Share a Printer?

[Artreid]

Okay,
Here is what I have done so far:
1. Created a Homegroup on my Desktop which has the USB HP Printer installed
2. Created a Homegroup on my Laptop (The Homegroup pswrd is different than
that on the Desktop) - not sure if this matters
3. Installed the HP printer software on my laptop (Local Host) - Says I
can't use it because my system cannot find the HP printer?

SO:
- I have two separate Homegroups setup one on each machine
- Printer drivers/software installed on both machines

Nothing I have tried will let me join the homegroup on the Desktop or share
its printer on my Laptop???

NOTE:
Not sure if this makes a difference, My desktop is connect to the internet
via Ethernet cable
Laptop connects via wireless

 

[Ken1943]

Okay,
Here is what I have done so far:
1. Created a Homegroup on my Desktop which has the USB HP Printer installed
2. Created a Homegroup on my Laptop (The Homegroup pswrd is different than
that on the Desktop) - not sure if this matters
3. Installed the HP printer software on my laptop (Local Host) - Says I
can't use it because my system cannot find the HP printer?

SO:
- I have two separate Homegroups setup one on each machine
- Printer drivers/software installed on both machines

Nothing I have tried will let me join the homegroup on the Desktop or share
its printer on my Laptop???

NOTE:
Not sure if this makes a difference, My desktop is connect to the internet
via Ethernet cable
Laptop connects via wireless

#1 You have to be on the same Home Group
#2 Make sure u have the desktop and printer turned on
#3 At this point the laptop will show a printer installed. You can remove
that printer because it is only the driver that put it there and not the
real printer. The driver will stay installed.
#4 Go to Devices and Printers > add printer > second choice add network
printer, it will search for the printer.

I use a workgroup but I presume it works the same way.





KenW

 

[Artreid]

#1 You have to be on the same Home Group
- How do I get on the Desktop newsgroup? When I create a newsgroup on the
laptop it creates what seems to be a separate homegroup with a separate
pswrd?

#2 Make sure u have the desktop and printer turned on
- They are both turned on

#3 At this point the laptop will show a printer installed. You can remove
that printer because it is only the driver that put it there and not the
real printer. The driver will stay installed.
- I see no printer on the Laptop under Devices and Printers or anywhere
else for that matter

#4 Go to Devices and Printers > add printer > second choice add network
printer, it will search for the printer.
- I attempt this system scans for printer but never finds one?

I use a workgroup but I presume it works the same way.
-Maybe I should try this because Homegroup just isn't working for me...

Possibly, you can send me a step -by-step procedure for accomplishing either
Home group and Workgroup setup for a Shared Printer

artreid44#hotmail.com





KenW

 

[Ken1943]

I am not the best at telling how to do things from scratch, long
distance. It took a long time for me to figure it out. Do a Google
search for setting up a Home Group. I did and there is plenty of
instructions around on how.
Sorry

#1 You have to be on the same Home Group
- How do I get on the Desktop newsgroup? When I create a newsgroup on the
laptop it creates what seems to be a separate homegroup with a separate
pswrd?

#2 Make sure u have the desktop and printer turned on
- They are both turned on

#3 At this point the laptop will show a printer installed. You can remove
that printer because it is only the driver that put it there and not the
real printer. The driver will stay installed.
- I see no printer on the Laptop under Devices and Printers or anywhere
else for that matter

#4 Go to Devices and Printers > add printer > second choice add network
printer, it will search for the printer.
- I attempt this system scans for printer but never finds one?

I use a workgroup but I presume it works the same way.
-Maybe I should try this because Homegroup just isn't working for me...

Possibly, you can send me a step -by-step procedure for accomplishing either
Home group and Workgroup setup for a Shared Printer

artreid44#hotmail.com





KenW

KenW

 

[VanguardLH]

VanguardLH wrote ...


Trying to share an HP Photosmart connected to my Main Desktop computer

And what OS is running on the desktop computer?

Laptop to share Desktop USB printer...

And what OS is running on the laptop computer?

 

[Char Jackson]

Both are windows 7.

I've been trying follow all the info required and still can't get this to
work.

It seems what should be the easiest method is not (at least for me). Setting
up a Homegroup, signing into it on both computers and seeing a shared
printer has not happened on my end.

The printer is physically connected to one of your computers and it
works fine when printing from that computer, right? So go to that
computer and share the printer. Next, go to the other computer and
browse your network. Expand the computer that hosts the printer and
you'll see the default shared folder and the printer. Right click on
the printer and select "Connect...". You'll be prompted to allow the
installation of the driver, so click OK and let it install. You're
done.

I just went through this procedure about an hour ago, as well as a few
hundred times for various customers over the past 2 years. It's fast,
it's easy, and it doesn't require you to set up a Homegroup.

 

[Char Jackson]

No have not installed drivers on local host as nowhere in all the HELP files
out there, does it tell me I should have. I will install the drivers on the
local host and give it a try.

You didn't have to do that as a separate standalone step. It would
have happened automatically as soon as you connected to the printer
via right click context menu. ("Connect...")

 

[Char Jackson]

You may be right; it's been a while since I had my old printer hooked up this way (I bought a wireless one, handled
through my router, after the old PSC2355 died). I do remember that it took such a short time to set up that I was amazed
that it worked so well

Yep, it's really fast and easy, taking all of about 15-20 seconds.

 

[VanguardLH]

No have not installed drivers on local host as nowhere in all the HELP files
out there, does it tell me I should have. I will install the drivers on the
local host and give it a try.

In Char's reply (in a different subthread), he says that attempting to
create a printer connectoid on your local host will cause a prompt
telling you that a driver will be installed on your host (it comes from
the parent host to which the printer is attached and where it is
shared). The host that is sharing its printer pushes a driver to your
host that wants to use that shared printer. That only happens if the
printer's driver isn't already installed on your host either because the
driver was included with Windows or you already installed that printer's
driver on your own host. You get the prompt if you don't have a usable
driver already on your host for that shared printer. That is mentioned
in the 2nd MS article shown in my prior reply in this subthread.

So if you already have the driver (included in Windows or you installed
it) on your host then you don't get the prompt when you connect to the
shared printer. If you don't have the printer's driver already on your
host, you could install it - or you could hope the computer hosting the
shared printer will push the driver to you. See:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457001.aspx

Notice that when you share the printer, there is the "Additional
Drivers" button where you can copy more drivers even for those other
than for your OS. You do this on the host where is connected the
printer that you choose to share. Yet in the screenshots shown in that
article I don't see that you get to select 32- versus 64-bit versions of
Windows to pre-load those drivers.

So you can install the printer driver on your local host (assuming the
installer doesn't need to see the physical presence of the printer to
complete the installation). Or you could install the driver needed for
your local host up on the printer's host but that just means the driver
will get pushed to your host where you have to install it, anyway. So
in either scenario, you must install the printer's driver on your local
host to communicate using the commands and structure that the shared
printer can understand.

 

[Char Jackson]

Okay,
Here is what I have done so far:
1. Created a Homegroup on my Desktop which has the USB HP Printer installed

Fine, but not necessary for printer sharing.

2. Created a Homegroup on my Laptop (The Homegroup pswrd is different than
that on the Desktop) - not sure if this matters

You have two Homegroups, which is not what you want. Remove (delete)
one of them, then go to "Join a Homegroup" rather than "Create a
Homegroup" if you actually want to have a Homegroup set up. You'll be
asked for the password, which you can get from the other PC. The
Windows Help files are actually good and will walk you through it step
by step.

3. Installed the HP printer software on my laptop (Local Host) - Says I
can't use it because my system cannot find the HP printer?

Shouldn't hurt, but I wouldn't have done it that way. The printer
driver would have been installed as soon as you browsed to the shared
printer, right clicked on it, and selected "Connect...".

SO:
- I have two separate Homegroups setup one on each machine

You'll probably want to fix that. Not because printer sharing requires
it, but just because it makes no sense to have two Homegroups.

- Printer drivers/software installed on both machines

Nothing I have tried will let me join the homegroup on the Desktop or share
its printer on my Laptop???

"Join a Homegroup" will let you join an existing Homegroup, and the
Sharing tab on the Printer Properties will let you share the printer.

NOTE:
Not sure if this makes a difference, My desktop is connect to the internet
via Ethernet cable
Laptop connects via wireless

The important point is that they connect to the same router, which you
said in another post that they do, so no problems there. I assume you
don't have a feature enabled in your router that blocks wireless
clients from seeing wired clients. If you do, turn it off. You need to
be able to browse your network (with Windows Explorer) and see the
computer that's hosting the printer.

 

[VanguardLH]

You didn't have to do that as a separate standalone step. It would
have happened automatically as soon as you connected to the printer
via right click context menu. ("Connect...")

Well, if the printer driver was installed on the desktop to which the
printer is physically connected. Something we haven't asked yet from
the OP is if the printer works on the host to which it is connected.
The host with the attached printer cannot push a driver to another host
that it doesn't have yet.

 

[Artreid]

Fine, but not necessary for printer sharing.
- Removed homegroup from alptop



Shouldn't hurt, but I wouldn't have done it that way. The printer
driver would have been installed as soon as you browsed to the shared
printer, right clicked on it, and selected "Connect...".


"Join a Homegroup" will let you join an existing Homegroup, and the
Sharing tab on the Printer Properties will let you share the printer.
- I see no join a homegroup, on the laptop (Only create a homegroup)
- I do see there is no homegroup on the network from the laptop
- I know there is a homegroup on the desktop as I can see it when on the
desktop and I am joined with it???


The important point is that they connect to the same router, which you
said in another post that they do, so no problems there. I assume you
don't have a feature enabled in your router that blocks wireless
clients from seeing wired clients. If you do, turn it off. You need to
be able to browse your network (with Windows Explorer) and see the
computer that's hosting the printer.

They are on the same Comcast router and wireless modem. How I ensure I am
not blocking something between the two, I have no idea how to do...

 

[Artreid]

WINDOWS 7 ON BOTH....


"VanguardLH" wrote in message

VanguardLH wrote ...


Trying to share an HP Photosmart connected to my Main Desktop computer

And what OS is running on the desktop computer?

Laptop to share Desktop USB printer...

And what OS is running on the laptop computer?

 

[Artreid]

The printer and drivers are installed on the host and is working fine.

There is a homegropon the host desktop as I can see it there and am joined
to it.

I just cannot see it on the laptop (All I see there is, (there is no
homegroup on the network) Do I want to create one???

 

[Char Jackson]

The printer and drivers are installed on the host and is working fine.

There is a homegropon the host desktop as I can see it there and am joined
to it.

I just cannot see it on the laptop (All I see there is, (there is no
homegroup on the network) Do I want to create one???

If the laptop is only offering to create a Homegroup and not offering
to join one, that means it doesn't see the Homegroup you created on
the desktop. Either the Homegroup didn't get properly created or the
two computers can't see each other on the LAN, or something else is
going on.

I don't really want to follow you down the rabbit hole of creating a
Homegroup when all you want to do is share a printer, though. A
Homegroup isn't required.

From the other computer, can you browse to the printer host (the PC
that has the printer physically attached) using Windows Explorer?
If no, stop and fix your networking problem.
If yes, do you see the printer?
If yes, right click on it and select "Connect..."
If no, share the printer and try again.

 

[Artreid]

After days of paying with this and tons of advice from the group trying
Homegroup, workgroup, etc, I gave up.
Then thought I'd install Win8 Consumer Review on the Laptop and there it
was. A Homegroup was available for me to join.
Joined already setup Homegroup on my desktop and am now sharing and printing
to my desktop printer for my laptop.

It seems that in my case an upgrade to Win8 resolved the problems, most
probably because MS fixed any Win7 bugs with it...

BTW: I am running Win 7 X64 on the desktop and Win 8 X64 on the Laptop.

"Artreid" wrote in message
I'm trying to share a printer and cannot not.

I click Start/Devives and Printers, R-click on my HP Photosmart C5280 in
the printers list. I than click on its Properties and there is tab that
allows me to choose sharing?

What am I missing?

Win 7 Ultimate, Intel I7, 16Gb, 2M Vid, 80Gb 10K C:, 750Gb E:

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Art.

Congratulations! And thanks for that report.

I've played with Win8 CP on my desktop for a week or two, but haven't looked
at it for another week or more. Too much hassle switching back and forth.
(Win7 and Win8 can share WLMail just fine, except that their password
algorithms are apparently different and I have to sign in again on each mail
server each time I switch OSes, even though the password is the same on
both.)

I haven't tried Win8 on my netbook yet, but I have no problems printing
wirelessly from Win7 on the netbook on my HP OfficeJet Pro 8500A.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP (2002-2010)
Windows Live Mail 2011 (Build 15.4.3555.0308) in Win7 Ultimate x64 SP1


"Artreid" wrote in message
After days of paying with this and tons of advice from the group trying
Homegroup, workgroup, etc, I gave up.
Then thought I'd install Win8 Consumer Review on the Laptop and there it
was. A Homegroup was available for me to join.
Joined already setup Homegroup on my desktop and am now sharing and printing
to my desktop printer for my laptop.

It seems that in my case an upgrade to Win8 resolved the problems, most
probably because MS fixed any Win7 bugs with it...

BTW: I am running Win 7 X64 on the desktop and Win 8 X64 on the Laptop.

"Artreid" wrote in message
I'm trying to share a printer and cannot not.

I click Start/Devives and Printers, R-click on my HP Photosmart C5280 in
the printers list. I than click on its Properties and there is tab that
allows me to choose sharing?

What am I missing?

Win 7 Ultimate, Intel I7, 16Gb, 2M Vid, 80Gb 10K C:, 750Gb E:

 

[KCB]

After days of paying with this and tons of advice from the group trying
Homegroup, workgroup, etc, I gave up.
Then thought I'd install Win8 Consumer Review on the Laptop and there it
was. A Homegroup was available for me to join.
Joined already setup Homegroup on my desktop and am now sharing and
printing to my desktop printer for my laptop.

It seems that in my case an upgrade to Win8 resolved the problems, most
probably because MS fixed any Win7 bugs with it...

BTW: I am running Win 7 X64 on the desktop and Win 8 X64 on the Laptop.

Good to hear you have it working now. My experience with the Homegroup
feature was much easier. I created on one machine, wrote down the password,
then joined from the other with the same password, and everything worked,
including the shared printer. Total time: about one minute.

 

[R. C. White]

Oops!

I ran Win8 CP again today and I need to correct my last post. WLMail works
fine when switching between Win7/Win8 - except that I haven't created or
imported my dozens of Storage Folders in Win8 yet.

The switching hassle is in my hard disks. My Disk 2 and Disk 3 are a
software-mirrored pair with several oft-used partitions on each. Each time
I switch from Win7 to Win8, I have to tell Disk Management to Import Foreign
Disks... There must be a setting somewhere which would let this Import
happen automatically, but I haven't yet found it (haven't looked very hard).
Once the import is done, all is OK - until I switch back to Win7 and I have
to do this again.

And, to stay on-topic, yes, my printer works just fine from Win8.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP (2002-2010)
Windows Live Mail 2011 (Build 15.4.3555.0308) in Win7 Ultimate x64 SP1


"R. C. White" wrote in message

Hi, Art.

Congratulations! And thanks for that report.

I've played with Win8 CP on my desktop for a week or two, but haven't looked
at it for another week or more. Too much hassle switching back and forth.
(Win7 and Win8 can share WLMail just fine, except that their password
algorithms are apparently different and I have to sign in again on each mail
server each time I switch OSes, even though the password is the same on
both.)

I haven't tried Win8 on my netbook yet, but I have no problems printing
wirelessly from Win7 on the netbook on my HP OfficeJet Pro 8500A.

RC


"Artreid" wrote in message
After days of paying with this and tons of advice from the group trying
Homegroup, workgroup, etc, I gave up.
Then thought I'd install Win8 Consumer Review on the Laptop and there it
was. A Homegroup was available for me to join.
Joined already setup Homegroup on my desktop and am now sharing and printing
to my desktop printer for my laptop.

It seems that in my case an upgrade to Win8 resolved the problems, most
probably because MS fixed any Win7 bugs with it...

BTW: I am running Win 7 X64 on the desktop and Win 8 X64 on the Laptop.

"Artreid" wrote in message
I'm trying to share a printer and cannot not.

I click Start/Devives and Printers, R-click on my HP Photosmart C5280 in
the printers list. I than click on its Properties and there is tab that
allows me to choose sharing?

What am I missing?

Win 7 Ultimate, Intel I7, 16Gb, 2M Vid, 80Gb 10K C:, 750Gb E: