A recent update—or a planned obsolescence change—has caused Windows 7 to stop recognizing the Generic Text Only driver when installing Epson and Cognitive printers. During the installation process, Windows accepts the printer name but fails while importing the driver into the system and registry. This is the point at which the error is typically triggered.

In some cases, a similar error may also appear when viewing or modifying Printer Properties.

Impact

Existing printers may continue to function normally.

New installations or attempts to switch drivers will typically fail with a Generic Text Only driver error.

Reinstalling the Generic Text Only driver does not resolve the issue.

Another possible error could be triggered when inspecting the printer properties. 

Often the printer will still continue to work, however if you are attempting a new setup you will get the following error.

Epson Printers – Resolution

For Epson POS or receipt printers affected by this issue:

Remove the existing printer from Windows.

Run the Epson Advanced Printer Driver (APD) utility.

Reinstall the printer using the Epson driver only.

Do not attempt to switch the driver to Generic Text Only, as this will fail under Windows 7.

Complete setup and test functionality.

Printer Sharing – Windows Using Generic / Installed Text Drivers

When sharing an Epson receipt printer between Windows workstations, both the host computer (the one sharing the printer) and any client computer (the one accessing the shared printer) must have the exact same Epson printer driver version installed.

Requirements

The host PC must have the correct Epson printer driver installed.

Any accessing workstation must install the same driver version before connecting to the shared printer.

Example Scenario

1. POS1 (Windows 11) is sharing a KP1 Epson printer.
2. POS3 (Windows 7) needs to connect to this shared printer.
3. POS1 is running the Epson Advanced Printer Driver (APD), version APD_513 for a TM-T88V.
4. Before POS3 can connect, it must also have APD_513 installed.

Resolution Steps

1. Install the same Epson APD version on both the host and the accessing workstation.
2. After installation, re-attempt adding the shared printer from the client workstation (e.g., POS3 connecting to POS1).
3. The shared printer should now install properly without generating a “Generic Text Only” fallback driver.
    

Cognitive Printers – Resolution

We located legacy Cognitive drivers that remain compatible with Windows 7. These support Advantage LX, Blaster, Del Sol, and Code Ranger models (32-bit & 64-bit).

Steps

Download the legacy Cognitive driver package. Cognitive Drivers

They can also be found in our driver files:

\\gateway\distrib\Cognitive\Blaster - Ethernet\Windows Drivers
    - Choose which version of driver:
        - Windows 7= Legacy 
        - Windows 10/11 = Current

Save the ZIP file to the Manager1 Support folder and extract it.

In Windows Printer Management, select Add Driver → have disk, browse to the folder the zip file extracted to, Select Driver, from the driver list, choose: DL XL 4"

Or run the self installer:

During the install if its an IP network printer, simply add the proper IP address.

If this is a Windows 7 sharing issue:
If its a shared serial port, add it to a basic COM port of choice in the add port screen. It does not need to be an active COM port. 
Once completed, it will require going back into the printer properties and setup a local port. 
    ***NOTE***
        If a local this will need to be setup on all stations and the pat within Prism adjusted. 

From the driver list, choose:

DL XL 4"

Allow Windows to complete installation.

Use the MPSI Printer Tool to send a test print and confirm functionality.