Printer no longer working on my wirless network

Well, now I realize I probably should have read your original post a bit closer...

It's not quite clear exactly how you had this working originally, but you tell me which of the following two arrangements you were using:

(a) C5180 connected to the router via Ethernet cable, and then accessed from both your 32-bit WinXP desktop as well as (32/64-bit Win7) Acer laptop as a true "network printer" accessed from BOTH of your machines via TCP/IP port, or

(b) C5180 connected to your 32-bit WinXP desktop via USB cable, and "shared" on this hosting 32-bit WinXP thus making it available to other client 32-bit machines on your network, including your guaranteed 32-bit win7 Acer laptop, which has "connected" to the "shared" printer hosted by the 32-bit WinXP machine, thus showing up on both machines as port "USB001" for "virtual USB printer".

Apparently the C5180 can be accessed either way... Ethernet cable as a network printer, or USB cable hosted off of one machine and "shared" to all other client machines on the network.


My earlier how-to post assumed you were using (b). This is absolutely the correct solution, if (b) is your setup and your printer is connected to the "hosting" computer and then "shared" for access to other "client" computers" on the network.

Now if your arrangement was (a), I can't see how changing your 32-bit WinXP desktop for a 64-bit Win7 desktop can have any possible impact of still being accessible to your other 32/64-bit Win7 Acer laptop, since the Ethernet-connected printer is as independent an IP node in your network as it was before, and has zero to to with swapping one of your two computers.

One more point... that 290MB driver/software download from HP for Win7, well you probably have already previously downloaded it. And I suspect you may have already installed it onto your 32-bit Win7 Acer laptop (as part of your attempt to resolve your current problem).

Well, if it's already installed (even though you still can't seem to print), then that means the 32-bit driver files (which you need on your 64-bit desktop to which the C5180 is USB-connected, assuming it is USB-connected) have already been incorporated into the C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository on the laptop.

So in the "additional drivers" step I described previously, you can navigate to the proper folder on your laptop which contains the incorporated driver folder for the C5180 that was put there when you installed the HP software/driver onto the laptop hoping it would solve your problem.

Note that this 290MB sofware/driver file from HP supports Win7 in both 32-bit and 64-bit flavors, according to the HP web site description:


Compatibility:Microsoft Windows 7 (32-bit), Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic (32-bit), Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (32-bit), Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (32-bit), Microsoft Windows 7 Enterprise (32-bit), Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate (32-bit), Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic (64-bit), Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-bit), Microsoft Windows 7 Enterprise (64-bit), Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit), Microsoft Windows 7 (64-bit)

Just one more followup...

Still no response yet from you, but I've decided it is (b) which you're using. The C5180 must be USB-connected now to your new 64-bit Win7 desktop machine, just as it was previously USB-connected to the old 32-bit WinXP desktop machine you've now replaced. And that means my "solution" (i.e. to add the 32-bit printer driver as "additional drivers" from Printer Properties -> Sharing on the 64-bit Win7 system) and also marking the printer as "shared" in the 64-bit Win7 system, is 100% going to solve your problem.

You will then be able to "see it" as a network shareable printer from your 32-bit Win7 desktop, and you will then be able to right-click on it and select "connect", and the now-installed 32-bit version of the printer driver will get shipped from your 64-bit desktop system over to the 32-bit laptop, the printer will get installed there, and you'll now be able to print from the 32-bit laptop through the 64-bit host to the C5180 which is USB-connected to the 64-bit Win7 host desktop machine.

Should be a 100% successful solution. For example, in my own very similar situation where I have an HP 2605dn printer USB-connected to my 64-bit Win7 system and I want to support printing to it from my network-connected 32-Bit WinXP system:




Also, I've downloaded that 290MB software/driver file for 32/64-bit Win7 from the HP site, and unpacked/expanded it using WinRAR. Looks like it could then be just burned to a DVD (not a CD, as it appears exceed the 700MB capacity of a CD in its expanded form) since it has an AUTORUN.INF file in its root as well as a SETUP.EXE you can manually run directly if you don't burn this to a CD.

Or, you could just expand it on your hard drive and then run its SETUP.EXE on your 64-bit Win7 system if you really wanted to install all of the software + 64-bit driver on your 64-bit Win7 system (if you haven't already done just that). And you could then also point to the root folder from the expansion when navigating to the driver INF file for the "additional drivers" dialog, to add the 32-bit flavor driver required to support printing from your 32-bit laptop to the "shared" printer USB-connected to the 64-bit Win7 desktop.

It is in the root of the unpacked/expanded folder where I see HPOSCU01.INF, which inside of it does seem to be the correct INF for the entire C5100 family of printers (along with many other printers apparently supported by this same 32/64-bit Win7 software/driver file).

So to reinforce what I specified in my earlier "solution recipe", you would download and expand (if you haven't already done it) that 290MB software/driver file I provided the link to earlier, expand it with WinRAR (or similar), and then point to the root of where you expanded it when asked to point to the INF driver file in the "additional drivers" dialog step in my recipe. It is that HPOSCU01.INF file in that root folder out of the 290MB file expansion which will be used in its 32-bit flavor, since you're trying to install the x86 driver as your SECOND driver for this printer.

Good luck.

Please report back if you have further questions, problems, or success.

i kinda thought he had it connected via ethernet to his router.

gazz9496 said:

i kinda thought he had it connected via ethernet to his router.

I agree... his wording was vague. Actually, each time I re-read what he said I am more confused. I just re-read it again and now don't know if his problem is that he can't print to it from the new 64-bit Win7 desktop, or from the Win7 Acer laptop (which I've concluded must be a 32-bit Win7).

Wish OP would come back and clarify.

But replacing the WinXP desktop would have zero effect on the laptop getting to the printer, if the printer was network available directly via Ethernet to the router.

The only possibility for a new problem to have arisen from the desktop swap would be if the printer had been previously USB-connected to the 32-bit WinXP host system, and is now USB-connected to the replacement 64-bit Win7 system.

This new setup absolutely requires a second 32-bit printer driver to be installed, in order to support the "shared" printer with 32-bit and 64-bit client systems on the network. There would of course be 64-bit printer support installed directly onto the new 64-bit Win7 desktop (using the same 290MB software/driver download file from HP, which supports 32/64-bit systems) for the local USB-connected printer, and in support of 32-bit network client print requests a second 32-bit driver would also be needed, using the "additional drivers" dialog for Printing Properties -> Sharing tab.

Also, I think his reference to the "wireless router" was from the laptop to the home network, wireless to the wireless router... but accessing the USB-connected printer hosted by the desktop machine on the network, also accessed through the router obviously (really to the desktop host, which has the "shared" USB-connected printer attached to it).


I agree... this is all somewhat ambiguous, but because it had to be a USB-connected printer in order for the swap of WinXP desktop to Win7 desktop to have had any impact and cause any new problem since the old printer host was 32-bit and the new printer host is 64-bit, I feel that's what he was trying to describe.

tinabina22 said:

I have been using my Acer aspire 5532 laptop with windows 7 and printing from my hp photosmart all in one c5180 printer via my netgear WGR 614v9 wireless router connected to my desktop with windows xp installed on it just fine for well over a year now.
I recently built and replaced my old desktop with a new desktop and installed windows 7 home premium 64bit but I am now unable to print to my printer! I can install it on the laptop but can not print to it. It states that it can not locate the printer? Gives an error code of 31?
Help!

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you, this is the first chance I've had to get on the computer.
I checked my laptop system and it too is win7 64 bit. I've already tried some of your recommendations but I will give a few more a try. It's getting really frustrating though.
The set up is/was b. The printer is now hooked up to my new pc with win7 64 bit but was hooked up to win xp 32 bit. It's hooked to the new one via a wire attached to a USB port. I have tried many things included but not limited to down loading drivers, updates etc...
To sum up: New pc is win7 64bit, old laptop is win7 64 bit also, hp photosmart all in one c5180 printer connected via USB port to new pc.

Thanks for your help
Tina

tinabina22 said:

The set up is/was b. The printer is now hooked up to my new pc with win7 64 bit but was hooked up to win xp 32 bit. It's hooked to the new one via a wire attached to a USB port. I have tried many things included but not limited to down loading drivers, updates etc...

To sum up: New pc is win7 64bit, old laptop is win7 64 bit also, hp photosmart all in one c5180 printer connected via USB port to new pc.

Ok. This really clarifies things. Thanks.

However... now I'm actually puzzled how you could have been printing from your 64-bit Acer laptop through the previous 32-bit WinXP which was hosting the USB-connected printer, presumably as a "shared" printer under WinXP.

Normally, in this type of setup you do NOT install any printer software/driver directly on the "client" system (in this case your 64-bit Win7 laptop). You only install the software/driver on the "host/server" system (in this case your old 32-bit WinXP desktop). Theoretically, WinXP can also support multiple drivers for client printing on a "shared" printer, but you should have remembered doing something on your WinXP desktop along these lines. Just like I was describing you needed to do today, adding a 32-bit driver on your existing 64-bit system, to support printing requests from 32-bit clients.

Well now you say that your "client" is actually a 64-bit Win7 client, not a 32-bit client as I'd guessed. So, if the C5180 is currently installed on your new 64-bit Win7 desktop system... and if YOU HAVE CHECKED THE "SHARE THIS PRINTER" box on Printing Properties -> Sharing tab (see my screenshot above), then you should have ZERO problem doing a "connect" from your 64-bit Win7 laptop to the "shared" printer on the 64-bit Win7 desktop.

There now is no need for a second 32-bit print driver to be added, since you have no 32-bit client systems as I thought you did.

Do you have "share this printer" checked on your new 64-bit Win7 desktop, for this printer??

How did you install the software/driver for the printer on the new 64-bit Win7 desktop? Using that 290MB download file from HP that I pointed you to?

Have you installed anything on your laptop relative to this printer???


You should NOT have needed to install any printer software/driver on your "client" laptop in order to facilitate printing through the router to the 64-bit Win7 desktop to the USB-connected printer on the desktop machine. This is 100% standard network printing functionality to a "shared" USB-connected printer, from network client systems. The fact that both host and client are 64-bit Win7 makes this all a piece of cake, and you should be having no problem... if the printer was installed on the desktop system and marked as "share this printer" in Printing Properties -> Sharing tab.

he software/driver is installed on your "host" desktop. You simply need to go through the "add printer" dialog on your client 64-bit Win7 laptop, select "network printer", choose the C5180 that is hosted by your 64-bit Win7 desktop (which should be visible in the network picture from the "add printer" wizard), and finish. You don't even need to "connect", since both client and host are 64-bit.

For example, I just added a printer to my system #1, which is USB-connected to my system #2. It's marked as "share this printer" on system #2, and thus is visible to the "add network printer" dialog wizard back on system #1.












Again, it is critical that the printer USB-connected to your new 64-bit Win7 desktop system be checked as "share this printer" in Printing Properties -> Sharing tab. This is what makes it visible to your client laptop system when you go through the "add printer" dialog and "add a network printer".

Ok, I have done so many things to my computers in frustration I'm not even sure where I'm at with them. I do know that both computers are set to share each other, I transfered the information to each other thru windows easy transfer. Should I delete the printer from the laptop and start over? The laptop shows the printer as default printer but it's transparent and unable to print.