I was having similar problems getting my Dell 926 printer to communicate with my Windows 8 laptop. I followed the instructions above and made sure I had the drivers for 64-bit Vista (my laptop is running 64-bit Windows 8), and everything installed with no problem whatsoever.
I purchased the Windows 8 laptop in November, 2012, and purchased a HP printer that was compatible after I was unable to install drivers for the Dell 926. I have had nothing but trouble with the HP printer, and am glad I have the old Dell 926 as a backup. I wish I had seen this earlier, because I would have saved some money in not purchasing the HP printer.
Thanks for posting this information.