? Windows printer sharing

[zxcvbob]

After work, I'm headed over to a church widder-woman's house to try to get her printer to work with her new computer.  The printer is direct-connected (I think) to hew old desktop computer, and she wants to print from a new laptop.  That's all I know.  I assume the desktop is either XP or Vista, and the laptop is W7 or W8, and there's probably a wireless router.  I'll find out when I get there.

Are there any really tricky "gotchas" that Microsoft has set up for me to step in?  Or is it pretty easy; just turn on printer sharing on the desktop, and let the laptop find it and install the drivers?

[AZRedhawk44]

If you can do it at all... set it up as a pure TCP/IP printer.

Hopefully the printer has an ethernet or 802.11b/g/n wireless interface.

Set up each machine with a "local printer" port (even though it's over the network).  Create a TCP/IP port using the printer's IP address.  Go from there.

Most of the fancy multifunction scan/print/copy/fax machines have network capabilities for sending scans over the local network and such.  But when shared on a PC as a mere printer, you lose that and can only print.

[zxcvbob]

I assume it's USB only and that's why it's tethered to the desktop, but I don't know that.  If I can connect the printer directly to the network that's what I'll do.

[lee n. field]

If you can do it at all... set it up as a pure TCP/IP printer.

Hopefully the printer has an ethernet or 802.11b/g/n wireless interface.

Set up each machine with a "local printer" port (even though it's over the network).  Create a TCP/IP port using the printer's IP address.  Go from there.

Most of the fancy multifunction scan/print/copy/fax machines have network capabilities for sending scans over the local network and such.  But when shared on a PC as a mere printer, you lose that and can only print.

What he said.  

It avoids wrestling with security and sharing.

If it stays hooked to the XP machine, the easiest way is to set it shareable.  Go to the win7/"win8 crackmonkey edition" machine, add printers, local printer, create local port, in the box enter the unc path to the printer share (ex "\\oldcomputername\printershare"), click OK.  Then you can walk through the printer selection and tell it to use the port you just made.

[MechAg94]

I've shared a printer on a local firewalled network, but each of the computers using it were wide open to each other.  It was fairly simply if I remember right.

[charby]

http://helpdeskgeek.com/windows-7/xp-to-windows-7-printer-sharing/

that may help you

[zxcvbob]

http://helpdeskgeek.com/windows-7/xp-to-windows-7-printer-sharing/

that may help you

Thanks, to all of you.  That's pretty much how I expected it to work, but I know that 7 sometimes does not like to play nice on XP networks.

And I'll probably jump straight down to the "local port" step once I get the printer shared.

[zxcvbob]

It's windows 8.  Everything is hidden, and I can't get to the advanced settings.   

[zxcvbob]

Well I got it working, and installed about 40 Windows updates, and changed the mouse pointer for her so she can see it easier.  And showed her how to get to Windows Update herself when she gets a message it's out-of-date.  Took about 2 hours.  Should have taken about 20 minutes.

WTF was Microsoft thinking with this user interface?

Thanks again for the help.

[charby]

WTF was Microsoft thinking with this user interface?

Tap the windows key on the keyboard, it opens wonders with Win 8. Also by the way, win 8 is just windows 7 with a goofy interface.

[BryanP]

One caveat about setting up as a local TCP/IP port with the IP address:

Is her router giving out addresses via DHCP?    Probably.  If so, expect a call when the router resets one day and her devices have different IP addresses.  If the router has the option (either natively or with an update to DD-WRT or Tomato) go the extra step of giving her devices reserved addresses so they never change.

[zxcvbob]

Yes, I know that.  It'll give me an excuse to go over there and check on her; she's about 80 years old and lives alone*.  Still works part-time as a nurse (tough old bird)

I was going to set it up using the printer's hostname rather than IP address, but Windows grabbed the IP address and it started working so I quit fooling with it.  Hopefully the router will reserve the IP addresses for the MAC addresses it knows about (doesn't help if it does a full reset.)  I never could find a way into any manual setup screens; everything was "wizard" based.  I'm not a fan of wizards.  I have a W7 computer, I'll play with the printer settings there and see how to manually configure a printer and maybe 8 is similar.

*She has a black and white cat with a "Hitler mustache."  That cat was jumping in my lap and rubbing all over me the whole time I was there.  It's my fault; I thought it was funny and encouraged it.  I was *covered* with cat hair by the time I left.  My dogs went nuts when I got home.

Tap the windows key on the keyboard, it opens wonders with Win 8. Also by the way, win 8 is just windows 7 with a goofy interface.

I found the windows key, but there was no icon for the control panel.  I finally found it hidden a couple of levels deep over in the right-side-of-screen menus.

[lee n. field]

One caveat about setting up as a local TCP/IP port with the IP address:

Is her router giving out addresses via DHCP?    Probably.  If so, expect a call when the router resets one day and her devices have different IP addresses.  If the router has the option (either natively or with an update to DD-WRT or Tomato) go the extra step of giving her devices reserved addresses so they never change.

Or set static outside the DHCP range.  Just another thing to be aware of, setting it up.

[lee n. field]

I was going to set it up using the printer's hostname rather than IP address,

I have found that less reliable.

[cordex]

I found the windows key, but there was no icon for the control panel.  I finally found it hidden a couple of levels deep over in the right-side-of-screen menus.

Next time try hitting the Windows key and typing "control panel".  Much quicker, but you have to know what you're looking for.

I despise the Windows 8 interface.

[RocketMan]

Also by the way, win 8 is just windows 7 with a goofy interface.

Windows 8 is an abomination before [your deity of choice].  It should have been strangled at birth.