Solved Dell 1100 (mono) laser printer driver for Windows 11

I have just managed to 'upgrade' my old Dell PC to Windows 11 from Windows 10 following the TPM workaround method. It appears to have worked and most (reinstalled) software seems to run OK. However, during the upgrade process it removed all existing applications. It gave me no option to keep them as it claimed I was upgrading to a version of W11 that was a different language to the version of W10 (!?!). Consequently, when I went to reinstall my old but faithful Dell 1100 mono laser printer, I was stumped as there does not seem to be any Windows 11 compatible printer drivers for it. In fact, on the Dell support site, there didn't seem to be any Windows 10 drivers - despite the fact that I had been happily running it for years under W10.
I found an article on the Dell site about trying to use older printer drivers but, when I attempted to follow this article to install them, I got an error message sating words to the effect 'This version of Windows is not supported'.
So my question is does anybody know whether there is a usable workaround for this or is my happily functioning printer destined for a premature trip to the recycling centre? It seems such a waste.
TIA
BR
(W11 23H2)

I can only speculate but en-gb and en-us are two different languages and have separate ISO files to use in installations-updates.
Perhaps your Windows 10 was one & you updated with the other?

If you have a system image of your Windows 10 installation, you could restore that then try to update again.
Perhaps your existing driver will work that way.

Best of luck,
Denis

I see that the latest drivers Dell offers are for Windows 7.

Suggestion 1: make sure that you download the Windows 7 64-bit version. You may be able to install them using the compatibility troubleshooter.

Suggestion 2: go into the Printers & Scanners settings. Click on "Add Device". It's possible that the printer will be supported.

Suggestion 3: the Microsoft Update Catalog has drivers listed for "... Windows 8.1 and later". Get the 64 bit version. Unfortunately, the form is a CAB file. Slight pain to install.

I'm impressed that a printer that old (2005 release) is still running.

Bobkn, thank you for your suggestions. You are correct in that a CAB file is a "Slight pain to install". I'd suggest more than "Slight!".
I followed your link to the Microsoft Update Catalog and downloaded the CAB file. However, whenever I attempt to use the DISM instruction (as per the second link), it just keeps coming up with an error:

"An error occurred trying to open - M:\Users\Public\Downloads\20028748_95fb30ed22984db75be66e531a1fb50f86ee345d.cab Error: 0x80070002

Error: 2

The system cannot find the file specified."

I've tried downloading the other CAB file and using a different download folder with no difference.

Any thoughts?

This is what I do with all driver cab files.
- Right-click on the cab file & unzip its contents.
- Right-click on each .inf file in its contents and select Install.
I have no idea if this is the "right" way to do it but it's what I do.
I have a vague recollection that there was once a cab file that did not contain an .inf file so, on that occasion, after I had unzipped its contents, I used bobkn's 2nd suggestion [Device mgr, Add device] then browsed to the folder with the cab file's unzipped contents and that worked.


All the best,
Denis

Try3 - thank you so much. Adding it manually, clicking 'have disk' and pointing it to the extracted contents of the CAB file has done the trick. I can now use my old faithful B&W laser printer again. The power of the internet and online forums!

BorderReiver said:

Adding it manually, clicking 'have disk' and pointing it to the extracted contents of the CAB file has done the trick

Click to expand...

Good.

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All the best,
Denis