Windows 7: Printer Connection

Hi
I need help. Similar problems have come up before - in this or similar forums - I'm sure but in every case there are slight differences.
I have an XP desktop computer with laser printer attached via USB. This computer has files shared with my laptop which runs Windows 7 Home Premium. I can see and use the shared files/directories from the desktop. I can even 'see' the printer icon I want to connect to (ie after clicking on Computer -> Networks -> name of Computer-> etc
However, I cannot access this printer.
I have tried connecting it up directly to Win 7 laptop and it has no troubles so the driver is not a problem, however, I want to use this printer on the home network. But I'm sure I don't know what is.
I hope someone out there has a solution they can direct me through.
Kind Regards Matt

Please provide just a few details:

I assume your WinXP is 32-bit. Is your Windows 7 a 64-bit or 32-bit Windows 7?

Also, what is the printer brand/model?

Also, are both the XP and Windows 7 machines on the same "workgroup"?

The key is to specify the printer on XP as "shared", and then the Windows 7 machine should see it as part of its "Add Printer" dialog and have no problem connecting. But if there's a 32-bit/64-bit issue that's a wrinkle that needs just a bit of work to resolve.

Thanks for your reply. Both machines are 32 and both belong to the same workgroup named WORKGROUP. As I said already, the icon of the printer appears on my network on he laptop. I just don't have access to it.

Check your printer's manual. I have a printer here that has one driver for USB connection and a different driver for a Network connection.

Also, to manually install this printer (this assumes that the printer does not already show in the Devices & Printers window):

• On the laptop go to Devices and Printers > click "Add A Printer"
• Choose: Add a Network Printer
• It will search on the network for a printer > Choose the Laser. > Next
• It should find and load the drivers and make the connection.

If that does not work then try this:

• On the laptop go to Devices and Printers > click "Add A Printer"
• Choose: Local Printer
• Choose: "Create New Port" > "Local Port" > Next
• Enter the port name - which will be the physical address of the XP desktop (ie: \\XPDESK\Laser Printer)
• Drivers: if asked, browse to the folder that contains the drivers > OK > OK
• Type a name for this printer > Next
• Share this Printer? > Probably "No"

That should do it.
If the printer exists in the Devices & Printers window you could remove it and then do the above steps. Or you could open the printer's properties window and manually change the port to direct Windows 7 to the XP computer and the shared printer.

Hope that helps.

Thank you all for your help. I have gone through your suggestions and the MS tutorial I found on another thread with similar problem all to no avail. I give up. I think I'll buy a new printer.

Don't give up so easily. The problem is not the printer. It's some kind of a network or authority issue that can easily be resolved, if only we know what error message you were getting.

Please provide a bit more detail than "However, I cannot access this printer". What error message are you getting... perhaps a screenshot posted here to keep it visual would be worth 1000 words.

How about a series of screenshots of what your "Add Printer" dialog from the Windows 7 laptop produces, at each step of the process you're following, which ultimately ends with "I cannot access this printer", whatever that really means in terms of an error message from Windows 7.

And please, what is the printer make/model?

Sharing network USB printers from a "host" to network "clients" (where a "connect" or similar is done to select the "shared" printer on the host machine) is one of the most basic things that everybody does, especially with home networks, and this really does work perfectly on both WinXP and Windows 7. I share two USB printers locally attached to two network machines, and they're available to either desktop machine no matter whether either machine is booted to WinXP or Windows 7! You and I both know you should be able to do the same thing.

I'm fully sympathetic to your current problem and current failure to make that happen, but we need to see more detail (either in specific words or screenshots), to better suggest possible steps to resolve the underlying cause.

Hi have I left it too late?

Thanks for your support and encouragement. I have made a couple of screen shots which hopefully will explain a bit more of the problem.

These shots are all from the WIn 7 laptop.

The printer is a simple fuiji xerox docuprint204a

I'm assuming that the printer shown already installed on your laptop was the result of plugging the printer directly into the laptop, and not the network version of that printer which is USB-attached to the XP desktop and that you're trying to install on the laptop.

Ok. It's the "access denied" error that we need to overcome. Some kind of a network password issue perhaps.

Do you have a user/password defined for both laptop and desktop?

Are the drives of the XP desktop accessible directly as drive letters? In other words, can you "map network drive" for a partition on the desktop, from the laptop? Or, if you try to "map network drive" for an XP drive to a Windows 7 letter, do you also get "access denied"?

Can you even see into the drives of your XP desktop from Windows 7, other than those specific "share" folders?


Your screenshot shows a bunch of "share" items on the network, along with the printer, but these may be folders on the desktop machine that you specifically "shared".

Can you post screenshots from the XP machine, of what your printer definition looks like on that machine?

For example, on my own XP partition here is what my USB-connected printer looks like, if you right-click and select Properties, and then select the "sharing" tab, and then push the "additional drivers" button to show what's installed.