The Windows 8 preview was released recently and I promised myself that I would show a bit of constraint and not install it right away. I said to myself and all of my colleagues that I was going to wait until the RTM…Well that did not go as planned.
We have a physical Windows 7 desktop at home that we use for just general web surfing, emailing, word docs and printing. It has had Windows 7 on it for awhile and it was hosting our shared family printer. Well as these things ultimately end up going the computer just needed to be refreshed because our new HP Multi-Function printer was not printing consistently,(the device would just disappear from time to time). For a lack of a technical term the computer was just getting flaky!
So I did it. I downloaded the Windows 8 RC and installed it. I had one problem with the HP software for the printer,(drivers and scanning software etc) would not install. The software would not even launch. I did a little searching and then started to play with the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter. This utility saved me from rolling back to Windows 7.
Here is how I got the HP software to install and print using the Windows 8 installation.
Launch Control Panel > In the Search Box type Compatibility
The Program Compatibility Tool will launch > Click Next
Select Not Listed > Click Next
Browse to the program > Click Next
Just a note on this step. I ended up downloading the HP software as the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter had a problem with the vendor CD.
Select Troubleshoot program > Click Next
Here is where you have to kind of experiment with the utility. I selected The program worked with earlier versions of Windows but won’t install or run now.
Check out the ever changing Windows 8 background!
Select Windows 7 > Click Next
Click Test the program
The program launched!
I was able to install the printer software using this utility.
"The postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent my employer’s positions, strategies or opinions”