When I try to set up a Laserjet 1012 on 32 bit Windows 7, the machine chooses IEEE 1284.4 generic printer drivers, and the installation fails. The printer shows up as an HP 1012 under Unspecified devices, and nothing new shows up under Printers and Faxes. I have HP VIsta drivers that HP claims will work under Windows 7.

1. Install the printer with the following drivers (please note that this works on the 32-bit version of Windows 7)

HP LaserJet 1012 Printer- HP LaserJet 1010/1012/1015 Host Based Driver - HP Business Support Center

2. The printer might not work at first, but it is ok, as long as Windows grabs the drivers into its database.

3. Go to START > Devices and Printers... Remove ALL your printers...

4. Restart your computer

5. After logging in, Windows will automatically detect and reinstall your printers, including the HP1012 using a driver called HP1012HB

HB stands for Host Based.

or

1) Select the driver manually.
2) Click "Windows Update" to force Windows to refresh the driver list.
3) Select HP Lasterjet 1015.

or

The 1012 will install on my 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium machine two ways:

1. Download the LaserJet 1015 64-bit host based driver from the HP site and extract it to a folder on your hard drive. Install the 1012 and point to the folder when prompted for a driver. The printer will show up as a LaserJet 1012HB. The downside to this solution is that printing will take up to twice as long as you're used to.

2. Click "add a printer" and install a phantom LaserJet 3055 PCL5 using the Windows version of the driver (you may need to use Windows Update for that choice to show up.) Plug in the printer and it will be recognized as an "unrecognized device," but it will print as the LaserJet 3055 (you can make that the default.) The unrecognized device Icon may eventually disappear -- mind did.

The 3rd method some people have suggested -- installing a phantom 1015, then trying to install the 1012 XP driver, then deleting the 1015, then plugging in the printer -- works on my 32-bit machine but not the 64-bit.

Meanwhile, with the help of a post in another HP thread, I was able to solve the issue of printing across the network! The author wrote:

"Re: printing to HP laserjet 1012 on home network I'd say that the driver that the XP machine is using is the not the same name as the driver that is installed on the Vista machine. You will not be able to connect to the printer over RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) but you can connect using SMB (Server Messaging Blocks).

Create a local printer on the Vista machine that uses a Local Port in the form \\XPMachine\Printshare. Use the driver that was installed when you plugged the device directly to the USB port."