How to solve the HP printer LAN connection issue

I own a HP Photosmart C5180 printer and sometimes, the LAN connection between the printer and my computer running Windows 7 is broken… even if the printer is switched on and “pingable” on the LAN.

Restarting the computer and/or switching off the printer fixes the issue but this is really a pain to do that all the time!

This boring situation is caused by the  HPSLPSVC service, also known as the  HP Network Devices Support service. To fix that :

1. Power off the printer.
2. Open a Command Prompt with elevated privileges.
3. Input the following command:  net stop HPSLPSVC.
4. Power on the printer.
5. Input the following command:  net start HPSLPSVC.

Now, check the HP Solution Center. Your printer should be available again!