Enabling printing via router.

[securespark]

OK Astra. Thanks. I have cleared up the firewall issue.

Pinging now successful.

But his PC can't find my printer..... any clues, please?

I've tried browsing for it and connecting to it by name but both fail, browsing does not find it and entering the name brings up a similar error.

 

[Astra99]

Hi Securespark
What is the sharename of the printer on the PC to which it is connected? Also, what is the (netbios) name of the PC to which the printer is connected? Try installing the printer through Add Printer, add a new port, local port and call it

\\<netbios name of PC>\<sharename of printer>

If windows finds this OK, then just install the printer driver when prompted through the add printer wizard, selecting the pritner from the list or clicking Have Disk and installing from the disk that came with the printer. BTW, what printer is it?

 

[securespark]

Thanks Astra.

It's an HP Photosmart Premium forgotten the model...

I shall try what you suggest.

I just find it very odd that one XP PC finds the printer easily, the other cannot find it at all.

The only difference is that one is XP Pro (found the printer) the other XP Home (didn't).

Thank you.

EDIT: Model C410 series...

 

[securespark]

OK. This is getting odder. I've just got on his PC now in order to do what you suggested and it has found the printer attached to my PC.

So I've made it default printer on his PC and tried printing but nothing.

 

[Astra99]

So, now the XP box can see the printer which is attached to your PC. IIRC your PC is Windows 7? Unless the Win7 driver is backwards compatible to XP, the printer will be found, but will not function correctly, especially as it is a GDI printer, relying on the host PC to do the processing. Please try installing a local port, and the XP version of the printer driver on the local (XP) machine and see what happens.

HTH

 

[securespark]

OK, will do. Thanks.

But why oh why oh why (Points Of View-style) am I having these issues with one XP PC and not the other?

Tha's wha' I cannae understand, Jimmy!

 

[securespark]

Printer name and port name.

Is the printer name the share name?

As I type that in, the same appears in the port name box.

If it's right, it can't connect to the printer anyway.

EDIT:

Just tried installing using the IP address. It gave an error message and could not connect.

 

[Astra99]

Hi SecureSpark

On the machine to which the printer is connected, open the Printers folder, right-click on the printer and go to Printer Properties (WIN7) or Properties (XP). Select the Sharing tab, and share the printer, changing the name to something short with no spaces like HP-C4100. (Win7 allows spaces, XP does not work correctly with spaces in a share-name).

Next do IPCONFIG at a command prompt to find the IP address of the WIN7(?) machine. Then do PING -a <ip address> to find the Netbios name.

Now, on the XP machine which wont print open a command prompt and PING the WIN7(?) machine - PING <machine's NETBIOS name> and PING <machine's IP address> Both PINGs need to be successful.

If PINGS are successful, open the printers folder, add a printer - Local Printer. Create a new port, local Port and specify the name as
\\<WIN7-NETBIOS-NAME>\<SHARENAME>. (The sharename is what was set above - e.g. HP_C4100) Then install the driver from CD. If the Local port cannot be created, please post back, and we will have to have another think.

 

[securespark]

Astra, bless you for your perseverence.

I shall try this on his PC in the morning. First-born snoring at the moment.

As for the sharing bit: I have already set up my printer for sharing & set up a sharname.

Have Got the IP address and the netbios name too (of my PC. You remembered correctly: it is win 7).

 

[securespark]

Have risked it with a torch..... He did not wake up!

Got all the way through the process to the very end.....

Both pings were successful.

Error: Unable to install printer. The print processor does not exist.

 

[Astra99]

Error: Unable to install printer. The print processor does not exist

Sounds like at best the Spooler Service is not running. Open a command prompt and type NET START SPOOLER and hit <enter> If it replies that the service is already started, then try adding the printer (HP C4100) locally, selecting FILE as the port to print to. If it installs correctly, then try installing a local port as above. If the port installs OK, just select it on the ports tab of the printer driver previously installed.

Some HP deskjet printers are fully PCL3 compatible. If yours is (and it's worth a try anyway, install the HP Deskjet 550C driver (as supplied with Windows XP) to see if that will install OK and print to the WIN7 PC using a "local port" on the XP machine. If the printer is not fully PCL3 compatible, then either the printer will print garbage, or will pull in a sheet of paper and do nothing else apart form show a flashing "receiving data" light.

Sorry it's taken time to reply, been away for the weekend!