Can't share a printer but can share files

[Guest]

I have a laptop with xp pro sp2 and a desktop with win 98se and they share a
DSL connection through a 2wire Homeportal HG1000 (Desktop is main PC and is
connected USB, laptop is ethernet). I want to print from the laptop to the
printer connected to the desktop. I have enabled sharing on both computers
and shared the printer. I can access the files on the desktop from the laptop
but can't print. I can see the printer but still can't print. I had this
working before with a different desktop but was connected through a router.

Please help!

Thanks Steve

 

[Fred S]

Steve,

Not sure if this will help you but I had a similar problem except that
the printer was connected to the XP Home machine. The W98 PC would share
files back and forth but the printer would not work.

After much trial and error testing I determined that the Windows 98
machine needed the XP Home PC set up with spooling of the printer (I had
it setup as "print directly to printer."

Immediately after changing that setting, I was able to install the
printer driver on the W98 PC and print to the network printer.

Now, one more thing, I also had a Laptop (XP Home) connected via
wireless card that would print to the network printer as it was before,
that is print directly to printer. Since that one worked I saw no reason
to change that setting.

Some of my Googleing turned up folks with spooler errors so I decided to
change my desktop (XP Home & connected to the printer) to spool print
jobs.

All three PCs work fine and the two not connected to the printer work
fine. It appears that W98 NEEDED spooling on the physically connected PC
while the LT using XP Home works either way.

Hope this helps, Fred

 

[Guest]

Thanks, I'll look in to that but I'm not sure that's the same thing. I'm
going the other direction from XP to 98 but I appreciate the input and I'll
poke around some more and see how bad I can screw things up before I have to
call in a pro.

 

[Fred S]

Steve,

I realize your setup is in the other direction, my point is W98 appears
to need/use printer spooling when sharing a printer on the network. Give
it a try by making sure both PC's are set to spool print jobs and see
what happens.

Fred

 

[Bob Willard]

I have a laptop with xp pro sp2 and a desktop with win 98se and they share a
DSL connection through a 2wire Homeportal HG1000 (Desktop is main PC and is
connected USB, laptop is ethernet). I want to print from the laptop to the
printer connected to the desktop. I have enabled sharing on both computers
and shared the printer. I can access the files on the desktop from the laptop
but can't print. I can see the printer but still can't print. I had this
working before with a different desktop but was connected through a router.

Please help!

Thanks Steve

Check with the printer vendor. Some printer vendors do not support sharing
printers cross-platform (meaning XP-W9x); I couldn't get a Lexmark to share
from W9x to XP, and Lexmark's tech.support admitted it wouldn't work.