printer owner, although I will not buy another.
Thanks again for the help
Thank you so much. This helped a lot
Nikolai! Thanks for the blog your post makes a lot of sense at gets a the core problems. I can see the logic of the steps but unfortunately they have not worked for me. I am having the same uninstall/reinstall issue as everyone else with my officejet pro k8600dn wireless A3.
Loading the files to temp is a neat trick! However, in Util>CCC there were no uninstall files, just a load of folders with self extracting cabinet files inside. When I try and remove from add/remove programs nothing happens. I have removed the drivers, deleted the Programfiles>hp folder and Programfiles>hewlett packard as well. I have dug into regedit and found a few offenders there… there was no HPQCXS08, HPSLPSVC or HPQDD but NET and PML driver were there and i deleted them.
There are a few more files in the registry that may be relevant
- ‘hpn’ contains a subfolder ‘parameters’ which conatins another ‘pnpinterface’ and ‘device’
- ‘HPZid412′ contains a subfolder ’security’
- ‘HPZipr12′ contains a subfolder ’security’
- ‘HPZius12′ contains a subfolder ’security’
If you have any insights I would really appreciate hearing them.
thanks for this great blog
Mister Dave
p.s. if i choose ‘add a device’ it gives me the option of ‘wired’ or ‘usb’ but not ‘wireless’ so it thinks I have a working wireless installation and I think the key to solving my problem lies in removing that information. I guess it is in the registry somewhere?
If I install it as a USB might this have the side effect of repairing my wireless driver?… I am going to try that now.
Well I tried a few more things, including deleting all HP related .dll files in system 32, installing and removing similar printers hoping that they would clear the way but all to no avail.
I tried searching through the %temp% file again for the util>ccc uninstall files, and there they were!
I think i must have extracted the basic driver software the first time around and the files weren’t present. or perhaps they were hidden before? I don’t know.
Anyway the uninstall l1, l2 and l3 worked a treat and the system no longer thinks I have it installed. So the path is clear to reinstall.
I have a new problem now – fatal error specified port is unknown – so i will try and solve that now.
Feel free to publish or not publish this journey of incompetence I am on – and thanks for the help.
Dave
me again – by looking through excellent blogs like this one I found down the following solutions to three problems i had, and I am posting it to a few blogs so sorry if it repeats info a little.
I have struggled for days to fix my HP printer installation.
I had quite a few issues
1. I could not uninstall a corrupt installation, the following actions did not solve the problem:
a. ‘uninstall’ button on the software failed
b. the ‘remove’ button in add/remove programs
c. deleting the printer icon from ‘printers and faxes’
d. deleting the ‘HP’ and ‘Hewlett Packard’ folders from C:programfiles
e. deleting the .dll files related to hp in C:/windows/system32
f. exploring run>regedit>HKeylocalmachine>system>currentcontrolset>control>print
and deleting HP related registry entires
Solution – if you have a CD
Explore the CD for Util>CCC and in that folder you should find files called uninstall-L1, Uninstall-L2 and Uninstall-L3. Run these ones by double clicking and when the command box comes up (black box with white writing) follow instructions. Do all three uninstalls L1 to L3 and then reboot comp.
Solution if you don’t have CD
Download the full version of your driver from hp support. Load it, then cancel the installation. Now go to start>run and type in %temp% This will bring up the temporary files in your comp. one of them will be a folder starting 7ZS. If you have more than one, delete them all from temp and then repeat the previous step. Now there will be one folder starting 7ZS. Open it and follow instructions above as if you had a CD.
2. When trying to install it wasn’t giving me the option to do a custom install, and the installation failed as well (It said fatal error and then a string of gobbledygook).
Solution – go to C:/Windows/System 32/DRVstore and remove all HP related folders. I was a bit scared to do this so instead of deleting I cut them and put them in a quarantine folder on desktop. This gave me the custom install option (say no to the customer participation, print mileage, shop, and auto update) and the installation went further
3. The installation didn’t complete, it said ‘The specified port is unknown’ and to fix this one I used Smokey’s post above
click start>run>type in cmd then enter…in the command prompt window type
set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1… then type
start devmgmt.msc
device manager should pop up… click on view and show hidden devices.
clean out all greyed out printer keys, then clean out out all greyed out usb devices.
Now reboot and let windows find the usb hubs if any….
None of the above info is mine, I have read around 30 posts from 6 websites. My thanks to the clever people who thought of these things, all I did was try it all, and then write down what worked for me.