Dell Photo Printer 966 Windows 7 Installation Hangs "Install is updating your system"

Hi! The installation procedure for the
Dell Photo Printer 966 on a *brand new* laptop
running Windows 7 does not complete!
I've waited for up to half an hour for it to
move to the next screen and complete
but it remains stuck "updating your system"
The same installation procedure works fine
on an older desktop running Vista. Here
are the steps that I used to troubleshoot
this problem (which did not work):

made sure I had the correct driver version for the new laptop:
Dell Photo All-in-One Printer 966
"This is the English Windows XP and Vista 32-Bit OS web package release for inkjet All-In-One 966 printer. Dell All-In-One 966 printer supports Windows 7 Operating System; existing Vista driver is compatible with Windows 7."
Version: G16-EN, A02 http://support.dell.com/support/dow...dateid=-1&formatid=-1&source=-1&fileid=222949

tried uninstalling and reinstalling the software drivers
results in the same problem

tried installing with elevated administrative access: same problem.

tried installing the driver directly from the folder
gives the error "The INF file you selected does not support this method of installation "

tried installing the driver directly through add printer wizard,
selecting the folder which it came in. It gave an error code,
which I wish I wrote down, it was something like "0x000008A"
(not a blue-screen though).

Tried running the installation in Compatibility Mode, with elevated admin access
for the following OS's
Vista (Service Pack 2), Vista (Service Pack 1), Vista, Windows XP (Service Pack 3)
results in the same problem.

Tried the installation in Safe Mode: same problem.

Tried the installation with the older drivers: won't run.


This is really troubling! There are no other problems
with this new laptop.
I feel silly even thinking of returning a new
laptop over a Dell software issue.

Any suggestions what can be tried to get this printer to
install? (other than pay a bunch of money with a credit
card to talk to a person whose accent is in-construable)
I've posted this on Dell's community support forum, too.

Thanks

 

Re: Dell Photo Printer 966 Windows 7 Installation Hangs "Install is updating your sys

Wow. You've tried just about everything I would have suggested. However, try this: make sure the printer USB cable is not connected to the PC, make sure any attempts to install the drivers have been uninstalled or otherwise removed (you might want to use both Driver Sweeper and CCleaner). Reboot the PC after everything has been cleaned out. Power on the printer and plug in the USB cable; cancel/close the Wizard if it opens. Now go to Windows Update (or Microsoft Update) and see if the driver is listed under "Hardware (Optional)" after the Update site checks your system. Even if it doesn't show up in the optional hardware updates, install any "critical" updates listed, and check the other optional updates for something that may be related to the printer or overall system stability or overall compatibility. Again, reboot after installing any updates, then try installing the drivers again as you would normally.

GOOD LUCK!!!

(When I first started using Windows 7, everything was fine except my internet connection would completely drop out at random at least 3 or 4 times an hour; much Googling got me no-where, so I figured I'd check the optional updates; sure enough, one of 'em specifically mentioned "enhances system stability and compatibility with network connectivity"; installing that update solved the problem, kind of weird it wasn't considered a "critical" update, it was listed as "optional")

 

Re: Dell Photo Printer 966 Windows 7 Installation Hangs "Install is updating your sys

Just a thought. You said that your laptop was a brand-new Dell. Was it a custom order because I thought all laptops from dell now use Windows 7 64 bit unless it is a Netbook. Then it uses the starter edition. You referenced the 32 bit drivers. The 64 bit drivers are here.

http://support.us.dell.com/support/...dateid=-1&formatid=-1&source=-1&fileid=223581