Printer Troubleshooting: Workstation Not Recognizing Printer

Workstation Printer Troubleshooting

Question

A desktop administrator just connected a printer to a workstation, but the workstation does not recognize the printer.

Which of the following does the workstation MOST likely need for the printer to function?

Answers

Explanations

Click on the arrows to vote for the correct answer

A. B. C. D.

D.

The correct answer is D. Driver.

When a new printer is connected to a computer, the computer needs to have the appropriate driver software installed in order to recognize and communicate with the printer. A driver is a piece of software that acts as a translator between the printer and the computer's operating system, allowing the computer to send print jobs to the printer and receive status updates from the printer.

Without the proper driver, the computer will not be able to communicate with the printer and therefore will not recognize it. In this case, even though the printer is physically connected to the workstation, it will not be able to function until the driver is installed.

Permissions, ink cartridges, and USB cables can all be important for a printer to function properly, but they are not the most likely solution in this particular scenario. Permissions may be required to install the driver, but they would not be the cause of the initial recognition problem. An ink cartridge is required for the printer to produce output, but it is not required for the computer to recognize the printer. A USB cable is required for the printer to be physically connected to the computer, but it does not ensure that the computer will recognize the printer.