Cannot Set Printer As Default

[SteveD]

Windows 10. HP Envy 5544 (wireless).
Drivers downloaded and installed. Printer is recognised in list of devices but is greyed out and cannot be set as default printer.
Any suggestions, please?

[Guilbert53]

If is greyed out it means Windows cant "find" the printer over wi fi (it has lost the connection)

This sometimes happens to me, and can happen if you turn off the router for example.

When Windows 7 loses my printer this way I always have to reinstall the printer (though there are some suggestions on the internet but they never work for me).

On Windows 7 I select "Devices and Printers" then "Add a printer" then "Wireless printer" then select the printer and the drivers are installed.

I assume W10 has a similar process (I have not got W10 to hand at the moment).

[SteveD]

I switched the router on and off again but the printer is still greyed out.
If the computer doesn't "recognise" it wirelessly, why does it appear in the list of devices in Control Panel/Printers? Also, why, when I right click on its image do its Properties show it as a connected device?

[Guilbert53]

>>I switched the router on and off again but the printer is still greyed out.

In my reply above I was pointing that switching the router on and off would BREAK the wi fi connection to the printer, not fix it !

This has sometimes happened to me. I may have a working wi fi connection to my printer, but then turn off the router for some reason, and the printer wi fi connection is lost.

When you first set up the printer the connection may have been fine, so the printer would appear in your list of devices, and it would get the properties.

But then (for some reason) the wi fi connection was lost, but your computer still shows the printer icon, but greyed out, and still has the properties from when it was first set up.

As I said above, you need to reinstall the printer to re-establish the wi fi connection.

[RATTER15]

I find that if I set up the printer using the cable connection first, then wifi is a lot easier to set up.

[SteveD]

Unfortunately, use of an ethernet cable is not possible with the Envy 5544.

In the settings of the printer (network configuration page), the Network Status is shown as "ready" and "wireless". Under "Wireless", the status is shown as "Connected". The little blue WiFi light on the printer is on and not flickering.

I have already reinstalled the drivers for the HP site.

[Buenchico]

See if anything here helps:
https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/hp-envy-7640-e-all-in-one-printer-series/6617267/document/c04249080

[stoofur]

If you are using Windows 10 you could try unticking the Allow Windows to manage my default printer under the Printers & Scanners settings menu.

Also, my old router would have two networks, one at 2.4 GHZ and one at 5 GHZ. The router gave each network a different name and if the printer which is probably only a 2.4 GHZ the computer could be connected to the 5 GHZ network and so can't see the printer. I now have a new router which combines both frequencies so I no longer have this problem.

[SteveD]

Many thanks for the replies. By running a Microsoft troubleshooter, I have managed to (partially) solve the problem. The printer is now set as default and will print but only in black. I will start another thread about this.