SOLVED HL-1440 driver not found in Windows 10 Update

[JoeW29]

I had not tried connecting my Brother HL_1440 to my Windows 10 system until today, because I don't have to print too many documents and I had my HP Photosmart printer connected. After following the instructions on the Brother Support page for directly connecting to the printer through a USB port, I encountered the same problems as others in this forum. I could see in the Device Manager that the system recognized a new USB connection and identified that it was a Brother HL_1440, but it was not available in the Printer and Devices list. Since the Brother Support information was of no help, I started searching the Internet for some recommendations. I found this forum and tried the Windows Optional Updated as suggested by Scooter12, and confirmed by others. It worked as described and my Brother HL_1440 is now in the list.

Thanks for all the help. I would have been stumbling around for a while on this one.

 

[zakmancrothers]

driver for HL-1210W works for HL-1440
That driver is found on Brother website.
Thank me if it works for you !!

Thank you this worked for me! I installed the driver then followed the prompts on the website for "For Local Printer" and was able to configure it.

 

[Ualani]

Windows 10 won't recognize HL-1440
if you search for solution, they would tell you need to download the brother printer driver,
then they would tell you the driver is already packaged with windows 10

then they tell you need to update the driver,
then they tell you the update is automatically done each time with windows 10 update

++++++++++++==+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
then I found this link

HL-1440 driver not found in Windows 10 Update

I have a new Dell Inspiron 15 that I'm trying to use a USB cable to print to Brother HL-1440. Windows 10 doesn't recognize that any printer is connected, and I can't get Update to find that particular driver. Lots of other Brother drivers, just no driver for HL-1440. Brother doesn't have Win 10...

www.windows10forums.com

"Update - In advanced windows update options, I enabled updating other microsoft products, then in windows update, optional updates, I checked Microsoft - Printer I 6/21/2006. I then went into add printer and magically the Brother HL-1440 was there."

"Grizzly -- I had just seen the compatibility method, and read where someone had success. I was about to try it when I read:"

"Scooter12 -- Your method sounded improbable. Like magic, you say. What a bunch of crap. So, I tried it, and unbelievably, just like magic, the Brother HL-1440 appeared in the printer manager. It works fine. I would never have found that method. Thanks for your suggestion.

Thank you, all, for your help. Glad you are here."
++++++++++++==+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Well, ok, two people tried it and had success.
What's the harm...

So I tried the steps, Windows Start button,
Update
Advanced Windows Update...
Optional Update...
etc...

Mind you, it did not do any actual update, as it kept telling I already have the latest update.
I only THREATENED to do an update.

And, lo and behold, the Brother printer HL-1440 icon magically, appeared in the printer manager.
Just like the other two people said.

I'm SO grateful for you guys who said what to do, esp. JamesClerk who made it sound like wow, it really does work. So, I tried it and yep, voila, there was the CORRECT option in Windows Update.

I LOVE my Brother HL-1440 printer. It's like 2 decades old, but it's the ONLY printer I have ever had, that WORKS, over and over again, CONSISTENTLY, with no problems! This thing is built like a workhorse - like a Toyota or Honda - and puts all other printers (the type with annoying bells and whistles) to SHAME. Toyota's motto was, you turn the key, and it goes. Well the HL-1440's motto should be, you turn it on, and it prints. It's the only printer that hasn't made me feel like I want to replay the scene from Office space where I take it out in a field and kick the **** out of it. Yeah, it's not a fancy printer, it only prints in black and white, and there's no scanner, but so what. 99% of the time, I just need a quick, clear black and white copy of something, and the HL-1440 delivers.

After several attempts to download or find the proper update to work with Windows 10 on my newer laptop, I was pulling my hair out. I felt like windows was forcing me to have to abandon this awesome printer, and get a new one. Great, just what we all need, let's fill our landfills with MORE computer waste! The only way I was able to get it to work, was to dig out my Acer laptop that's 6 years old and takes about 5 minutes to start. Every page loads about as fast as if I was using dialup. I had to transfer whatever I wanted to print, to this other laptop, and print it from there. Super time consuming, but it seemed like the only way to get it done.

In case this may help anyone, this is a screenshot of what it looks like, when you do the windows update. You can see the printer listed in the optional updates, right in the Optional Updates window.

What's confusing is, when you do all the normal routes to search for your printer, you get the feeling that the download should be automatic, and windows will just find it and start downloading it for you (like it does with other things... I guess I've become spoiled). In the past, that prevented me from looking any further. I kinda thought, well if it didn't download automatically, then it must not be available. And when you read on the brother site that it's available through a windows update, it just makes you think, UGH (would be one thing if you KNEW it would work, but it doesn't seem worth the effort to even try it, and reconfigure God-knows-what-settings on your computer, only to find out that didn't work, either). SO many people must give up at that point, so I'm really grateful to have found this thread.

When your old printer isn't listed, it seems like there should be some kind of a popup that says something along the lines of, "hey, we see you're trying to download an older printer but we're not going to automatically install it for you, like you're expecting us to. You can only install it through windows update.... but you don't really have to do the whole update, just begin the process and that correct driver you've been searching for will suddenly appear in the update window. It'll be right there, because we can see you've been searching for it. We know you may not want to do a whole update, so, simply check the box next to the printer driver we found, and you can finally download it."

Obviously, there's no way windows is going to have a pop up message that says all of that.... that's just what I WISH they'd say : D

It would also be nice if the Brother site could have some kind of message that lets users know they do not have to do the entire windows update, in order to just install the driver.

Anyway... thanks again to everyone on this thread who showed it really COULD be done!

 

[Ualani]

UPDATE 10/2/22: Just printed my first page from my 2021 HP laptop, using Windows 10, and have seen proof positive that yes, it can be done! Last time I restarted my computer, I guess the update took effect and suddenly I was able to see the HL-1440 from the printer options. SOO grateful for this. I really did NOT want to get rid of this printer, it is so well made and one of the few appliances I've ever owned, that didn't break!! You can see a pic of how it showed up in my printer options, here: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52401095045_8f04470cd9_b.jpg


------------

I LOVE my Brother HL-1440 printer. It's like 2 decades old, but it's the ONLY printer I have ever had, that WORKS, over and over again, CONSISTENTLY, with no problems! This thing is built like a workhorse - like a Toyota or Honda - and puts all other printers (the type with annoying bells and whistles) to SHAME. Toyota's motto was, you turn the key, and it goes. Well the HL-1440's motto should be, you turn it on, and it prints. It's the only printer that hasn't made me feel like I want to replay the scene from Office space where I take it out in a field and kick the **** out of it. Yeah, it's not a fancy printer, it only prints in black and white, and there's no scanner, but so what. 99% of the time, I just need a quick, clear black and white copy of something, and the HL-1440 delivers.

After several attempts to download or find the proper update to work with Windows 10 on my newer laptop, I was pulling my hair out. I felt like windows was forcing me to have to abandon this awesome printer, and get a new one. Great, just what we all need, let's fill our landfills with MORE computer waste! The only way I was able to get it to work, was to dig out my Acer laptop that's 6 years old and takes about 5 minutes to start. Every page loads about as fast as if I was using dialup. I had to transfer whatever I wanted to print, to this other laptop, and print it from there. Super time consuming, but it seemed like the only way to get it done.

In case this may help anyone, this is a screenshot of what it looks like, when you do the windows update. You can see the printer listed in the optional updates, right in the Optional Updates window.

View attachment 14250


What's confusing is, when you do all the normal routes to search for your printer, you get the feeling that the download should be automatic, and windows will just find it and start downloading it for you (like it does with other things... I guess I've become spoiled). In the past, that prevented me from looking any further. I kinda thought, well if it didn't download automatically, then it must not be available. And when you read on the brother site that it's available through a windows update, it just makes you think, UGH (would be one thing if you KNEW it would work, but it doesn't seem worth the effort to even try it, and reconfigure God-knows-what-settings on your computer, only to find out that didn't work, either). SO many people must give up at that point, so I'm really grateful to have found this thread.

When your old printer isn't listed, it seems like there should be some kind of a popup that says something along the lines of, "hey, we see you're trying to download an older printer but we're not going to automatically install it for you, like you're expecting us to. You can only install it through windows update.... but you don't really have to do the whole update, just begin the process and that correct driver you've been searching for will suddenly appear in the update window. It'll be right there, because we can see you've been searching for it. We know you may not want to do a whole update, so, simply check the box next to the printer driver we found, and you can finally download it."

Obviously, there's no way windows is going to have a pop up message that says all of that.... that's just what I WISH they'd say : D

It would also be nice if the Brother site could have some kind of message that lets users know they do not have to do the entire windows update, in order to just install the driver.

View attachment 14251




Anyway... thanks again to everyone on this thread who showed it really COULD be done!

 

[Woop]

Update: finally got the HL-1450 printer installed!!

Gave up trying to get the driver to appear in the printer setup and instead downloaded it from the Microsoft Update Catalog website. There were several download options but after a bit of trial and error I got the right one.

Next I extracted the files/folder from the downloaded cab file - note it is important to extract this correctly in order to preserve any directory structure!! I opened a command prompt as administrator, cd to the folder where the cab file was located and:-

expand filename.cab -F:* C:\destination_folder

Then in the printer setup all I needed to do was to select “Have Disk” and point it to the folder where the cab file was extracted to. Select the inf file and then a list of printers appeared including all the missing HL printers. Selected HL-1450 and it installed and is working perfectly!!

This is what worked for me. I didn't know about the catalog website. The cab file expand commandline was also great help. Thank you!

 

[Johninconifer]

Update - In advanced windows update options, I enabled updating other microsoft products, then in windows update, optional updates, I checked Microsoft - Printer I 6/21/2006. I then went into add printer and magically the Brother HL-1440 was there

I was able to use this technique to get my HL-1440 working under both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

 

[Awilliam]

Thank you! it does work!

I tried the Driver HL1210W for my HL1440 printer. It does work, but prints a second page that say's "dregular". That's the only word on it. Any ideas how to fix that?

 

[Awilliam]

I tried the Driver HL1210W for my HL1440 printer. It does work, but prints a second page that say's "dregular". That's the only word on it. Any ideas how to fix that?

Solved.. I used Driver from Microsoft (HL-5130 series) and it works perfect for the Brother HL-1440

 

[Awilliam]

Update - In advanced windows update options, I enabled updating other microsoft products, then in windows update, optional updates, I checked Microsoft - Printer I 6/21/2006. I then went into add printer and magically the Brother HL-1440 was there

Works 100%. Thank-you.