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I was trying to install a driver for an old HP printer and was confused to find two seperate folders: one name "hp" and the other "hewlett packard." Each contained a different set of printer drivers, but both set of drivers are from the same manufacturer. I assumed "hp" and "hewlett packard" are the same company. What could be the reason for this?

user148298
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Because the people who packaged the driver changed the name field over time. There are quite a few more than that. I often find 4 different spellings of Manufacturers in the driver store. You might get a different name from Microsoft, the OEM, or a repacker like the motherboard OEM.

It's just a text field in the ".INF" file. You could change it. Add a few more.

HackSlash
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  • You think MS would clean things up to ease the cognitive overload on customers and the support people! – user148298 Jan 25 '18 at 23:59
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    MS doesn't log in to your computer to clean up text strings. If you download the driver from HP and install it, how would MS ever know that the text was different from the text that MS uses for HP drivers? – HackSlash Jan 26 '18 at 00:04
  • Well, MS should tell HP and other manufacturers to get their act together or their drivers will no longer work. Apple sweats tiny details like this and they are reaping the rewards big time. They were left for dead back in the 90s and have superseded Microsoft because they care about the details. – user148298 Jan 26 '18 at 19:23
  • In what way has Apple every superseded Microsoft? Do you think that %89.59 market share is falling behind? https://www.extremetech.com/computing/227693-windows-drops-below-90-market-share-for-the-first-time-in-years-windows-7-falls-below-50 – HackSlash Jan 27 '18 at 00:18
  • MS lost the mobile market. It's losing the server market. It is clinging for it life on the desktop. No one is loves Windows. Microsoft is now playing follow the leader, where it is trying to follow Apple and Google's strategy. They are like a big, fat, old Elvis who still believe they are king. – user148298 Jan 27 '18 at 17:34
  • 89% is not clinging for life. I think you left out server, office and enterprise. They dominate work. Like it or not, it's how work gets done. – HackSlash Jan 29 '18 at 16:14