Network printer memory card does not show in File Explorer

Hi,

We've got a network printer with a memory card reader, which shows up in File Explorer / Network on the first laptop, see first image below.
On the second laptop (identical hard en software as the first laptop) it also used to show up correctly, as in the first laptop.

But a week ago or so the memory card disappeared from the File Explorer on the second laptop, see second image.
It could be that by accident I removed it or disconnected it in the context menu, but I'm not sure. Note that on the first laptop all is OK and I can read and write files to the memory card.

I've been roaming the internet for several days now but no,... nothing, tried out lots of proposed solutions, but really nothing works.

So, any idea about how to get the memory card back in the File Explorer / Network? Any suggestions?

Many thanks in advance.

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Note that the second laptop can print and scan without any problem. It is just the memory card that doesn't show in the File Explorer (Network Locations).

It can happen if there was a firmware, driver, or software update.

@Hearsepilot, Hi,
If tried several different mem cards in and out the printer's card reader. All worked fine on the first laptop, but nothing on the second laptop.
ddb

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Hi,

In the first (working) laptop the printer's mem card is visible in the registry at HKCU\Network\Z, see image.


However, in the second laptop there is no \Z ; the \Network folder is empty.
Would it be possible to manually reconstruct the missing part in the registry by just copying that part from the registry from the first computer?
Anybody out there with experience in manually reconstructing part of the registry?

thanks.

It might be better to install a network printer not via the standard WSD port but via the TCP/IP port.

Hi,

It works! I exported the registry key (folder) \Z (under Network) from the first working laptop on a USB drive and then imported that into the registry of the second laptop, rebooted the second laptop and it worked right away; got the mem card icon back in FE.

Then I imported the same Win10 registry \Z key into the registry of my Windows 7 machine and it worked there too. In the Win7 registry I did change the key name \Z into \M, as the drive letter Z was already taken by other fixed drive on my Win7 machine.
Stunning to see that a Win10 reg key works just fine on my Win7 machine. So problem solved.

@PiKo: Thanks for the tip about installing the printer via the TCP/IP port. Also that works fine now. see Add network printer by IP address - Windows 10
Control Panel
-> Devices and Printers
-> Add a printer
-> Choose "Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings", then click Next
-> Select Create a new port and choose Standard TCP/IP Port, then click Next.
-> etc .....
NOTE:
1) If the printer is already installed, as in my case, it is better to add a port (of type TCP/IP) to the printer driver.
So, Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Devices and Printers -> Printers, then right-click the printer driver and choose Printer Properties in the pop-up menu. Then, tab Port, click button [Add Port ...] and choose Standard TCP/IP -> fill in the local IP address of your printer (see dashboard of your router). Job done!
Now that the TCP/IP port is used, the printer/scanner seems to be more responsive and faster.
2) Before I added the TCP/IP port protocol, the printer driver was using some sort of an EPSON port protocol called "EpsonNet_Print_Port". But Norton Smart Firewall (and VPN) blocked the printer quite often; sometimes the printer worked well, but sometimes not at all.
I always had to reset the Norton Smart Firewall, turn off the VPN and reboot the computer to get the printer back working. Now that the TCP/IP port is used, the printer/scanner seems to co-exist with the Firewall and VPN a bit better than before although the VPN still blocks the printer/scanner sometimes.

Any addition comments, remarks or suggestions, please drop them there. It'll save lots a people lots of headache.

Thanks to all

Noteworthy remark maybe, I've discovered another way to get the memory SD card icon back in the File Explorer / Network locations. During one of my installs I told the EPSON installer that it was a "First_Time" install, instead of going for a re-install for an already configured printer. Apparently the EPSON installer then continued with a clean install and put the \Z key into the registry. That brought the memory SD card icon back under Network locations and all was back OK.
DDB