Remotely install printers

[jvuz]

In the past with XP, you could install a pc from your pc on another pc by going to start-run- \\pc-name or \\ip-address and then you could install printers via printers and faxes. It doesn't seem to be possible anymore in Windows 7 or am I mistaking?

Jvuz

 

[DeaconFrost]

You can still do it that way, if you must, but the printer has to be shared, and you have to have the proper drivers ready for the install.

 

[jvuz]

It's a networkprinter. The problem is I don't see the icon printers and faxes. Or is there another way to install remote printers?

 

[DeaconFrost]

When you say it is a network printer, do you mean it has its own IP address, as opposed to being shared off another printer?

If so, you'll have to follow the instructions within the driver software. Some network printers can be install by choosing local printer, and then using a Standard TCP/IP Port for the printer's IP address. It well then ask for a driver, which you can provide. The standard \\computer\share method won't work because it isn't shared off of any computer/server.

If it isn't a true network printer, and it is just shared, try pinging the computer. If that returns, it is either a sharing, permissions, or firewall issue.

 

[BruBern]

If the printer is shared properly on your network and you have the proper Windows 7 drivers available it should only be a couple of clicks to set up. Make sure the printer is Win 7 compatible and download the driver setup and run it before you begin. Some older printers won't have a Win 7 setup but Win 7 should be able to find the drivers for it through Windows Update. If there is absolutely no Win 7 support for the printer then all of this is moot.

What you are looking for is Devices and Printers, there should be a link on your start menu and if not it's in the control panel. Click Add a printer at the top and then click Add a netowrk, wireless or Bluetooth printer. Windows 7 should see the printer and once you choose it , will install it. Its actually a very simple procedure.

If the Win 7 machine cannot see the printer then the networks is not setup correctly and/or the printer is not shared properly, ie:sharing permissions. Both computers need to be in same network and/or workgroup.

 

[jvuz]

I think I'm not clear on this. I'm using Windows 7, when I want to install network printers on this pc it is indeed no problem at all. But I want to connect to another pc (with xp) via \\pc-name. When I did this from a xp machine, I got the icon printers and faxes, but when I do this from a Windows 7 machine, I don't get it anymore. therefore I was hoping that there was a way to get this back, because it's easy and fast. Faster than contactiçng the other person, taking control over his /her pc and installing the printer. But I guess there is no way to get this back?

jvuz

 

[BruBern]

It should be the same as it was. So what you are saying the "Shared Printer" is attached t the Windows 7 machine. In this case from the start menu or from control panel on the Win 7 Machine choose Devices and Printers, your printer should show up there, right click it and choose "Printer Properties" from about halfway down the list, not the bottom "Properties". The screen that shows should be the same old printer properties window you are used to, click on the Sharing Tab and check the box that says Share this Printer and give it a shared Name. Once it is shared and both this computer and the Win XP machine are setup correctly on the same Network/Workgroup it should be just like you are used to. On the XP machine choose ad printer just like always and it should be found.
Worse case on the XP machine in a File Explorer window address bar type \\Win7_Machine_Name and hit enter and the printer should show up, just right click and choose connect.
I hope you understand because what you want to do is very much doable as long as the network is setup correctly.

 

[DeaconFrost]

I think I'm not clear on this.

I have to agree with you on this one. So you are doing remote support for a person, and you want the network printer to be installed on their computer. Got it.

If you are giving them a link to click on through e-mail, or even just verbally giving it to them correctly, it should open just fine. In my office, we have three network printers hanging off a server queue. Whenever anyone needs to install them, I forward a saved e-mail to them containing the links to all the printers, so they can decide which they want. They are in the standard path:

\\printserver\printername

Once they click the link, it asks if they want to install the drivers. They say yes, and it is done. The other person should also be able to go to \\printerserver and see a list of the printers, and then double click on the one they want as well. If that doesn't work, they either have a permission issue, or aren't connected to the network properly. Windows 7 doesn't have anything in it that would block this feature.

 

[jvuz]

The problem is we don't use print servers (yet, I hope it will be in the future). On an xp machine you could go to start-run- \\ip-address - there you'd get all shared folders and the icon printers and faxes. And like this way you could install a printer for that pc. Apparantly this isn't possible anymore on Windows 7, or I'm missing something.

 

[DeaconFrost]

If the printer is shared off of another computer, that is technically a print server. You have something wrong, as mentioned above, with permissions or share settings, because, again, as mentioned above, it works just fine in Windows 7 to use the \\computername\printername if configured properly. I'm using this method in my corporate network, and as I'm rolling out Windows 7, each user can go to the server name as you described, \\servername, and then double-click the printer they want to install.

 

[jvuz]

It's strange that it works from Xp to XP, but not from WIndows 7 to XP. I'll have a look.

 

[BruBern]

You should make sure the computers are in the same WORKGROUP, if you did not set this to a custom name then by default the XP and 7 computers are NOT in the same workgroup and this method will not work. You can right click on Computer in the start menu and choose properties from the drop down list to check this.

Then you should go back and read some of the posts on this thread and verify this information so that if it is something else people don't keep going over the same things. There is NO magic button to make everything perfect but boy wouldn't that be great

 

[jvuz]

Ok, I managed to let it work partially. I'll explain. I'm having domain admin rights. But apparantly that wasn't enough to be able to install a printer remotely. So I gave myself local admin rights on my pc. After loggin out and logging back in, I was able to do the installation to an xp machine. But the thing that doesn't work is install a printer on another Windows 7 machine via my W7 machine. But I'm able to install a printer on a W7 machine, via an xp machine. Very strange.

 

[DeaconFrost]

Unless your network is misconfigured, as a domain admin, you alrady have local admin rights. You are also getting us very confused when you keep talking about installing a printer remotely.

I'll say it again for clarity's sake....if you can't install a shared printer to your local machine by using \\computername\printername, then you have network or permission errors. That's the basis of Windows networking, and has nothing to do with what OS is runnong on the systems. You are also making this much more complicated by trying to share the printer off of a client OS. If you are a domain admin, then you should be doing the print sharing properly...hang it off a computer with a server OS, and share it out with all the various drivers loaded for each of the client OSes that will be connecting to it.

 

[jvuz]

The printer is connected directly to the network. It's not shared on a computer.

 

[WindowsStar]

@jvuz

After reading this thread a few times I understand what you are trying to do. I have done this before. I think the confusion is that the word "Network" came up and that makes everyone think in a different way.

If I am on the right track you can add a printer to the parallel port on a Windows XP machine and then go to another Windows XP machine and install the printer (if that printer did not auto install, {i.e. no built in drivers for the printer}). Making the install happen directly from Windows Explorer WITHOUT having to use RDP or some other remote control software. [I hope I am on the right track] Once you learned that you could add a printer parallel connected you soon learned that you could do that to printers that are RAW on the "Network" with and IP address, just as if you were sitting at the machine.

So your questions is this works XP to XP but not 7 to 7??? Right?

 

[jvuz]

Like I already said, the printers are connected directly to the network. Every printer has an IP address, for instance 192.168.5.5
If we need to install this printer on another pc (let's say 192.168.5.101) (because we don't have a print server, I know that would be a lot easier, and hopefully that'll come one day), on xp, i went on my machine to start- run -\\192.168.5.101 and from there we could install the printer, like we were actually on that pc. It wroks from XP to XP, from W7 to XP and from XP to W7, but apparantly there's still a problem between 2 W7 machines.
I also thought that when you had domain admin rights it should work, but I needed to add myself on my machine (W7) on the local admin group to have necessary rights to install a printer on an xp machine. But when I want to do the same on a W7 machine, I'm getting,once again, an error message concerning not having enough rights, even when I'm having domain admin rights and local admin rights on that pc (I tested by adding myself on the local admin group). I still find this strange. I can install printers on other W7 machines by using XP mode on my pc, but it would be easier if I could do this via W7 itself.

Unless someone has another idea, I think we can close this one.

 

[DeaconFrost]

I still think are you very confused in what you want to do. If the printers have their own IP addresses....why are you talking about XP to XP or W7 to W7? If the printers are standalone network printers....they shouldn't be hanging off any computers, and the UNC paths, aka \\nameorip shouldn't be used. Since they have IP addresses, you aren't targeting any computer or print server, so there's no care or need to discuss XP to XP, W7 to W7, XP to W7...there's none of that happening. It's client to printer.

That all being said, the proper way to install a printer like that is to create a local printer, using a standard tcp/ip port (all done through the new printer wizard) and give the IP of the printer as the port. It will communicate with the printer, let you install the drivers, and be done with it.

I'm not trying to sound like an ass, but a lot of the confusion in this thread could have been skipped by better explanations and usage of proper terms. Had you said in the beginning you had IPs for the printers, and skipped over all the UNC paths and the discussions about client OS connecting to other client OSes....this thread would have been much simpler.

As a suggestion, even though the printers have IP addresses, they can still be shared from a server, designated as a print server. If you are in charge of installing these printers for other users on their computers.....take the steps now to make your life easier down the road, and use a printer server. Then you can simply e-mail a link out to people to click on to install their printers.

 

[WindowsStar]

Like I already said, the printers are connected directly to the network. Every printer has an IP address, for instance 192.168.5.5
If we need to install this printer on another pc (let's say 192.168.5.101) (because we don't have a print server, I know that would be a lot easier, and hopefully that'll come one day), on xp, i went on my machine to start- run -\\192.168.5.101 and from there we could install the printer, like we were actually on that pc. It wroks from XP to XP, from W7 to XP and from XP to W7, but apparantly there's still a problem between 2 W7 machines.
I also thought that when you had domain admin rights it should work, but I needed to add myself on my machine (W7) on the local admin group to have necessary rights to install a printer on an xp machine. But when I want to do the same on a W7 machine, I'm getting,once again, an error message concerning not having enough rights, even when I'm having domain admin rights and local admin rights on that pc (I tested by adding myself on the local admin group). I still find this strange. I can install printers on other W7 machines by using XP mode on my pc, but it would be easier if I could do this via W7 itself.

Unless someone has another idea, I think we can close this one.

I just tested this, and it works perfectly XP to XP, 7 to 7, XP to 7 and 7 to XP.

Note: Requirements:

You must have a Local Administrator Connection to the Computer if NOT on a Domain. (i.e. net use * \\ComputerName\c$ or \\ComputerName\ipc$ some other network connection with Admin Rights)

If you are on a Domain Machine and connecting to another Domain machine you MUST use a Domain Administrator Account and it must be configured correctly on the Domain so that all machines added to the domain automatically add the Domain Admin account to the Local Administrators Group.

Note: If you have a Domain Controller you can add Printing Services to it and make it your print server as well. Especially if you have under 200 users. This will greatly simplify your printing needs. Publish the printer in AD and then your users can add printers without needing any help from IT.

I hope that helps. -WS

 

[jvuz]

Thanks WindowsStar for helping out here. Unfortunately I cannot get it to work. but I think I knwo where the problem lies. We're not using Windows servers but Linux servers and Samba. And I guess there is a problem with the group domain admins between Windows 7 and Samba. I'll have to digg in with my network administrator. When I find it, I'll let ik know. I'll close this question.

Thanks again everyone for trying to help.

Jvuz