Sharing local colour printer across a network (Windows XP/Windows Server 2000)

Topic

New Reply

We have an HP Deskjet 1000 C colour printer connected to one of our workstations. I would like to be able to share this printer as a network printer so all users on our network can us it. I’ve enabled sharing on the desktop and I can add it as a network printer on another workstation…however, print jobs sent to it from a different workstation will not print. Local jobs do print. It’s an old printer so I can’t connect it to the network via a network cable. It’s connected locally using a parallel cable.

What am I missing?How can I get print jobs to print across the network?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Christa

Reply | Quote

Replies

Under your network settings, check to see if you have the internal XP firewall enabled – I found this blocked access to a local printer.

(I am not advising you either way on using the XP firewall, but if this is it, it may point to a method of getting your network printing working…)

Reply | Quote

No, the internal firewall is not enabled on any of our machines. We have a firewall (Sonicwall) on our network.

Reply | Quote

No, the internal firewall is not enabled on any of our machines. We have a firewall (Sonicwall) on our network.

Reply | Quote

Under your network settings, check to see if you have the internal XP firewall enabled – I found this blocked access to a local printer.

(I am not advising you either way on using the XP firewall, but if this is it, it may point to a method of getting your network printing working…)

Reply | Quote

Can you tell whether the print job is making it into the queue on the server?

I know that we had a tough time getting the print drivers to work correctly from Windows 98 machines to Windows NT Server. There was an option in the setup process to offer different drivers to different Windows OS versions, but still some machines ended up with the wrong drivers. I can’t remember how it got fixed (I gave up!), but that might be something else to investigate, since XP tends to have new driver software compared with Windows 2000.

Reply | Quote

Can you tell whether the print job is making it into the queue on the server?

I know that we had a tough time getting the print drivers to work correctly from Windows 98 machines to Windows NT Server. There was an option in the setup process to offer different drivers to different Windows OS versions, but still some machines ended up with the wrong drivers. I can’t remember how it got fixed (I gave up!), but that might be something else to investigate, since XP tends to have new driver software compared with Windows 2000.

Reply | Quote

Here’s links to several KB articles: How to troubleshoot network printing problems in Windows XP How to search for a computer on the network in Windows XP Cannot Use Network Printer If Your Password Is Not Saved. They may give you some ideas.

Joe

--Joe

Reply | Quote

Here’s links to several KB articles: How to troubleshoot network printing problems in Windows XP How to search for a computer on the network in Windows XP Cannot Use Network Printer If Your Password Is Not Saved. They may give you some ideas.

Joe

--Joe

Reply | Quote

FWIW we’ve had better luck networking ‘non-networkable’ printers using external print servers than going thru workstations. Theoretically there’s no difference, but in practice it just seems to work better that way. Of course we’re on a mixed network & all our printers are on Netware so I can’t help you directly-just thought I’d mention an alternative.

Reply | Quote

FWIW we’ve had better luck networking ‘non-networkable’ printers using external print servers than going thru workstations. Theoretically there’s no difference, but in practice it just seems to work better that way. Of course we’re on a mixed network & all our printers are on Netware so I can’t help you directly-just thought I’d mention an alternative.

Reply | Quote

A few questions.
1) Is this a home (workgroup) network?
2) Are all of the network computers XP machines? If not, what other operating systems are you using?
3) Can the other networked computers share everything (that has been shared) EXCEPT the printer on the workstation with the attached printer or are there other shares that fail as well?

A printer attached to a computer via a parallel cable is certainly capable of printing from other workstations as long as everything els has been properly set up AND the computer hosting the printer is powered on.

Reply | Quote

A few questions.
1) Is this a home (workgroup) network?
2) Are all of the network computers XP machines? If not, what other operating systems are you using?
3) Can the other networked computers share everything (that has been shared) EXCEPT the printer on the workstation with the attached printer or are there other shares that fail as well?

A printer attached to a computer via a parallel cable is certainly capable of printing from other workstations as long as everything els has been properly set up AND the computer hosting the printer is powered on.

Reply | Quote

Christa,
Here’s more to read: Troubleshooting File and Printer Sharing in Microsoft Windows XP

Joe

--Joe

Reply | Quote

Thank you Joe (and everyone else that sent answers to this post). I have the problem solved…but all the advice and links to the knowledge base will be invaluable the next time I have difficulties. Thanks again.

Reply | Quote

Chirsta,
Can you post the solution so someone else can take advantage of it in the future?

Joe

--Joe

Reply | Quote

Chirsta,
Can you post the solution so someone else can take advantage of it in the future?

Joe

--Joe

Reply | Quote

Thank you Joe (and everyone else that sent answers to this post). I have the problem solved…but all the advice and links to the knowledge base will be invaluable the next time I have difficulties. Thanks again.

Reply | Quote

Christa,
Here’s more to read: Troubleshooting File and Printer Sharing in Microsoft Windows XP

Joe

--Joe

Reply | Quote