Solved Cannot Print to Network Printer

[qwertyportne]

My new Windows 7 computer will not print to my network printer. It's connected to my wife's XP computer with an ethernet cable. My old XP computer had a wireless card and worked fine with our network printer, so the problem is probably something I need to do with my new Win 7 computer.

My new computer has wireless access to email and the Internet via her router, so I know my USB wireless adapter is OK and connected to our network. And I made sure her computer is on.

When I try to add a printer, the wizard does not find the printer on the network, and I have no idea how to find the TCP address to do it manually.

Should I load the drivers for our printer onto my Windows 7 computer? Or what? Thanks for any help coming my way...

Bill

 

[seavixen32]

Welcome to Windows Seven Forums.

Check these links carefully, which show you how to share a printer between a Windows XP and a Windows 7 computer.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/53830-file-sharing-between-xp-w7-vice-versa.html

Share Files and Printers between Windows 7 and XP - How-To Geek

 

[2xg]

Welcome to TSF,

What's the Make and Model of the Printer? Are you sure that it's a network printer with built-in network adapter?
From your printer's ethernet port, plug the straight network cable then the other end to the router's LAN Port.

When I try to add a printer, the wizard does not find the printer on the network, and I have no idea how to find the TCP address to do it manually.

You may install AdvancedIPScanner from any computer's in your network to find the IP/Mac Addresses of all the network devices including the Printer's IP, I'd prefer to manually assign IP on your network printer.
It's best to download the latest printer software and driver from the manufacturer's site and might need to install the latest driver on all your computers.

Should I load the drivers for our printer onto my Windows 7 computer?

Another great suggestion is share your Printer.

 

[qwertyportne]

Our printer is an HP Office Jet 6210. Our printer is connected to one of the USB ports on my wife's XP computer. The wireless router is connected to her computer with an ethernet cable. My old XP computer connected to the router with a Belkin wireless card over our home network. I could print, get email and browse the Internet.

After my old computer died, I bought a Windows 7 computer and installed a wireless USB adapter and its driver. I can now get email and browse the Internet but cannot print. Ugh!

I've checked all sorts of things. Made sure the name of her computer is different than the name of my computer and a few other things, but I am really in the dark as to how to solve this problem. One thing that looks wrong is that the workgroup names are not the same, but I don't know which wizard to run. Hers? Mine? I cannot see her machine on my network places at all, but she can see my computer on the wireless network we've been using for years.

Anybody got any detailed procedures to deal with this? The How to Geek procedure did not let me see her machine on my Network Places. Maybe I should have done that on her computer?

Thanks everyone. I'm open to suggestions,

Bill

 

[2xg]

Alright, the printer is a USB capable and doesn't have a built-in network adapter.

Disable any Firewall or Security Software for now.

Enable Files and Printer Sharing from the XP machine.
Enabling File And Printer Sharing In Windows Xp

Pls. verify that both computer's Netbios are enabled:
To enable netbios in XP computer, pls see this link.
To enable netbios in Windows 7 PC, follow this guide.

If....it is such a hassle for you to setup Files and Printer sharing, another great option is a USB Print Server, you may read the technical details from the link provided.

 

[qwertyportne]

It works now and I didn't do anything. Weird. I was preparing to go through each procedure you folks gave me when I noticed that both computers and my Roku device were displayed on the Network Places screen. I quickly went through the add a printer procedure and was pleasantly surprised to see our printer as one of the selections. I clicked it, finished the add printer steps and printed a test page. Voila! It doesn't make sense that the problem was the new USB wireless adapter, because even when I could not print or see my wife's computer on the Network Places screen, I could get email and browse the Internet. Oh well, it works now and if it is something to do with the adaqpter, maybe it will always be intermintently goofy? Anyway, thanks for all your help. I saved your links in my favorites...

Bill

 

[2xg]

Thanks for letting us know Bill, that's great to hear all is well.

 

[seavixen32]

Pleased to hear it Bill and thanks for posting back.

 

[StuperTech]

Check for IP and also connectivity

Do a test page, and check the IP. See if you can ping the IP by running a command prompt, and typing

ping 192.168.x.x

x.x

is the last 2 sets of digits.

There is a good article about IP based printing here.

Also how to add it to your cell phone.


How to setup a network printer at home | Space City Tech