Windows 7: Cannot connect printer to homegroup

Windows 7 X64 trying to connect Samsung ML1860 to homegroup. Printer is connected by USB. Troubleshooter tries to connect but indicates failurer due to printer error. However it tries to identify nature of error and all tests performed are checked as no problem. I have reinstalled printer many times but making no progress.

So, you have two or more Windows 7 machines, one of which has the USB connected printer ? Are the machines already in a Homegroup and you want to add the printer to it ?

Yes, that is correct. I have 2 windows 7 Pcs connected as homegroup. Printer is connected to one with USB. Windows will not connect this to homegroup and actually tells me it cannot connect because of printer error.

I also have another usb printer connected to same pc. The second PC cannot see this through the homegroup devices screen.

I assume you want to print on the printer from any of the other PCs in the homegroup - right ? On the assumption the printer is installed and working as a local printer on this PC, you need to set it to be shared and given a share name, then you can view it as a remote printer in the "view remote printers" in the network view of my computer just below homegroups (you will need to have layout set with navigation pane ticked). Once you can see it, you can drag anything you want to print onto it from any of the others in the homegroup or do a file print and the icon should pop up to point to the remote printer. This is actually quite difficult to explain but this is how all my PCs are setup i.e. one USB printer shared on one PC and all the others in the homegroup can print to it. You are not actually connecting the printer to the homegroup as you would a PC but sharing it with the other homegroup PCs. I see no reason why the second printer could not be setup in the same way, obviously with a different share name.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for taking the time to share your ideas with me. What you have described is how it should work (and how it did work previously). When I try to share the printer with the homegroup windows reports to me that the process failed due to an error with the printer. However it does further analysis and cannot identify any problem - the printer passes all the tests that the troubleshooter lists.

My second printer (Brother multifunction colour) is also set to share with homegroup, but just does not appear when the second PC searches for network printers.

Ah, I didn't realise that the printer previously worked shared on the homegroup - my thoughts were that you were trying to get it to work from scratch. So, in cases like this, what has changed to cause it to cease to work ? - can you think of anything you may have done e.g. install software, change router settings, change firewall etc.

This is what I would be thinking about instead of believing it is a Windows 7 or printer problem.... let me know if you can come up with anything that may influence the working of the printer.

Thank you for trying to help me out. Sorry that I have not responded to you earlier.
Yes - there was a lot that changed that led up to the problem. I had a nasty virus on my system that needed to be cleaned off by an expert. This virus upset many of the setting and links on the PC and it was a bit of nightmare sorting everything out. When it was set up again the other PC had problems connecting to the printers. I deleted and reinstalled to try and overcome these difficulties and at that stage was very frustrated and started asking for help. I then connected the Samsung printer to the other PC - and it worked fine and could be shared on the network. Bit of a problem geographically to find a suitable location for the printer but at least it now works. Since then I have purchased Norton 360 and installed on both PCs Have completed complete scans and cleansups of my systems. Now the second printer also connects automatically without any action needed on my part.

Everything seems to be working well - but at this stage I am not courageous enough to try and reconnect the Samsung to the first PC where I would prefer to locate it.

Thanks again for taking time to respond to my questions.

OK, thanks. It is quite difficult trying to assess someone else's problem remotely however I'm pleased you are at least back to working although not fully as you would like.

Viruses can be a real problem to fix and personally I have never understood the logic or thinking behind the reasons for creating them.

Good luck.