Windows 7: Sharing a printer on W7 Desktop with XP Laptop

I posted this on another thread but got no replies so I'm starting this one.

My Windows 7 Premium desktop has an Epson R320 that I've set up to share on my home network. My laptop, on the home network, can not access the printer and does not even see it until I specify the unique path. Even then I can not "add" the printer to the laptop because the XP dirvers are not installed on my Windows 7 system. I've exhausted (myself for sure) sources for the driver even tried installing XP Epson drivers in a Windows 7 directory. Neither the Windows 7 installation disk nor the installed directories on the Windows 7 system contain the correct ".inf" file.

Where do I find the correct XP drivers and how do I get them installed so I can print from the XP laptop?

Reall need help.......

Epson Stylus Photo R320, Drivers & Downloads - Technical Support - Epson America, Inc.

Check here for updated driver's

Thanks for replying but what you suggested is one of the first things I tried.

When I got through the process of Control Panel-> Devces and Printers-> select my printer and right click -> Printer Properties -> Sharing my printer (Epson Stylus Photo R320 (M) ) shows with a share name, 'share' is checked but greyed out so I click -> Change Sharing Options -> which "un-greys" -> Additional Drivers (for different O/S ) which brings up the additional drivers selection. My Windows 7 is on an AMD 64b system and that is checked but "X86" is not (Laptop is a n XP 32b system) so I check that and click OK and my problem described starts. I've downloaded from epson's site "epson11889" and installed it. Tried the process "additional driver" process again with negative results - never able to find an appropriate ".inf" file

What am I doing wrong?

Hi, I actually just encountered a similar problem at my office where the computers running 7 Pro x64 all of a sudden couldn't print to the network printers anymore, after 2 weeks of printing fine. I found these instructions work for me.

As posted by jimbo45:
I've posted on this before but to share Printers attached to XP computers with either X-64 or X-32 versions of Windows 7 is SIMPLE. These instructions are for the Printer attached to the XP machine (but works in reverse as well).

("Stand alone" Network printers can be done slightly similarly BTW).

assume the computers are call XPMACHINE and W7MACHINE.

1) Ensure Printer on XP machine is shared - assume it's called SHAREDPRINTER.

2) On the Network Browsing on your Windows 7 machine ensure you can "See" the Printer share.

Now on the Windows 7 machine do the following (doesn't matter if it's X-86 or x-64).

3) Control Panel==> add LOCAL (Yes LOCAL) printer. I know it's on a Network but hold your horses -- what we are actually doing is "Poodlefaking" the Windows 7 machine into thinking it's running the printer.

4) Create NEW port==>Local port

5) Portname is \\XPMACHINE\SHAREDPRINTER

6) Now Windows 7 will load a driver and you'll be able to print on the XP machine.

Simple

(For a "Network stand alone printer") at 4) chose TCPIP port
and at 5) enter the IP address.


If the printer is on the Windows 7 machine and you want to print on the XP machine then do the same instructions on the XP machine --
port name in this case will be \\W7MACHINE\SHAREDPRINTER

BigSich,

Thanks for response. I tried the suggestion and since my printer is on Windows 7 system and I'm trying to print from an XP laptop I exchanged source and destination system names as suggested.

When I get to step 6 "simple" died 'cause for some reason my 'Epson Stylus Photo R320' is not listed - rather long list of Epsons but only a couple of 'Stylus Photo" types with more descriptors in the name.

About ready to get another printer but dout it will be an Epson if I can't solve this. For now, I've just emailed a question on their support site but can only hope.... In the meantime, for grins I'll try one of the strange 'Stylus Photo' types but don't anticipate success.

Having never installed a printer in that direction, i.e. hosted on Windows 7 machine connecting on XP, I'm not sure what options it gives when you're installing, but here are a couple other things to try.

I know when you're installing a printer in Windows 7 when it asks you to select the printer so that it can find the drivers there is a "windows update" button that if you click will basically pull every possible printer compatible. So your printer may be in that list.

When I installed my printer it turned out that because I was installing on x64 system the name of the printer was a little different. Mine was a Canon iP4000, however even though there were printers listed like "Canon iP4700" there was no iP4000. But I ended up finding it under the inkjet series, so make sure to check more than one place in the list.

Lastly, without going through the process, I'm pretty sure there is an option to manually install the driver. If that's the case, download the appropriate driver and follow the procedure i outlined and browse to the right driver if you're printer really isn't on the list. I'm guessing it is on the list just under a different name. Good luck!

You'll need to install the driver on that machine for the Epson Stylus Photo R320.

Thanks to BigSich and sygnus21,

I managed to muddle through. I tried one of the odd named Epson Stylus drivers but - no deal.

I "installed" the printer on the laptop (of course it couldn't find it), then changed the the port from "Local -> LPT1" to point LOCAL thru the home network to the Windows 7 attached printer as suggested by BigSich to "poodlefake" it and was able to finally print to the Windows 7 attached printer. In retrospect not too difficult but more convoluted than I expected at the outset.

Thanks all for help and suggestions.

Hi there
don't forget jimbo too --since thats basically the method you used even if loading the drivers was a bit more complicated than it should have been.

*** Just kidding of course ****
cheers
jimbo

I have resolved this problem for myself - hopefully this will help others:
Assuming you have sorted out your networking and all that, check out
how your PC appears on the network and make sure you remember the exact name.
Also- assuming that you have downloaded the correct driver for Windows 7 for your printer
on your Windows 7 PC (64bit)

OK:
Go to the XP PC/Laptop armed either with the Instal disk for your printer - or download the XP
driver for your printer from the net.
When you set it up it should ask for you to select which port - select any for now.
Next go it no printer properties (Control panel, printers, .......)
Select new port.
Now to name it.
type in this sort of address (lets call your computer MyPC, and lets say you have a Canon Pixma printer iP4000)
type '\\MyPC\Canon Inkjet PIXMA iP4000' notice it has to be very exact, one small error and this won't work
~ check on your network on your PC to see exactly how the printer is named.
Don't forget to click on apply and Ok etc etc Make sure the tick box is now ticked as your default printer.
You may be required to reboot - I didn't have to on my setup

Next print a test page

It should work- unless you mistyped something

Good luck anyone who is battling with this problem