Unable to access shared printer

This is my first post to this forum, so please be gentle with me......

I am trying to set up a shared printer on my home network. The printer is attached to a desktop PC running Windows XP SP2 (plus recent updates) and this PC is wirelessly connected to my network. I can access shared folders on this PC from other machines on the network but I can not access its printer -- even though I have of course enabled printer sharing on this printer ! I have read a number of similar threads on this and other forums but all seem to suggest networking problems which I don't seem to have given I can happily share files from this PC. Can anyone suggest what I should look for please which would specifically stop the printer sharing.

One thing I am aware of : I have not yet installed the driver for this printer on the other machines in the network (though it is installed and working correctly on the machine the printer is attached to). My previous experience is that once Windows finds this printer on the network (eg using the add printer wizard) it will then prompt me to install the driver. But I never get to this stage, I just get the "You do not have permission to access this network resource" when I enter the printer network address.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions,
Paul

 

On the machine with the connected printer, as Administrator:

• Click Start and then click Control Panel.
• Click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
• In the Printers and Faxes folder, click the printer's icon and, in the tasks pane, click Share This Printer.
• open the printer's Properties dialog box, and clicked on the Sharing tab.
• click Share Name and set a proper name.

You must be Administrator. If you have issues, try in Safe Mode with a logon as Administrator.

 

Thanks for the suggestion Bill. However, I should have been more clear in my original post : I have indeed set printer sharing and a share name as you advise .... so unfortunately that is not the cause of my problem.

 

Hey Paul

You did give this printer a share name, right?

In printer properties click share this printer and give it a name.

Usually do not use the default but type in something short less than 8 characters with no spaces like HP4350.

If both computers have same OS then the driver will be installed when it is found on the network.

If your network is not set up identically (same workgroup) etc you may have a slight problem.

After confirming a share name do this:

Rt click My Network Places lft click Search for computers put the name of the computer in and click find.

when it finds the computer click it and you will see share items in this list, just click the printer.

Since you are already sharing files and folders on this if you get an access error here there is something else wrong, so get back to us.

EDIT: Opps we were all posting at the same time!

So just do the search and let us know.

Mike

 

Does the printer itself appear in 'My Network Places' for the other users?

If it does, is this what you were suggesting when an error appeared: "I just get the "You do not have permission to access this network resource" when I enter the printer network address. "

The term "printer network address" is confusing to me. In any case:

. on the computer hosting this shared printer:
Start, Printers and Faxes
Right click the Network Printer icon (not the actual printer), and Delete.

Redo the share and test.

 

Thanks Mike. I'll try that approach and will report back.
Regards, Paul.

 

Thanks for the additional help Bill. Sorry to have confused you. By "printer network address" I meant something like "\\mycomputer\printer" which is the name of the computer and share name of the printer that I'm trying to attach to - this is the address I entered into the add new printer wizard. I'll now try to see what turns up when I just view this computer in my network places - as you and Mike have suggested (actually, I'm doing this on behalf of a friend, so apologies if it takes me a little longer than normal to post my response to that).

 

Let it "Browse" to identify the printer.
In other words, when setting up the printer leave the address field empty and click 'Next'.
It will then Browse and populate the field with known printers.

 

Hi Bill,
One further thought having re-read your posting a bit more carefully (!). You say "Right click the Network Printer icon (not the actual printer), and Delete. "

However, when I look in Printers and Faxes I dont see a Network Printer icon, just the icon for the printer itself. Does this tell us anything.... ?

Regards, Paul

 

Yes it does.

It tells us that no legitimate share has been created yet for the printer.
This has to be done on the workstation that has the printer connected.
It has to be done as Administrator.

Enabling File and Printer sharing is just an initial step. For each printer a Share needs to be created using the File and Printer applet.

 

Bill,
You say "Enabling File and Printer sharing is just an initial step. For each printer a Share needs to be created using the File and Printer applet ". I think that's exactly what I did when I set this printer share up the first time, following the procedure you identified in an earlier post:-

• In the Printers and Faxes folder, click the printer's icon and, in the tasks pane, click Share This Printer.
• open the printer's Properties dialog box, and clicked on the Sharing tab.
• click Share Name and set a proper name.

So even though I did that, I don't have a Network Printer icon. Incidentally, on another network (my own one this time !) I followed that exact same procedure, still don't have a network printer icon - but CAN share that printer just fine. So now I'm confused - easily done though (grin ;-)

Paul

 

You have to do the sharing on the computer that has the printer attached.

leads me to belive you are doing this on the computer you want to use the printer on.

You must have a Printer icon for this printer on the computer that it is attached physically too.

Here you set the share name.

What Bill has told you is on the computer that has the actual printer, if it looks to be properly set for sharing it may have a problem so uninstalling and re-installing and sharing again may do it. If you do this also change the shrare name.

And by all means confirm that the printer actually prints on the computer it is connected too! It may have accumulated a problem Another reason to remove and re-install!

Mike

 

The situation being discussed may be a bit different due to WIRELESS being involved.
But as far as SHARING a printer goes I gave up on that YEARS ago.
I have a hardwired Network and the Printer is plugged directly into the workgroup switch/router system. It is then installed to each machine and can be accessed by any one whether the others are on or not. ( as long as i do not forget and shut it off LOL )
I now do not have to share anything.
Some things may be on one machine or the other but it pays off in the long run.
Other things may be installed on all machines and my Wife and I have may hours of fun playing games via the LAN.

BillyBob

 

In the Network Printers and Faxes applet, click on the left 'Add a printer'. the type of printer will be a network printer.

Follow the New Printer applet instructions at that point to create the share.
Remember my earlier advice to let it Browse and identify local printers.

You need to create an instance of a New Printer of type Network to then be able to use its properties sheet in any meaningful way.

 

My 2 Cents. I recently set up a shared printer with 2 computers using XP SP2. I did not have to load the printer software on the second computer, the one without the printer. After I found the printer with the 2nd computer using the printer sharing wizard, the software was transferred from the 1st computer to the 2nd over the wireless network. I did this once before with XP SP1 using a laptop and desktop and I DID have to load the printer software on the 2nd computer.
I believe that some improvement in SP2 makes it simpler to share a printer, but I do not understand why Paul is having a problem.
Did you use the printer sharing wizard?

 

ackerberg

????
I have a question or two.
I might learn something too.

If you do have two computer and a wireless printer then why did you need to transfer the software from one to the other ?
Couldn't you set it up separately the same way I did mine ? I know mine is hard wired. But I would think you should be able to do the same with wireless.
All others PCs other ( 2 of them ) than the one I was installing it on at the time were shut down.

BillyBob

 

Hi BillyBob,
I do not have a wireless printer, but a wireless system. In one case I set up the shared printer with the printer wired, using a USB port, into the computer that will share the printer with the other computers, which are also on my wireless network. In the second case I set up a network printer with the printer wired into a wireless printer server that communicates wirelessly with my network router. I also have a computer wired into that printer server using a network cable but that has nothing to do with the printer as such.
With SP2, the printer software gets transferred to the additional computers without you having to load it. It is like magic when it happens!
If you need more info, please let me know.

 

The poster was attempting to rightclick on the printer icon in Printers and Faxes and select Sharing and Security. While this is appropriate for a folder, it is not appropriate on a printer object.

You need to create a New Printer object, as a network printer. There is no way around this other than using command line use of the PrintUI DLL object under RunDLL32.

XP will ask you when the new network printer object is created if you wish to load printer drivers for other OS versions. In all cases, if the remote worksation wanting to use the printer does not have a printer driver installed that matches that of the Host computer, and new driver is silently installed.

 

Hi guys,
Thanks for all the continued help. I think its time I recapped a bit to try to clear up any the confusion :

1/The printer is connected (USB wired) to a desktop PC running Windows XP Home Edition SP2
2/This PC is connected wirelessly to my router
3/ Having installed the printer on this PC (and tested it works correctly) I then right clicked the printer icon in Printers and Faxes, selected the sharing tab, clicked "Share this printer" and gave it a share name.
4/ I then went to my laptop which is also connected wirelessly to the router and tried to install a network printer, using the wizard and specifying the path to the above printer as "\\mycomputer\printer ". This gives a network error that the printer can not be found and the install fails.
5/ I then tried to access the shared folders on the same desktop PC which has the printer and found I can access those shared files/folders from my laptop just fine.
6/ So it seems to me that the network is generally working ok, but for some reason my attempt to share the printer is not.
7/ As soon as I get a chance to try, I'll follow the suggestion of trying to list all the shared devices from "My Network Neighbourhood" and see if I can see the printer there. I'll also try letting the Install Network Printer wizard Browse for the printer rather than specifying it.

Thanks again everyone for your efforts to help me,
Regards, Paul

 

You are NOT installing a network printer! You are installing a shared printer which uses a network for sharing! Maybe this is your problem.
A shared printer can NOT be used unless the computer to which it is attached is ON.
Please try again and do not look for a NETWORK printer. You do not have one.