Windows 10 Pro - Can't locate wireless printer with static IP

This is my first post, so forgive any inadvertent errors while posting.
I have 3 laptops in my household, along with an older HP printer Office Jet Pro 8610. I was having an issue with the printer obtaining new IP address, and laptops could not find it. So I set the printer to have a static IP, and proceeded to delete the installed printer on laptop 1, then had it searched for a "new printer" which it found and installed the HP OJP 8610. No problem. Prints great.

Now when I do the same process on laptop 2 Win 10 will not find the printer. Laptop 3 same thing.
I have compared the wireless network settings of the 3 laptops and they appear to be the same. Internet works on all 3.

Laptop 1 - Windows 10 Version 1909 Build 18363.836
Laptop 2 - Windows 10 Version 1909 Build 18363.836
Laptop 3 - Windows 10 Version 1909 Build 18363.836

All 3 devices getting DHCP from the cable router, along with the HP OJP 8610 printer and all 3 devices configured as "private" wireless network. Let me know if you need more information.

Any ideas what might cause this? Probably user error but can't figure it out.

Are you looking for the printer by network name or IP it should wor if you use the IP

Dobbsa said:

This is my first post, so forgive any inadvertent errors while posting.
I have 3 laptops in my household, along with an older HP printer Office Jet Pro 8610. I was having an issue with the printer obtaining new IP address, and laptops could not find it. So I set the printer to have a static IP, and proceeded to delete the installed printer on laptop 1, then had it searched for a "new printer" which it found and installed the HP OJP 8610. No problem. Prints great.
Now when I do the same process on laptop 2 Win 10 will not find the printer. Laptop 3 same thing.
I have compared the wireless network settings of the 3 laptops and they appear to be the same. Internet works on all 3.
Laptop 1 - Windows 10 Version 1909 Build 18363.836
Laptop 2 - Windows 10 Version 1909 Build 18363.836
Laptop 3 - Windows 10 Version 1909 Build 18363.836
All 3 devices getting DHCP from the cable router, along with the HP OJP 8610 printer and all 3 devices configured as "private" wireless network. Let me know if you need more information.
Any ideas what might cause this? Probably user error but can't figure it out.

Ok, my problem is resolved, but I do not know what the root cause of the issue was.

Laptop 1 (I7, 16GB RAM, 64 Bit) never had the problem.
Laptop 2 (I5, 8GB Ram, 64 Bit) indeed had the "Function Discovery Provider" service off (thanks Jacee!). I set it to automatic and started it. Then things changed a little, but I still could not get the newly installed printer to work.. Used the "HP Print Doctor" software, installed the printer and tested. It didn't work so deleted the printer and went back to "HP Print Doctor". The "HP Print Doctor" program seems to have 2 options. It ask me if my printer was "offline" and I had to answer YES or NO. I would assume that there were different routines employed depending on my answer. I ran it both ways. After 8 times of this suddenly I got a good install of the printer, and it printed the test page just fine.

Laptop 3 process was the same as Laptop 2 , except I only ran the process 3 times.

So, everything is working fine now. I have to believe it had something to do with the old IP address of the printer not being cleared out somewhere, and causing the newly installed printer (with the new static IP address) to somehow point back to the old IP address. Just a guess.

Thanks for the help!

I hope you kept detailed notes.

My HP-6500 printer periodically goes on a sabbatical and the connection requires more tweaking.
The tweaks also seem different depending on which PC is attempting a connection.

It has always misbehaved since the beginning, even worse with Windows 7.