HomeGroup Loses Shared Printers

[Not Myself]

This is an on-going annoyance. I have a Home Group running on WiFi with two computers. All too often, when I run the Home Group troubleshooter I get a message that there is a new unshared printer, and installing it will let everyone use it.

This happened again this morning. My computer woke up to run its daily SuperAntiSpyware task, went back to sleep, and woke up when I got up. Later, instead of going to sleep after two hours, as set in Power Options, it was still awake after four hours--that is what caused me to run the troubleshooter. When I get this message, it says to click on the install button.

All this time, the other computer was in hibernation. (That's another story: I use hibernation as I've been unable to restore sleep on that machine.)

There's no pattern to this: I'll get the unshared printer message on one or the other computer, or, as today, on both. Clicking on the install button often hangs the Control Panel Home group on my computer for a while; sometimes, this fixes it after a while. A few days ago, I did not even try that, just rebooted, and that fixed it. That did not work today, but I did get rid of it, only to find it on the other computer--and clicking the install button made the message go away immediately.

Suggestions to cure this malady, if available and shareable, would be appreciated.

 

[chev65]

This is an on-going annoyance. I have a Home Group running on WiFi with two computers. All too often, when I run the Home Group troubleshooter I get a message that there is a new unshared printer, and installing it will let everyone use it.

This happened again this morning. My computer woke up to run its daily SuperAntiSpyware task, went back to sleep, and woke up when I got up. Later, instead of going to sleep after two hours, as set in Power Options, it was still awake after four hours--that is what caused me to run the troubleshooter. When I get this message, it says to click on the install button.

All this time, the other computer was in hibernation. (That's another story: I use hibernation as I've been unable to restore sleep on that machine.)

There's no pattern to this: I'll get the unshared printer message on one or the other computer, or, as today, on both. Clicking on the install button often hangs the Control Panel Home group on my computer for a while; sometimes, this fixes it after a while. A few days ago, I did not even try that, just rebooted, and that fixed it. That did not work today, but I did get rid of it, only to find it on the other computer--and clicking the install button made the message go away immediately.

Suggestions to cure this malady, if available and shareable, would be appreciated.

Have you actually installed the printer drivers onto each networked machine?

You can't just install them on one machine, each machine requires the drivers to be installed.

 

[Not Myself]

Thanks for the reply.

1. All printers, with one exception, are installed on both computers, the exception being the Quicken printer, as Quicken itself is installed on only one computer--and it even shows as being shared.

2. This set up has worked for over two years; it is only recently that it has become a nuisance. In the past, I might see the problem arise once every three months at a guess (I don't keep records of such things.) Now, for example, it happened twice in perhaps seven days; the first time was the event where simply rebooting one computer fixed it, but the second required clicking on the error-message install button on both computers and rebooting both. I ought to have first checked the drivers on both machines, to see if any of them had lost their sharing option.

The loss of the sharing option in Printer Properties has occurred more than once, and I have no idea as to what could cause that.

 

[chev65]

Thanks for the reply.

1. All printers, with one exception, are installed on both computers, the exception being the Quicken printer, as Quicken itself is installed on only one computer--and it even shows as being shared.

2. This set up has worked for over two years; it is only recently that it has become a nuisance. In the past, I might see the problem arise once every three months at a guess (I don't keep records of such things.) Now, for example, it happened twice in perhaps seven days; the first time was the event where simply rebooting one computer fixed it, but the second required clicking on the error-message install button on both computers and rebooting both. I ought to have first checked the drivers on both machines, to see if any of them had lost their sharing option.

The loss of the sharing option in Printer Properties has occurred more than once, and I have no idea as to what could cause that.

I'm not sure why Windows would keep asking for permission to share a printer which is already shared although reinstalling the printer drivers may help.

Is there a third party anti virus software or firewall involved?

 

[Not Myself]

Avast! anti-virus and Comodo firewall have always been installed on both computers. Updated, yes, but previously unused, no.

 

[chev65]

Avast! anti-virus and Comodo firewall have always been installed on both computers. Updated, yes, but previously unused, no.

It is very likely that one of those AV's or the combination of the two is the cause of the problem. There are many A/V's that do not work well with Homegroups unless they are properly configured.

 

[Not Myself]

Avast! anti-virus and Comodo firewall have always been installed on both computers. Updated, yes, but previously unused, no.

It is very likely that one of those AV's or the combination of the two is the cause of the problem. There are many A/V's that do not work well with Homegroups unless they are properly configured.

Given that both Avast! and Comodo have been used for as long as I have had a Home Group, and that the problem is both intermittent and variable, I doubt--not know, only doubt--that the root cause is either Avast! or Comodo, nor the combination of the two.

As an example of the strangeness of the problem, as I wrote in my original posting, yesterday's occurrence happened after one computer had awakened, gone back to sleep, and then been awakened. All during that time, the other computer was in hibernation; thus, I don't know how Home Group could have been aware of the problem. However, as I failed to look at the printer drivers on the computer which was awake, to see if any of them had lost its sharing option, I don't have any way of knowing if the problem arose with that computer.

Finally, for this reply, even if the problem did arise with the awake computer, why would the printer sharing setting be changed? Could Avast! or Comodo have any bearing on that setting?

 

[chev65]

Avast! anti-virus and Comodo firewall have always been installed on both computers. Updated, yes, but previously unused, no.

It is very likely that one of those AV's or the combination of the two is the cause of the problem. There are many A/V's that do not work well with Homegroups unless they are properly configured.

Given that both Avast! and Comodo have been used for as long as I have had a Home Group, and that the problem is both intermittent and variable, I doubt--not know, only doubt--that the root cause is either Avast! or Comodo, nor the combination of the two.

As an example of the strangeness of the problem, as I wrote in my original posting, yesterday's occurrence happened after one computer had awakened, gone back to sleep, and then been awakened. All during that time, the other computer was in hibernation; thus, I don't know how Home Group could have been aware of the problem. However, as I failed to look at the printer drivers on the computer which was awake, to see if any of them had lost its sharing option, I don't have any way of knowing if the problem arose with that computer.

Finally, for this reply, even if the problem did arise with the awake computer, why would the printer sharing setting be changed? Could Avast! or Comodo have any bearing on that setting?

In case you weren't aware, these A/V's are famous for creating new access rules out of the blue.

While Windows has no such problems that I'm aware of.

 

[Not Myself]

Neither Avast! nor Comodo shows any interference with Home Group or printers.

This thread has finally led me to one conclusion in trying to pin down the proximate cause, and I shall endeavor to remember to do this: When the error message appears or my computer won't go to sleep (usually caused by the Home Group problem,) the first thing for me to do is to check the printer drivers on both computers, to see if either one has one or more drivers that have had the sharing option deselected.

Your continued assistance is greatly appreciated; in fact, that is what finally made me realize what my next step ought to be. Given my new philosophy of life, or perhaps it is about the existence of the universe, or even that there is not enough dark bittersweet chocolate, hot green chile, and single-malt whisky in the universe if it actually does exist, it may well be a while before I resurrect this conglomeration and report whatever it is that I discover.