Help with wireless printer sharing

[Ged]

Hi folks, could do with a little info regarding a printer problem, first of all the kit.

PC with K Corp wireless router modem and HP printer on a USB point, all works well after tortuous router set up.

Wireless laptop with HP software on it.

Today I have had ago at trying to make the lap top send printer docs to the PC but with no look, I keep going around in confused circles.

From what I remember I have gone through "Network Wizards" on both PC and laptop(LT), even though they already communicated (I mean the LT could go online), tried to share the printer on both PC and LT, set the printer to some alternative ?MS where it "saves" documents. The HP has disappeared on the LT but still works on the PC.

Previously, the laptop saved to disc for printing rather than cabling so I am not too fussed if this is too techy but I would like to know if there is something obvious missing.

The LT was bought for my wife's MA and probably will fry me if I have cocked anything up I am just trying to save her some agro transferring stuff around.

Bottom line, is it easy to fix, or should I just leave it well alone

Ged

[MikeTV]

With mine, I just got the printer working on the PC (with the printer connected directly to the PC), shared the printer (on the PC) and then "found" the printer on the laptop. And it works great. I just added the printer on the laptop using the add printer wizard (specifying the printer as \\server\printer). Another approach is to browse the network (Microsoft Windows Network) and find the printer that way. If you can't see the printer that way, it's not set up correctly on the PC.

The only tricky part is if you are using the XP firewall, which may prevent the printer being seen by the laptop. Just configure the firewall so that file and printer sharing is an exception (on the PC). It should be safe to do this, because the router should be acting as a firewall to the outside world.

Obviously this approach only works if the PC is switched on and running, when you print on the laptop.

[Ged]

Thanks Mike, I will give it another go.

Ged.

[Ged]

Can't do it, missus not pleased at my messing about.
I may have a word with the I.T. guys at work.

[nwgarratt]

If you have file sharing on the computers it is usually very easy to do.

On the computer with the printer. Click on the properties and share the printer. A hand icon appears under the printer icon.

On the laptop, load what you want to print. Then press print from the file menu. There should be a network button on the printer printer setup screen. Click on it and the printer should show itself. Select it and print.

[eviljohn2]

Exactly as nwgarrat says, right click on the printer icon in the host machine and enable sharing for it.

Slightly differently, on the laptop go to the Printers/Faxes settings page and "Add new Printer..." you should be able to find it on your network and add it to your list of printers.

You need to have print sharing enabled on both machines - just file sharing isn't enough.

[The Dude]

there's an even easier way once you've got the two machines talking to each other and the printer shared out..


on the laptop:

start > run > \\pcname\printername > OK

- the easy way of adding a network printer in Windows

[nwgarratt]

I didn't need to use add printer on my laptop. Just selecting it from the network button in print setup was enough.

[Ged]

Thanks for the help, no luck though.
I am sure it will be down to the various firewalls on the PC, LT and Router, I keep getting "cannot find" messages and neither has anything of relavance in the shared folders.
The PC printer does hva a hand underneath but the LT cannot find it, therefore none are in the printer prefernces since I deleted the one I hard wired and the only other the LT "found", Windows Networking (or something like that), doesn't give a printer name to choose or wants to save doc's like a saved file.
Anyway, thanks for the help, it has passed too much of the weekend and looks like the old system will stay.
Thanks,
Ged.

[eviljohn2]

Can you share files across your network?

[Ged]

No, I cannot share but then I have never tried until Friday. If I click on My Network Places, View Work group, it shows the LT but I think it says something about "not allowed contact server". This makes me think they cannot get through the firewalls, there are no IP's shown when I enable "allow all on the LAN".
This is my first attempt at networking, setting up the modem/router took ages on the support line!
I ran the network wizard on the PC, doing the flash drive from PC to LT thing, all very confusing for me!

[The Dude]

Ged,

you can forget about the firewall on the router, that won't be affecting anything..

It's the XP firewall causing the problem by the sounds of it..

On both machines, Go into the firewall properties from the windows control panel, and make sure on the 'exceptions' tab that 'file & printer sharing' is checked..

Once you've dome that you should be OK.

[Ged]

Just checked and both are enabled, when I try to access the LT from the PC it denies access? Strang the PC can see it but not use it?

When I View workgroup comp's on the LT it only shows The Internet and not the PC, is this right?

[The Dude]

can you ping the PC from the laptop?

on the laptop:

start> run > cmd

then type: ping pcname (hit enter)


what response does it come back with?

[eviljohn2]

Originally Posted by Ged

When I View workgroup comp's on the LT it only shows The Internet and not the PC, is this right?

No, workgroup computers is the place where it most definitely should show. Can you ping the different computers?

Don't trust the networking wizard, I havn't once created a succesful working network from it and always had to revert to doing it manually and properly.