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I want to download the whole set of printer drivers that Microsoft does not distribute anymore since Windows 7 and install/deploy them without windows update or internet access.

I am aware that I can use the windows update catalogue. But then I need to find the exact right driver.

If I install Windows fresh and click on add printer, there is a button which does a one time download of additional drivers that have not been included in the ISO image. After clicking it, the list will be much bigger.

What exactly happens when I click that button? Which package is downloaded by Windows Update and how can I automate exactly this (not knowing which exact printer driver I will need)

Christian
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  • FYI This is a known issue in Windows. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/printing/not-all-printer-drivers-from-windows-update-in-add-printer-wizard – Greg Askew Jan 29 '22 at 15:15
  • The link describes how to click the Windows Update button. Afterwards it states that this will show more drivers but not all. Then it shows how to manually download a specific driver from the update catalogue. I want to automate the clicking on the windows-update button in an offline scenario, preferably automtically – Christian Jan 29 '22 at 15:33

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I have found out that the button only populates the list of available drivers. It only downloads metadata. When I actually install the driver, it will be retrieved from Windows Update. I had originally thought that the button kind of "completes" the winodws installation by downloading the universal driver including all the config data, but that is not possible.

So one really needs to retrieve all the necessary drivers from the windows update catalog and inject them, there seems to be no complete driver package

Christian
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