Problems connecting DeskJet 2542 printer to my laptop computer

Question

I recently bought an HP DeskJet 2542 printer to replace my broken one.
Everything went well on the installation up to the point where I attempt to connect my printer to my laptop, which has been frustratenly unsuccessful.
I have tried both wirelessly through the network and wired through a USB connection, but neither work.
Upon further investigation, I find that the 2540 series software driver for the connection between PC and printer isn't even installing, despite several attempts. 
I have repeatedly uninstalled and reinstalled the entire printer software, but even when it says that the installation is completed, it still fails to connect the printer to my computer.
Furthermore....I recently discovered that my laptop printer connection runs through Windows' "WSD Print Device", which has been prompting me via Windows Update for a software update....but everytime I run it, it fails due to a "300073EB" error.
My laptop is an Dell Inspiron N5040 running Windows 7 - 64 bit. Only changes I have made is to double the RAM memory from 4 GB to 8 GB by adding an additional memory chip.
Any help would be greatly appreciated before I simply return the printer back.
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Answer 1

Well....I am happy to report that I have finally got my printer installed correctly, and it is working properly.
It turns out that the problem was a corrupted register key in the Registry folders where my printer drivers are stored was blocking the installation. I had to delete all the register keys in the folder where they were stored, then rename the folder in my spool folder where the relevant driver files were stored to "deactivate" it.
For those interested: here are the relevant steps I took:
1) Obvously, back up your registry first just in case.
2) Temporarily disable the Print Spooler service through the Services tool in Adminstrative Tools (click on the "Stop" button after right-clicking on the Print Spooler listing, then clicking "Properties".)
 3) Open Registry Editor (by typing "regedit" on  your Start searchbar), then right-clicking on "regedit.exe" to log in as Administrator.
4) Using the left side nested folder directory, scroll down to this folder in the Registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows x64\Drivers\Version-3
(For 32-bit Win 7 machines, replace "Windows x64" with "Windows NT x86".)
Look for the subfolder underneath where the corrupted driver is located (in my case, "HP Deskjet 2540 series") and right-click and delete it. (Note: you could also do the same to all the other driver folders listed there, but you would still have to reinstall the services after you reboot. That's why you need that backup.)
5) Next, get out of the Registry Editor and, using Windows Explorer: locate this folder in your root (C:\) directory:
C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\x64\3
(This assumes you're using Win 7-64 bit; for 32 bit, replace "x64" with "W32X86".)
Rename the folder marked as "3" to "3.old".
6) Now, go back and restart the Print Spooler by using the same procedure as 1), except clicking on the "Start" button. (If your Print Spooler is set on "Automatic", though, you could skip that process, since rebooting will restart it automatically.)
7) Finally, reboot, and reinstall your printer software either using the attached CD or directly from the HP website.
It may simply be that an earlier install of a previous printer corrupted the keys enough that it was blocking the installation.
Justice and resolution may grind slow, but with a little investigation, it ultimately does grind. Thanks for your help....and you may consider this to be "SOLVED".