Installing on Windows 10? Head here: Installing the HP LaserJet 1012 on Windows 10
I have an old HP LaserJet 1012 that is a real workhorse and I wanted to see if I could get it installed on Windows 8.1
HP LaserJet 1012
Pro. The HP forums say it’s not possible, but it’s actually pretty easy to do. Here’s how:
- Plug in the HP LaserJet 1012 via USB cable. Windows will try to install it and it will ultimately fail. You’ll be able to see it in the device manager, but you wont be able to print.
- Download the Microsoft Windows Vista (64-bit) driver for the HP LaserJet 1012. We’ll use the Vista 64-bit version on Windows 8 with no issues.
- Extract the ZIP archive and make a note of the location on your hard drive.
- Hit Control-Q to launch the search charm and type in “Devices and Printers”
- Click on the “Add a printer” button
- Click on “The printer that I want isn’t listed”
- Select the radio button for “Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings”
- Select the radio button for “Use an existing port” and then select “DOT4_001” from the dropdown. Click “Next”.
- Click “Have Disk”
- Browse to the location you noted in Step 2 and click “Ok”
- Select “HP LaserJet 1012 HB” and then click “Next”
- Give the printer a name, click next, accept any security warnings, etc.
Your printer is installed!
Update 2/24/2014: The only thing that I’ve noticed that does not print correctly are text-based watermarks in Word 2013. It seems to want to print every other letter on the first page and the opposite set of letters on the next page. I can live with this.
Dave,
I just wanted to thank you for this very simple and straight-forward post. I was planning to spend a good bit of time cursing at the screen, trying to get my beloved 1012 printer up with my new windows 8.1 machine.
It took quite a bit of time, and lots of cursing, to get it working in windows 7, ultimately with a multifunction 1015 driver or something similar. So running across this post with direct links, screen shots, etc.. let me get it working and print something out in just a few minutes.
Thanks!
No problem! Glad it helped!
Splendid! Happy to have my workhorse going! /Ulrich
Installed but not been able to print.
Thank you so much it worked! I’ve had this printer for awhile now and it gets the job done and so glad to keep it going.
This was ridiculously helpful. Simple and it was nice to just have an easy answer. Thank you.
THANK YOU!
Wow awesome and great instructions, I’m new to win 8 having been with vista forever and you made it so easy… Thank you
Thanks Dave! Soo very thankful to have my favorite printer going again!!! almost threw it away!
These steps work for Windows 10 also
Worked perfectly for Windows 8.1. Thank you!
Thank you for solving this and making it available. Your explanations are very clear and I was able to set it up in no time (once I realized that I should’t try to search for the printer in the list). I’m now successfully printing from my Windows 8.1.
Thank you so much. I love my HP 1012. This article is fantastic!
AS of 9/27/2017 your post no longer works, MicroSoft does not carry the Vista 64 driver any longer. What to do now. I had it installed for a year and MS update destroyed the printer driver . Where can I get a Vista 64 driver
Thank you thank you thank you for the excellent and simple instructions! My boyfriend is so frustrated with his new computer with 8.1 and the new ms office 2013 so not having his printer easily installed was setting him over the edge! LOL Your instructions made it very easy for me to get his printer installed.
Hi Dave.
Just followed your instructions for installing the HP 1012 Windows Vista Printer Driver under Windows 8.1.
Thanks for posting these instructions and helping the world keep their so called “obsolete” HP 1012 printers running.
The only thing I noticed was that you need to download the 64 bit version of the driver to get the 1010, 1012 and 1015 drivers. However, I was smart enough to figure out that I should try the 64 bit driver when the 32 bit driver didn’t work.
Dave,
A THOUSAND Thank you’s!!
I downloaded the XP 32 bit drivers because I knew that my XP was a 32 bit system.
Followed the instructions. The HP 1012 worked great!!
You saved me from having to buy a new printer.
Thanks again!!
Thank you, I’ve tried a couple of different work arounds but this is the first one that was pretty quick and very easy to implement. Thanks!
Thank you!
This worked perfectly! You saved me from having to buy a new printer! My HP 1012 has been a workhouse for a very long time! I was very sad when I thought I would have to leave it behind.
Perfect instructions and very easy to follow.
Thanks Dave…saved me lots of time…it is surely appreciated! cheers!
Thank you, thank you! My daughter can now use our old HP 1012 – probably the best printer we’ve ever had. And she’s using an HP laptop, but the two machines wouldn’t speak to each other till we found your page. Brilliant.
DOT4_001 is not in the options dropdown menu for me
i am on windows 8.1 enterprise…please help.
had this issue too, I choose USB and it worked
I just upgraded to Windows 8.1 and DOT4_001 is there. I was truly simple. Thanks Dave
Your instructions worked perfectly! Thanks for posting and thanks for saving my trusty little printer!
Dave,
Thanks for the great information! I too thought I was going to have to buy a new printer. I wish you all the best!
Jeff
Thank you.
I followed the instructions. No DOT4_001 listed. Used the USB port. Test page will not print. Any other ideas?
Got It!! I had to reboot machine. Then the DOT port was visible.
These instructions finally worked. This did not work with , DOT4_001, USB001, or LPT1. However, I kept trying, since you all got me working with my old WIndows 7. I eventually used the DOT4_002, and it worked.
Thanks for helping.
Hi thank you very much for this step by step. But I have a huge problem. What do I do if my disc is broken?
You can download the drivers from HP using the link above. I almost never keep the CDs/DVDs that come with printers so this is how I routinely reinstall them.
Thank you I’m going to give it a try. I’m not good with computers.
Thanx again!
I came across a little problem but then it worked. Thank you so much. I really like my printer. It does a wonderful job and didn’t want to get rid of it 🙂
Dave, I just started setting up a new Windows 8.1 computer for my wife today, and in a few days I expect to switch her LaserJet 1012 from her old Windows 7 computer to the new one, so I think I should thank you in advance for the procedure that will probably allow it to work. In the meantime, I’ve had an almost identical Windows 8.1 computer for several months, and although my PC and my wife’s old PC are on the same home network, I’ve never been able to get mine to access her printer. After reading your article here, I thought I might have found a solution, so when I tried to add her printer to my PC as a network printer, I got to the point where I needed to provide a printer driver. I tried specifying the driver I obtained from your instructions (file name hpc1015w.inf), but that doesn’t seem to work. I get an error saying that “Windows cannot locate a suitable printer driver.” Is this something that you would expect to work, or does the network environment introduce additional problems?
Jim,
It should work. From memory… The first thing you’ll need to do is make sure that file and print sharing is enabled on the host computer. Next, install the printer on the computer as a normal USB connected printer. At the end of the installation process there should be an option for sharing the printer which will make it visible to your machine. Finally, on your computer, navigate to her computer and you should see the printer listed as a shared resource. You can then right click and select “install” and it will go through the installation process during which you’ll have to provide the driver as described here. Two notes: A) you could switch steps 1 and 2; B) File & Print sharing changed in Windows 8, so you may need to do a search for exactly how that is done.
Hope this helps!
Dave
Dave, let’s temporarily forget the problem of installing the remote printer on my PC as a network printer. I’m now involved in the higher priority activity of moving the printer from my wife’s old Windows 7 computer to the new Windows 8.1 computer. I followed your instructions carefully until I reached Step 8, which says to “Use an existing port” and select port DOT4_001. There was no such port listed, so I selected LPT1. I now believe this was a mistake. The ports listed were:
LPT1: (Printer Port)
LPT2: (Printer Port)
LPT3: (Printer Port)
COM1: (Serial Port)
COM2: (Serial Port)
COM3: (Serial Port)
COM4: (Serial Port)
FILE: (Print to File)
nul: (Local Port)
PORTPROMPT: (Local Port)
USB000: (Virtual printer port for USB)
USB001: (Virtual printer port for USB)
I’m guessing I should have selected one of the USB ports, although I don’t know which one. The new PC has six USB ports – four USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0. I plugged the printer into one of the two 2.0 ports.
At Step 8 there was also a second option, “Create a new port.” I didn’t pursue that.
After selecting the LPT1 port at Step 8 I continued with your instructions and got to the end successfully. Everything seemed OK until I clicked “Print a test page” and nothing printed. I have removed the printer and will try again if I get some advice from you. Would appreciate any suggestions.
Additional info: I tried using ports USB000 and USB001 without success.
I have a same problem, there was not Dot4_001 in a list when instaling Universla printing driver.
Download USB driver from official HP website (HP LaserJet USB (DOT4) communication driver for Windows 8 and Higher (64-bit)) or 32bit.
http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/readIndex?sp4ts.oid=503484&swLangOid=8&swEnvOid=4192.
Then when U installing HP Universal printing driver Dot4_001… will be in a list.
I have another problem, when I finish with driver instalation my printer wont print corectly. Solution was in HP1010 vista drivers. Download them and choose have disc and sellect vista drivers instead HP Universal Printing PCL X (v.xxxx). Hope I was help U.
p.s. sory for my bad English
I’m happy to report that both problems I described have now been solved, and I’m not exactly sure how that happened. On my wife’s PC with the locally-connected printer, after I deleted the device and then let Windows configure it, the PC began communicating with the printer. Once the printer was working there, I was also able to reach it from my PC via the home network. Thanks for providing the info about the driver that evidently has allowed all this to work.
Glad you got it working!
Great. Exactly as described with no issues at all. You’re the man, Dave!
I wish I had the same success. Unfortunately, this did not work.
The instructions were simple, but to no avail.
If you are available for troubleshooting, I’d love some more help.
Thank you for your willingness to help others. I, too, don’t wish to part with the printer; it works fine!
I can’t do one-on-one tech support here, but if you reply with details on what didn’t work and any error messages maybe one of us can find out what’s going on and point you in the right direction.
Everything went well with the install but it will not print test page
Thanks for your “How to” you strongly helped a little Frenchy today!!
Thanks so much from Spain! 🙂
It was very useful.
Thank you sooooo much for providing these simple steps!! I searched all over the HP site, but had no luck. But, your steps worked like miracle!!
Thank you for providing the info!!! You are very much appreciated
I have not used my HP1012 (or any printer!) in a year and a half because I could not get it to work with my new laptop, but it is by far the best printer I have ever owned. I did try to follow one other work around over a year ago, but it failed miserably (or I did…). SOOO excited to finally be able to use my printer again! THANK YOU!
You are a God send. Thank you for your help. Your suggestions worked PERFECTLY!
How do I set it up as a network printer instead of local?
There are two ways. The first option is to set it up as a local printer and then share it on the network with Windows File & Print sharing.
The second option would be to use an HP JetDirect print server to connect to the printer and share it on your network. Here are the the JetDirect print server options for this printer:
HP J6035B Jetdirect 175x Print Server (Fast Ethernet)
.
J6038A HP JetDirect 310x Print Server J6038A
HP J6061A-ABA Jet Direct 380x External Print Server (802.11b)
I haven’t used any of these with this model printer, but I’d go wireless wit the last option if I was going to do it.
Like a champ! 🙂
My windows 8 did not have “DOT4_001” so I have created a new port and name it “DOT4_001”.
I really appreciate your help.
Unfortunately it didn’t work after 1 print.
As I mentioned earlier my windows 8 does not have DOT4_001, does anybody have any suggestion for me?
Thank you Dave. I followed your instructions and it worked first time. Excellent. You saved me buying a new printer!
The 1012 is not on the list (anymore?)
What do you mean?
OMG! That is brilliant! HP couldn’t even fix this! TY TY TY TY!!!!
Dave,
I have OS Windows 8.1. Yes, HP does not support HP LaserJet 1012 driver anymore. But, following your instruction on “Installing HP LaserJet 1012 on Windows 8”
simply, it worked, perfect!!
thank you so much
Jae
For those of you who seems to have troubling in configuring HP LJ1010 at windows 8.1 32 bits or 64 bits. Heres the driver and it works:
[driverscape link snipped]
Regards,
Junaid
Thanks for the alternate link! I removed the link from your comment for now because I think it’s better for people to download the driver directly from HP while it’s available there, but if HP ever removes the driver from their support site I’ll update the post to the link you provided.
You can try vista driver’s link directly from HP printers driver website and vista drivers work on win 8.1.
thanks for the help. even hp couldnt figure it out. they just said “its not supported.”
Now I dont have to throw away a perfectly good laser printer ive had for 10 years now. 🙂
Yeah, it seemed dumb to me to have to chuck this workhorse in the trash, too! Glad you got it working!
Thank you!! It worked like a charm!! I am so grateful to you, because this printer is great and I thought I wouldn’t be able to use it anymore! God bless you for sharing your knowledge!
Tina
Thanks for the info it worked perfectly except I have a 32-bit system so I had to download 32- bit vista and it worked just as you said
Thanks again
Best Regards
I bought the printer used and was able to use use it prior to Windows 8. I was able to follow your instructions with a little effort. I want to Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!
Thank you for your very helpful tip. Like you, the 1012 has been a workhorse and I hated to depart with it. It’s very unfortunate HP doesn’t provide support for its older equipment. I guess profit is more important than their customers.
Hi
I have windows 8.1 (64 bit operating system) on my laptop. Trying to install HP laserjet 1010. Followed your steps but don’t have ‘ “DOT4_001″ from the dropdown.’ under step 8.
Only shows LPT, COM and print to file/pdf ports.
Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Regards
Deepak
Thanks so much. I had to abandon an older HP printer that had worked beautifully for a long time. I thought I would have to abandon the LaserJet 1012 until I found your article. Very much appreciated.
Thank you!!!!!
Thank you Dave. I can now use my HP Laserjet 1012 with both my Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers. I appreciate your help. I wish you well in your future endeavors.
Thank you so much for this! I do a lot of selling online, so I use my tried-and-true 1012 to print packing slips and shipping labels. Getting it to work on my new Win8 laptop is a lifesaver!
Thanks Dave. Very helpful.
AAA+, easy to follow instructions.
Now you won’t see my printer on the street curb for the garbage collector.
All I need now is such an easy to follow instruction on how to deal with my boss at the office.
Dave,
Just a quick note to thank you for this most excellent note and the detailed set of instructions. I faced the same problem, and you totally nailed the solution. Mucho gracias for taking the time to post and share your knowledge!
de nada!
Dave, youre amazing! thank you!
I am so glad that I found your website. My HP1012 has been sitting unused since we got windows 7 PC. I just got a new notebook and really wanted a small printer to travel with me. Thank you for saving me the expense of purchasing another printer to use.
Thaaanks, this is the solution I was looking for!
Hi Dave, I’m having problem with the step.. I cant find DOT4_001 in my existing port.. can you explain to me how to enable it?
Magic! Thank you so much. I have had this little printer for over 10 years while I’ve seen others break left and right. So glad to get to continue to use it!
Worked like a charm
Thanks, this worked like a charm. I really appreciate articles like this 🙂
Thank you, you made my day!
Thanks so much for posting this. Love my laserjet 1012 but couldn’t find any way to get it print on wins 8. very close to buying a new printer. glad i found your post. now i can put another 300k miles on this baby just like toyota…thanks again!
For those who don’t have a DOT4_001 port on Windows 8.1, choose USB001 (Virtual printer port for USB) and then continue with step #9 above as Dave mentions. Seemed to work perfectly for me.
Hey–Just did this for windows 8.1 on laptop, worked like a charm! Thanks!
Worked like charm.
Thank you so much.
Do you think this method will still work on Windows 10? I am able to run my laserjet 1012 on my MacBook Pro but not on my MacBook/Bootcamp/Windows 10 Evaluation. Thought I’d ask before I tried the Vista thing
Another poster indicated that it does work for Windows 10, but I haven’t tried it myself yet.
Thank you Dave, this worked. Great step-by-step directions!
Thank you very much! Why can’t HP post instructions like this on their support page? Oh right, then they wouldn’t make money selling us new printers.
I justed wanted to let you know that I used these instructions to get my old HP Laserjet 1012 to work on Microsoft 10. Thanks so much for posting these online so others can use them!
Awesome! I haven’t had a chance to try it on Windows 10 yet, but glad to know it works!
Also worked for me in windows 10! Nice. I can’t believe they wouldn’t repackage the vista driver if it still worked.
DOT4_001 port is not showing in my existing ports. What should i do?
I just updated to Windows 10 and lost my HP 1012. Your fix worked perfectly. Thank you.
Hi I downloaded the file but I don’t know how to get the zip or I’m copying it wrong or it’s still not finding it??? Help 🙁
I GOT IT!!!! WOOHOO!!
Worked for Windows 10, thanks. Also, on Windows 7 & 8, I had been using the HP driver for HP Laserjet 3055 PCL5 which had been working well.
Seriously life-changing! Thank you so much. I am so sick of having to rely on my cheap inkjet that needs ink replaced every twelve seconds. So glad to have my good ole laserjet back in action.
YOU ARE A GENIUS
Just a note to say THANKS! Worked flawlessly.
Wow, thank you so much! I’m certainly no computer expert and still was able to successfully install my old printer (hp 1012) on my new laptop. Your instructions even work for windows 10. You saved me a lot of trouble and headache. Thanks again!
Thank you so much! Windows 10 has been a nightmare for me. I spent about two hours trying to get it to recognize my LaserJet 1012 before finding this tutorial. And it worked! Cheers!
Works on Windows 10 as well. Just got done setting up a new laptop and the steps to connect to this old but reliable printer worked like a champ.
Thank you very much, Dave.
I have Windows 8.1 and after following your advice it did not work at first. The issue was not finding the DOT4 port on my system.
I restarted and used the USB001 and it finally worked.
Thank you,
Dorin
THANK YOU! Worked for me on my brand new desktop…just updated it to 10 from 8.1 The most clear instructions I was able to find…
Большое спасибо, Дэйв!
Год принтер пролежал без дела! Жалко было выбросить, а теперь он снова в работе! Оказалось все очень просто.
Thanks you! A real help!
I can’t wait to try it once I find the printer. I’ve had it put away b/c of no driver solution. But like you said, this printer is a workhorse and I’d like to keep using it. Thank you so much for posting this!
Let me know how it goes!
Thank you SO much!!! This printer has served me well unlike many others, so I am thrilled that this worked!!! 🙂 And I did it all by myself following your directions!
Hello,
I´m stressful when I buy new PC, because I love my old printer, scaner …. I´m layman. Today I installed my Hp laser jet 1012, and with your perfect instruction It was very easy. Thank you.
And now, I am going to install my old scaner Canoscan Lide 25. Good luck. 🙁
Glad it helped! Good luck with the scanner!
@Dave Mroz:
I do not see a virtual USB port or a dot4_001 port. I have rebooted many times and still I cannot get the port to appear. Help?
Two years later and this post is still a great help! Thanks for the simple and straightforward instructions.
Thanks, this works great for me too. I had to choose a different port for mine to work (the guide says to choose “DOT4_001”, but I had to choose “DOT4_002” instead). I went through all the steps, and then tried to print a test page, when it didn’t work, I just right clicked the newly installed printer in my control panel, and click “Remove This Device” and started over from the beginning of your guide, but just changing a different port until the test page printed for me. Really appreciate your guide, and if anyone is having the same issue, just do what I did and try different ports, it will eventually work.
Thank you, it works fine!
Thanks, Dave. Just perfect.
Thank you!!!
Thanks very much! This was really a help, and shame on HP for not supporting this printer with new Windows software.
Thank you so much for this information!! My 1012 is a true workhorse and I am so glad to be able to keep using it with our many laptops and versions of Windows!
Just wanted to say THANKS for this simple solution. Months of frustration = over. So grateful, Dave.
Glad it helped!
You ROCK!
Works in 2017 on Windows 10…I was procrastinating and dreading for a year about trying to figure out how to add ole trusty to my new computer. Thanks a bunch
Thank you Dave, you”re the best!!! Works perfect on Windows 8.1.
Thank You very much!!!!!