Sharing a Printer

Here is my home network (workgroup) setup. I have a PC and a laptop setup on a workgroup with a shared printer. The printer is connected to the PC. The two computers are connected via wireless router. The printer does not have an ethernet jack and therefore has to be connected to the PC.

I have a second laptop from work that is a member of a domain network. I connect at home to the internet via the wireless router. Is there a way to share the printer with this second laptop using my setup or with a seperate router/print server?

Thanks in advance for any answers you may give!

 

This can be tricker than perhaps it should be. The problem is that XP may well see your work laptop as having no rights on the home network. You could connect into the home network but then you'll get profile problems (the laptop will want to generate a new profile with clean desktop, my documents etc.). You then might get problems connecting back on the works network.

The way XP deals with uses logging into different networks isn't one of its better "features ".

There are ways round it, but they are not simple. So this is what I suggest:

You should find that from your works laptop, you can browse to the PC with printer attached by entering \\computername in your Windows Explorer address bar (replace computername with the name of the PC with the printer. You can also try replacing it with the IP address of that computer if you don't get anywhere with the name. E.g. \\192.168.0.6).

At this point I expect you'll find a box pop up prompting you for a username and password. Enter a username valid on the home PC. If this fails try entering the name with the home computer name first: homecomputername/username

Once you've entered a valid username and password, you'll then see a listing of the home computer's shared resources. If you've set up the printer to be shared, the printer will be one of them. Double clicking on the printer will set it up for you.

Now the problem. A couple of days later you bring your works laptop home again and want to print. Lo and behold, the printing won't work. Why: you haven't logged into the home PC hosting the printer. Basically you have to repeat much of the process above.

However, if once you connect to the home computer, you save that connection as a shortcut in Network Neighbourhood (copy the computer object and paste as a shortcut into Network Neighbourhood), this process is simply a case of double clicking on the shortcut and entering the username and password.

It not neat, but it should work and is, I think, the easiest workaround.

 

Bettis36
I read you LOUD and CLEAR.

I think the best and certainly the most useful way around this problem is to invest in a networkable printer. That way the printer can be installed to each individual machine and not have to depend on any other.

I had ( actually still have ) an HP 5550 printer hooked to this machine and was shared with the other two. But this machine HAD TO BE ON for the others to use it. All was fine until one day I forgot and shut this machine down.

So I purchased an HP5850. Plugged it into the Router, Installed it on each machine. Now as long as the printer does not get shut off any machine can use it at anytime.

OK OK !! I can already hear the remarks about $$. My answer is a straight forward " It is well worth it to have more reliability. "

I can also hear possible remarks about disk Space. Again my answer is ".It is well worth it. "

BillyBob

 

INTELLIscribe Virtual Print Driver

ReggieB could this program provide an "easier / safer" solution for Bettis36?? But program costs $69.00 - can buy cheap printers for that price ... unless an equivalent program could be found in freeware.

 

Bettis36 already has a Router.

I believe all that is realy needed is a Networkable Printer cabled into it. And the drivers installed on each machine. No need for any 3rd party $70 software.

I believe the money is better spent on a better printer.

Also Bettis36 is using a wireless Router with which I am not familiar because my System is all hardwired.

A big problem here is in the fact that there are different ways to do the job and it is hard to decide which one is best.

BillyBob

 

I was able to connect to the computer typing \\computername, but couldn't connect to the printer via \\computername\printername, \\IP Address or \\printername.

This home PC does not have any passwords required to log into.

 

Looks like I need to invest in a networkable printer and it will save me some headaches.

Thanks everyone!

 

You can also use print sharers. They come in both USB & parallel flavours & cost approx. $50.

 

OK. were you able to set up the printer once you've connected to the computer?

Ah! XP Home and it's poxy permissions/networking system. I hate to say this but try user Administrator, no password. If that works, I'd suggest you think of setting a password on your Administor account.

As for the network print server option. You could go that way. It depends how often you need to print and how important this is to you. I'd vote for a print server over the software option (especially at $69).