Devices and Printers

Devices and Printers
When you want to * see all the devices connected to your computer, * use one of them, * troubleshoot one that isn t working properly, * add wired and wireless devices to your PC such as printers and speakers, or * remove them open the Devices and Printers folder.
To open the Devices and Printers folder go to control panel and select Devices and Printers
What’s in the Devices and Printers folder
Devices displayed in the Devices and Printers folder are typically external devices you can connect to or disconnect from your computer through a port or network connection. Your computer is also displayed.
Devices listed include:
• Portable devices you carry with you and occasionally connect to your computer, such as mobile phones, portable music players, and digital cameras.
• All devices you plug into a USB port on your computer, including external USB hard drives, flash drives, keyboards, and mice.
• All printers connected to your computer, which include printers connected by USB cable, the network, or wirelessly.
• Wireless devices connected to your computer, including Bluetooth devices and Wireless USB devices.
• Your computer.
• Compatible network devices connected to your computer.

Find wireless and network devices to add to your computer
You can connect a wireless phone, keyboard, mouse, or other device to your computer. This includes Bluetooth and wireless network (Wi Fi) devices. You can also add a network device to your computer, such as a network-enabled printer, storage device.
You don t have to add devices already connected to your computer with a USB cable or other wired connection. Windows will automatically detect and display them.

To add a wireless or network device
1. Open Control Panel.
2. Under Hardware and Sound, click Add a device, and then follow the instructions.
? What’s not in the Devices and Printers folder
The Devices and Printers folder doesn t display:
? Devices installed inside your computer case, such as internal hard drives, disc drives, sound cards, video cards (graphics cards), memory (RAM), processors, and other internal computer components.
? Speakers connected to your computer with conventional speaker wires. (USB and wireless speakers can be displayed.)
? Certain older devices, such as keyboards and mice connected through a PS/2 or serial port.
Note: To find devices that are connected to your computer but aren t listed in the Devices and Printers folder, look in Device Manager. Device Manager lists all the hardware installed inside your computer as well as devices connected externally.
What you can do with the Devices and Printers folder
The Devices and Printers folder allows you to perform many tasks, which vary depending on the device. Here are the main tasks you can do:
• Add a new wireless or network device or printer to your computer.
• View all the external devices and printers connected to your computer.
• Check to see if a specific device is working properly.
• View information about your devices, such as make, model, and manufacturer, including detailed information about the sync capabilities of a mobile phone or other mobile device.
• Perform tasks with a device.
When you right-click a device icon in the Devices and Printers folder, you can select from a list of tasks that vary depending on the capabilities of the device. For example, you might be able to see what s printing on a network printer, view files stored on a USB flash drive.
• Take steps to fix devices that aren t working properly.
• Troubleshoot a device with a problem
Right-click a device or computer with the yellow warning icon, click Troubleshoot, wait while the troubleshooter tries to detect problems (this may take several minutes), and then follow the instructions.
Output Devices (Printers)
Output is data that has been processed into a used form, called information.
An output device is any hardware component that can display information to a user. The main and most common output devices in a computer system are the Printer.
A printer is an output device that produces text and graphics on a physical medium such as paper. Printed information is often called hard copy because the information exists physically and is a more permanent form of output than that presented on a monitor.
The printing speed of a printer is usually expressed in pages per minute (ppm). Printer resolution is often expressed in dpi (dots per inch). The larger the number, the higher the resolution.
Advantages of printers include
_ Information produced is permanent.
Disadvantages of printers include
_ The time to get the printout is slow, when compared with display devices.
_ Paper is wasted for obtaining the output.
_ Printers are generally noisier than display devices.

Each hardware component has a driver which is a software that enables hardware or devices (such as a printer, mouse, or keyboard) to work with the computer. Every device needs a driver in order for it to work.

Connecting your printer
Printers are designed to connect to a Windows-based PC in different ways, depending on the model and whether you re using it at home or work.
Here are the most common connections you ll encounter:
Wired printers
These devices connect using a cable and a port on the computer.
Most printers aimed at the home have a universal serial bus (USB) connector
Wireless printers
A wireless printer connects to a PC via radio waves using either Bluetooth or Wi Fi technology.
To connect a Bluetooth printer, you might need to add a Bluetooth adapter to your computer. Most Bluetooth adapters plug into a USB port.
Local vs. network printers
A printer that connects directly to a PC is called a local printer. One that connects directly to a network as a stand-alone device is called a network printer.
Network printers are most often found at the office. A growing number of printer companies now make models with networking capability for the home. These printers typically connect to a network via such as wireless technologies such as Wi Fi or Bluetooth.
Install a printer
There are several ways to connect a printer to your PC. Which option you choose depends on the device itself, and whether you re at home or at the office.
Always consult the information that came with your model for specific instructions.
- Local printers
The most common way to install a printer is to connect it directly to your computer. This is known as a local printer. To install (add) a local printer
1. Open Devices and Printers.
2. Click Add a printer.
3. In the Add Printer wizard, click Add a local printer.
4. On the Choose a printer port page, make sure that the Use an existing port button and the recommended printer port are selected, and then click Next.
5. On the Install the printer driver page, select the printer manufacturer and model, and then click Next.
o If your printer isn t listed, click Windows Update, and then wait while Windows checks for additional drivers.
o If none are available and you have the installation CD, click Have Disk, and then browse to the folder where the printer driver is located. (For additional help, consult the printer manual.)
6. Complete the additional steps in the wizard, and then click Finish.
- Network printers
In the workplace, many printers are network printers. These connect directly to a network as a stand-alone device. To install a network, wireless, or Bluetooth printer
If you re trying to add a network printer at the office, you ll usually need the name of the printer. If you can t find it, contact your network administrator.
1. Open Devices and Printers.
2. Click Add a printer.
3. In the Add Printer wizard, click Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer.
4. In the list of available printers, select the one you want to use, and then click Next.
5. If prompted, install the printer driver on your computer by clicking Install driver. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
6. Complete the additional steps in the wizard, and then click Finish.
Available printers can include all printers on a network, such as Bluetooth and wireless printers or printers that are plugged into another computer and shared on the network.
Removing a printer
If you ll no longer be using a printer, you can remove it from the Devices and Printers folder. To delete a printer
1. Open Devices and Printers.
2. Right-click the printer that you want to remove, click Remove device, and then click Yes.
If you can t delete the printer, right-click it again, click Run as administrator, click Remove device, and then click Yes.
You can t uninstall a printer if you have unfinished jobs in your print queue. Either delete the jobs, or wait until Windows has finished printing them. Once the queue is clear, Windows will remove the printer.
Change your default printer
If you regularly use multiple printers, you can pick one as your default printer. Windows and other programs then automatically use that device whenever you print.
To select a default printer
1. Open Devices and Printers.
2. Right-click the printer you want to use, and then click Set as default printer. (You ll see a check mark on the printer s icon signifying that it s now your default printer.)
View, pause, or cancel a print job
Once your document or photo has started to print, you can pause or cancel it via the print queue.
The print queue shows you what s printing or waiting to print. It also displays useful information such as job status, who s printing what, and how many unprinted pages remain.

See what s printing
You can see what s printing or waiting to print in the Windows print queue. Documents that are listed first will be the first to print.
1. Open Devices and Printers.
2. Select your printer s icon and then click See what s printing on the command bar.
To quickly view the print queue, double-click the printer icon in the notification area.
Cancel a print job
If you ve printed something by mistake, it s easy to cancel the print job, even if it s underway.
• Cancel an individual print job
1. Open Devices and Printers.
2. Open the print queue by selecting your printer s icon and then clicking See what s printing on the command bar.
3. Right-click the print job you want to remove, click Cancel, and then click Yes to confirm.
• Cancel all print jobs
To cancel all print jobs for a printer, you must have permission to manage documents on the printer.
1. Open Devices and Printers.
2. Open the print queue by selecting your printer s icon and then clicking See what s printing on the command bar.
3. Click the Printer menu, click Cancel All Documents, and then click Yes to confirm. The item currently printing might finish, but the remaining items will be cancelled.
o To view your printer permissions, right-click the printer that you re using, click Printer properties, click the Security tab, and then click your user name.
Pause a print job
You can pause and resume a single print job or multiple jobs in the queue.
To pause or resume an individual print job
1. Open Devices and Printers.
2. Open the print queue by selecting your printer s icon and then clicking See what s printing on the command bar.
3. Right-click a print job, and then click Pause or Resume.
To pause or resume all print jobs
To pause someone else s print job, you must have permission.
1. Open Devices and Printers.
2. Open the print queue by selecting your printer s icon and then clicking See what s printing on the command bar.
3. Click the Printer menu, and then click Pause Printing. To resume printing, click Pause Printing again.
Restart a print job
If you suddenly realize you re printing in the wrong color ink or on the wrong size paper, you can start over from the beginning.
1. Open Devices and Printers.
2. Open the print queue by selecting your printer s icon and then clicking See what s printing on the command bar.
3. Right-click the print job you want to reprint, and then click Restart.
Reorder the print queue
If you re printing multiple items, you can change the order in which they print.
1. Open Devices and Printers.
2. Open the print queue by selecting your printer s icon and then clicking See what s printing on the command bar.
3. Right-click the item you want to reorder, and then click Properties.
4. Click the General tab, and then drag the Priority tab left or right to change its print order. (Items with higher priority print first.) Click OK.
Making Shared Printer
1. Open Devices and Printers.
2. Right-click the printer you want to make it shared, and then click printer properties, click the sharing tab, and enable share this printer checkbox, and then ok.