Windows 7 - Sharing a printer from 32bit machine to 64bit machine without drivers.

G'day all! (first post here!! :P)

Ok..so this is my situation:

I have a server...and i have installed a printer to it - the Canon LBP 3200 - the server is a 32bit machine running Windows 7 pro...anyways...this printer does not have ANY 64bit drivers (which my main machine runs Windows 7 ulti x64) so i am unable to install the printer on my main machine...

I was wondering, is there a way to share it from the server to the 64bit machine without installing any drivers?

Or is there a way to install 32bit drivers on a 64bit Machine?

Or can anyone find any 64 bit drivers/custom 64bit drivers?

:S

Thanx all!!

ok so i tried this method: Go to Control Panel. Choose printer. Then choose Add Printer.

Choose Add a local printer. Click on Create a new port. The default in the drop down box is Local Port. Do not change that. Click Next.

A dialogue box will appear asking for you to enter a port name. Type in the \\computer name\printer name ie. My computer's name is basement and the printer name is EpsonSty so I typed in \\basement\epsonsty

But when i make my own port name it says access is denied... :S

any help?

bump...

65 views and no help?

Hi there
I've BEGGED the mods to sticky a solution to this -- it happens SO many times its beyond laughing any more but sharing printers between 32 / 64 bit systems is SIMPLE.

Look at PLEASE post Nr 3 in this thread (from my user id jimbo45)

Networking from Printer attached to Win XP PC to Win 7
cheers
jimbo

Hey Jimbo...i've tried what you have said to do a few times...doesnt work...which driver do YOU use? I've tried a few different ones and they all do not print....any other tips?

You'll need to share the printer again through the host machine (to remove the access denied prompt). Windows 7 isn't going to intsall "Roles" to the host, so you'll have to intall the printer manually to your machine, then manually choose which driver you wish to use.

Hey i got around the access denied thing....i found another forum which dealt with that issue...it was because i did not have permission to access the spool folder...anyways...so after i have completed the steps jimbo said to do..what am i meant to do... Calling the pcs ServerPC and MainPC..

I have tried sharing the printer from the 32bit ServerPC to the 64bit MainPC using the steps that jimbo has said...now what?

thanx

Hi there
You can use the 64 Bit Vista driver for this printer on your 64 Bit machine

try downloading

Canon LBP3200 1.10.0.011 free download - CNET Asia

cheers
jimbo


added I think the information on the website might be incorrect -- I think this is actually the 32 bit driver but try it.

If there really is no 64 bit driver for this printer then you can't use it DIRECTLY from your Windows 7 x-64 machine unfortunately -- even shared across a network.

My suggestion would be to set up a TINY XP virtual machine on your Windows 7 system and use that just for printing.

A 256 MB XP Virtual machine with just the base installed -- no other apps except the printer driver will hardly be noticeable on your Windows 7 machine.

The overhead of having this VM there will be VERY small. Simply do your work on Windows 7 say an excel spreadsheet and just print the document on the XP Virtual machine.

You just share the printer from your server to the XP machine just like a real machine. You can even attach the USB printer directly to your Windows 7 machine although you need to allocate the printer device to the VM. I'd leave it connected to your REAL 32 bit machine.

For creating the vm use vmware player or vbox if you have an old XP system or think about XP mode.

Hey Jimbo...yeah...there is no 64bit driver available, i think it's just a mistake on the canon website saying there is a vista 64bit driver, as on the support list page for my printer, it says there is no 64bit driver. Whats funny though, is that at the windows 7 hardware compatibility site, it was that for a 64bit system, my printer is compatible, just plug and play. Although this is not the case as Windows is unable to find a suitable driver... :/

Anyway...for now i may try using your method of the vmachine on the 32bit system until i can purchase a new printer

By any chance, can you recomend any mono laser printers, compatible with 64bit?

thanx :P

steveoderocker

EDIT: This is ONE of the pages saying that my printer (lbp3200) is not supported in a 64bit envirnment. What is also funny, is that i've tried the 3300 driver and that doesnt work... :/