usb not recognizing printers @ boot-up

I have an HP/Compaq nx-6310 laptop attached to a MS peer-to-peer network (we
use it for AARP income tax program, and move from site to site)

Anyway, when I boot up the laptop, it does not recognize the currently
installed usb printer (HP 1022) and re-installs it, so that I now have 2
printers on the control panel/printers screen. All programs are looking for
the first one installed, but the computer doesn't recognize it, so nothing
works!

It doesn't seem to make any difference whether the printer is plugged into
the USB port or not - which is to say that when it has booted up, without the
printer being plugged in, and then when it is ready, plugging in the printer,
it re-installs the printer as a new one. Is there some sort of serial number
in the printer that XP-PRO looks at and tries to match up with a remembered
serial number?

How do I fix this so that when I boot up, it recognizes the printer as being
already installed?