Win7/XP network printer problem
in [Dell]
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From: Sam Spade on 26 Apr 2010 10:58 "Robert L. Altic Jr." <bobaltic(a)comcast.net> wrote in message news:a28bt5dv4th1jqt7549jo4t5l906rmft9n(a)4ax.com... > When I went through the drop down boxes, it took me to a chart that > indicated the driver was built into Win7, which I can not get to > recognize the printer. Frustrating to say the least. Thanks for the > help. Best, Bob > > > > > On Sun, 25 Apr 2010 16:12:44 -0500, "WSZsr" <nospam(a)hotmail.com> > wrote: > >>Here is the driver: >> >>http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/DriverDownload.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodNameId=378062&taskId=135&prodTypeId=18972&prodSeriesId=378060&lang=en&cc=us >> >>"Robert L. Altic Jr." <bobaltic(a)comcast.net> wrote in message >>news:p159t5hd83rkneppctkeh28qboa7eh50jr(a)4ax.com... >>> Hi All, >>> I just received my wife's new Inspirion 17 laptop and have it >>> installed using my wireless network. I can get my central desktop a >>> Dell XPS 410, running XP service pack 3 to recognize her laptop, and >>> can get the laptop to identify the HP 3380 printer attached to the >>> desktop. However, when I try and connect to the printer, Win7 says it >>> has to load a driver. The HP website does not list a driver for the >>> printer. So I did what was suggested in PC World and installed the >>> printer directly attached to the laptop. It works fine but continues >>> to not connect in the network. I have sharing turned on on both >>> computers and am at wits end trying to find what is stopping the >>> printer from functioning. My wife's old laptop running XP printed >>> fine. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. Best, Bob I'm not up on all this but I purchased a Windows for Dummies Windows 7 book and it really goes into details. It's nice when you have a guru from work, I once did, but now I rely on newsgroups, pc manufacturer, and these dummy books are something else.
From: William R. Walsh on 26 Apr 2010 13:20 Hi! > I'm not up on all this but I purchased a Windows for Dummies > Windows 7 book and it really goes into details. You've mentioned this several times now in several different threads. This is fine, but please do NOT spam the group. If you have some commercial interest in this book, that's tolerable, but you need to be honest and disclose it first. William
From: William R. Walsh on 26 Apr 2010 13:29 Hi! This is a common problem. I used to have it regularly when attempting to print to a shared printer on a machine running Windows 98 from a Windows NT (NT/2000/XP/Vista/7) machine. It can also happen any time the versions of Windows on each end differ. Here's how I solved it. 1. Install the printer driver on the computer that you will be connecting to the shared printer. Set it up as a local printer and attach it to LPT1. This isn't right but we'll fix that later. Don't choose to print a test page or anything like that, as it won't work. If the driver is built into Windows, you can just use the wizard to choose it. If the driver requires that you run a setup program to install it, you may have to temporarily connect the printer. Whatever the case, just get the printer to show up in the Printers folder somehow. 2. Go into the printer properties from the Printers folder and navigate to the "ports" tab. 3. Choose to add a "Local Port" and click the "New Port" button. 4. Type the name of the computer and the shared printer into the box that appears asking for a port name. You'd type it like this: \\computer\printer replacing "computer" with the actual computer name and "printer" with the name you are using to share the printer. 5. Click OK. 6. Now, assuming that you have rights to access the computer, you should be able to hit OK until you are out of the printer properties sheet. Go back and choose to print a test page. With any luck, it will work. It has for me across a wide variety of printers. In future, you might consider buying a printer with a built in network card. A lot of printers sold today have them, and they're not expensive. That's something to think about when your current printer wears out... William
From: Ben Myers on 26 Apr 2010 19:37 On 4/26/2010 1:29 PM, William R. Walsh wrote: > Hi! > > This is a common problem. I used to have it regularly when attempting > to print to a shared printer on a machine running Windows 98 from a > Windows NT (NT/2000/XP/Vista/7) machine. It can also happen any time > the versions of Windows on each end differ. > > Here's how I solved it. > > 1. Install the printer driver on the computer that you will be > connecting to the shared printer. Set it up as a local printer and > attach it to LPT1. This isn't right but we'll fix that later. Don't > choose to print a test page or anything like that, as it won't work. > If the driver is built into Windows, you can just use the wizard to > choose it. If the driver requires that you run a setup program to > install it, you may have to temporarily connect the printer. Whatever > the case, just get the printer to show up in the Printers folder > somehow. > > 2. Go into the printer properties from the Printers folder and > navigate to the "ports" tab. > > 3. Choose to add a "Local Port" and click the "New Port" button. > > 4. Type the name of the computer and the shared printer into the box > that appears asking for a port name. You'd type it like this: > > \\computer\printer > > replacing "computer" with the actual computer name and "printer" with > the name you are using to share the printer. > > 5. Click OK. > > 6. Now, assuming that you have rights to access the computer, you > should be able to hit OK until you are out of the printer properties > sheet. Go back and choose to print a test page. With any luck, it will > work. It has for me across a wide variety of printers. > > In future, you might consider buying a printer with a built in network > card. A lot of printers sold today have them, and they're not > expensive. That's something to think about when your current printer > wears out... > > William I've done something similar to your description for XP Home (and similar) users. Encountered one today that simply may not work. Got a Canon inkjet connected to a Vista Home box for the family. Owner has a laptop which is a member of a Novell NETWARE (ugh!) domain. How to print to the printer on the Vista Home computer? I recommended a USB print server, which would also solve the same problem with a Mac running OS X... Ben
From: William R. Walsh on 26 Apr 2010 21:39
Hi! > I recommended a USB print server, which would also solve the same > problem with a Mac running OS X... Ben Unfortunately, it's not that easy. The Macintosh treats every printer as though it is a Postscript device. Those devices that aren't have their output piped through a software filter until it meets what the printer expects. (Many HP printers do this.) If you install the printer through any kind of print server, chances are good that the manufacturer's setup tool won't work. So then you get raw Postscript (or nothing at all, if the printer has to have all of its image processing done by the computer) and nothing works. I suppose that there might be some way to cobble it together using the underlying Unix console, profanity, loads of paper and ink, several hours, coffee, (pills, and cigarettes for the really desperate) and did I mention copious quantities of swearing? In the end, you'd be money ahead to buy a printer that supports Postscript natively (because then it *will* work even when the manufacturer has forgotten they made it) or to buy a printer that is network ready for PC, Macintosh and other users. William |