Sharing files is working, but printer sharing isn't

Hello everybody,

I have two compters (pentium 4 and pentium 3) both with windows xp professional installed and decided to make a small network. I have two nic cards installed in the P3 and one in the P4, I am sharing the internet directly from my cable modem to one of the nic cards in my P3 and have no problems. I connected the P4 with P3 with a crossover utp cable. Everything seems to be working and able to share files but not the printer attached with my P4. I added the printer in my P3 and the wizard installed also the driver I tried to print a doc file and even a test page from the installed hp software (HP deskjet 3650) but I get en error report "word cannot produce the propert box printer returned an error" . Can anyone help please, regards

mario

 

mario

I had the same problem with SHARING the printer and other things.

The cure was to install a Router. That makes each machine not dependent on the other for anything.

And by installing the Router, no one machine has to be left on so that others cna use things like the Printer.

BillyBob

 

Also another possible problem with SHARING.

And someone may correct me if I am wrong.

Sharing is nice and handy at times. But it can also be trouble.

When SHARING is activated between two machines if a Virus should get on one it will, can or may go right to the other also via the SHARED network.

As I mentioned I have the Router and have NOTHING SHARED ( not permanently anyway ) But if I need to I can set up a drive to be shared and transfer stuff then un-shared it

BillyBob

 

to buy a router with a print server is more expensive to buy than another printer for my other computer since sharing of files is possible with my pesent configuration.

 

I am now LOST. MY Router does not have a print Server as such. It is just a 4 port Linksys BEFSR41.

The printer is plugged into it just like a machine would be. And the software ( drivers ) for it are installed on each machine.

Each of my three machines is a standalone device. No one depends on the other for ANYTHING.

Also, ( unless I am thinking incorrectly ) the 2nd machine depends on the 1st for Internet connection. The Router would aslo illiminate that.

Again ( unless I am thinking incorrectly ) your one machine is being used as a server of sorts. And if the server dies all other machines are SOL.

The Router would do away with that.

Machines to Router.
Printer to Router.
Router to Modem.

OOPS !!. I forgot. You would need a Networkable Printer ( has its own NIC ) and uses the same Cat5 type cable to connect to the Router as the machines do. I have an HP 5850. But it has been well worth it. If I do not want this machine on the others can still use the printer.

I bit more initial cost but well worth it in the long run. At least I have found it to be.

Billybob

 

being a home network it would work out a little bit expensive to buy an ethernet printer but anyway at last I managed to print. I Installed Netbeui removed printer and driver from my P3, removed printer and driver form my P4 (server) I installed driver again in my P4 and added printer in my P3 and at last managed to print. The thing is that I do not know which solved the problem if installing from fresh the printer driver or using Netbeui. Thank you again for all your help

 

Glad to read that you got it working.

And I agree to the question of what realy did what. I had problems with the shared Printer several times and had to do what you did.

I will not in any way disagree with that because that is what I thought too. UNTILL I actually did it and this machine has been down twice ( my doing )

I myself am waiting to see if anyone replys to my thoughts about a Virus.

BillyBob

 

mario - for your needs, NetBEUI was a great idea. You may never know exactly what changes made things work but it isn't critical since it is working.

BB - if you want to set up file/printer sharing and be absolutely sure you cannot be attacked via the share, you need to do two things.
- install NetBEUI on all your PCs.
- set up file & printer sharing on all the PCs
- after that is done, remove the network bindings for file and printer sharing from TCP/IP so that all sharing will be done via NetBEUI because it cannot be attacked from the outside.

The binding information is located as shown in the pictures below. I only have TCP/IP so can't show you exactly but you will have two entries where I have just the one and they will be clearly marked. It's a simple matter of removing the check mark by TCP/IP.

 

I clicked for properties of the nic card used for sharing files and printer and unchecked the TCP\IP on the General tab (did this on both computers) sharing and printing is still possible after these changes. A VERY BIG thank you again for all your help, best wishes for the coming festive season, regards,


mario

 

Thanks mario and glad you have things set so they work for you.