Most printers now-a-days are Plug & Play ... meaning that when they are plugged into any USB port, Windows should tell you it has identified new hardware, and automatically connect to the web to find the proper drivers... Then Windows should notify you that the new device is ready to use.
This "should" work even if you don't use the printer's installation disc...
So, try plugging your printer's USB cable into a different machine to see it works on that machine...this might tell you whether the problem is with your printer or your computer.
If it is an older printer that worked on an XP machine, it "should" work on a Win 7 machine too. Also, if the printer has wireless capabilities, see if there's a switch on it somewhere to disable it - some printers will only work as wireless or with direct connections, not both...
You could also go to the website of the manufacturer of the printer and see if they have a "fix" for installing it...
Windows can be stubborn -Below is what I had to do do to get my 4 year old printer to work... Note that the Device manager lists the printer as a disc drive and also lists it under Other devices several times... images.investorshub.advfn.com
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