Help with Print Sharing from XP to Vista

[Linda830]

Cannot share a printer from my desktop with Windows XP to my notebook with
Windows Vista. This is what technical support is telling me.
Emma_GWER9505 says: I see that you have an issue sharing the printer to a
network, right?

And is the printer connected to the Windows XP computer?

Please note that there is a conflict sharing printer from a Windows XP
computer to Windows Vista computer.

This is because drivers for Windows Vista should be updated/

And also there is driver conflict between Windows Vista and Windows XP.

I recommend you to contact the printer manufacturer for this concern.


I have an HP printer so contacted them for a new driver which they say my
computer already has but, it doesn't. I'm having a hard time finding a way
to mail them about this problem. Can't find anywhere to complain to
Microsoft either.

Anyway, if anyone can help here is as far as I got with my file sharing.

To print using a shared printer


Follow these steps to connect to a shared printer over the network. You must
know the name of the computer that has the printer attached to it. If you
don't know this name, ask someone who uses that computer, or go to the other
computer yourself and look it up. For information on how to find this name,
see Find your computer name.
1.

Click the Start button Picture of the Start button, and then, in the Search
box, type \\ followed by the name of the computer with the shared printer you
want to use (for example, \\mylaptop).
2.

Press ENTER.
3.

If Windows can find the computer on the network, a folder will open for the
computer. Double-click Printers. If any shared printers are connected to this
computer, they will appear here. If you don't see the shared printer you want
to use, ask a person who uses that computer if the printer is connected,
turned on, and shared with other users on the network.
4.

Double-click the printer. Windows will automatically add the printer to your
computer and install the printer driver. When the process is complete, click
Next.

This is where the problem starts,,,,,I get this message, (Windows cannot
connect to the printer. Access is denied).

There is no printer in the folder on this machine. When I go to hp to
download the driver this is the message I get.
Content starts here

Introduction
The driver solution for this product is included in your Windows Vista
operating system and is already on your computer. There is no need to
download anything. Follow the steps below to quickly and easily get your
product working with Windows Vista. Then it go's on the describe how.

 

[Mick Murphy]

I do it a different way.
Mak

 

[Mick Murphy]

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-au/library/bb727037.aspx

The above link is printer and file sharing for vista.
You have to run the XP file and printer sharing wizard as well.

You don't say how far you have gone with setting a network between them!
besides reading the above link, make sure workgroup names of ALL comps are
the same
In Vista Network and sharing:
Network discovery ON
file sharing ON

I add an XP printer for vista by clicking on Add Network Device in the above
vista sectionN & S

 

[Linda830]

file sharing is on everywhere, network discovery is also on. Not sure I
understand what you mean, I add an XP printer for vista by clicking on Add
Network Device in the above
vista sectionN & S . and I thought to make workgroup names the same but I
don't see an option to change in Vista, I'll see if I can change in XP
tomorrow, I'm so tire right now I might really mess things up....I'll write
back tomorrow but thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Bjarne Hansen /freya]

I have _exactly_ the same symptoms as Linda830 when trying to access my HP
Deskjet 920c shared from our desktop running XP. The message I get on our
Vista laptop when I right-click:Connect to the shared printer is "Windows
cannot connect to the printer. Access is denied."

I have run through the steps in your suggested link .../bb727037.aspx
without success:
=>The Workgroup is the same on both computers.
=>The Network Location type is "Private"
=>In the Sharing And Discovery Section - File Sharing is ON, Public Folder
Sharing is ON, Printer Sharing is OFF (this is the only setting avail, as the
Vista laptop has no local printer), and Password Protected Sharing has been
tried ON and OFF.
=>I have logged in as a user with the same name and with Admin privileges on
both computers
=>Windows Firewall is used on both computers, and is set to allow sharing. I
have also tried it with both firewalls OFF, with the same lack of success.
=>I can create/modify/delete shared files on both computers from the other
computer
=>I can see the shared printer icon in the network view on the Vista
computer. When I right-click:Connect to it, I get the above error msg.

The only strange things I've noted, though I don't know whether they are
relevant, are: the Vista registry entry for the LMCompatibility key has value
3, but near the bottom of the MS article .../bb727037.aspx it seems to imply
the value defaults to 2. I have tried changing it to 1 as suggested in the
article, with no result (though I didn't reboot).

I also notice that if I right-clickroperties on the shared printer and
choose the Security tab, I see the following permissions (though I cannot
change them from the Vista computer - they are view-only): Everyone=Print;
CREATOR-OWNER=Manage Docs; Administrators=Print,Manage Printer,Manage Docs;
and Power Users=Print,Manage Printer,Manage Docs. Again, I don't know if
this is relevant.

I have spent the past week and a half exchanging emails with HP tech
support, but they eventually concluded that I should contact Microsoft.

I have tried to use Microsoft's email support program, but it refuses to
accept my Product ID as valid. The Vista laptop was bought new from HP, and
the System control panel shows that "Windows is activated" so I doubt that
the Product ID is bad.

I am extremely frustrated, having tried on and off for over a month to get
printer sharing going. Any more suggestions, short of tossing the @#$ Vista
OS, which I am close to doing?

Thanks. I'll post any more things I find out. I next plan on trying a
different printer.

Bjarne

 

[Mick Murphy]

Did you run the XP file and printe sharingr home Network wizard? If you don't
set up XP's printer to share, it won't!

 

[Mick Murphy]

The info for changing the workgroup name in vista is in the link I gave you.
It is virtually the same way as XP.

In XP, click start> right-click My computer> Properties> computer Name>to
change this computer name or join a domain(Click "Change")> down the bottom
of the next window, put in the workgroup name you want>restart computer

 

[Bjarne Hansen /freya]

Hi Mick,

Yep, but it didn't help. I'll also add that my old laptop running XP was
able to print to the shared printer hosted on the desktop just fine.

I notice over in the newsgroup
microsoft.public.windows.vista.networking_sharing that a post by Arjen Meijer
suggested the following:
....
4.) On the Vista machine launch the "Add a Printer" wizard
5.) Choose "Add a local printer"
6.) Select "Create a new port" radio button and choose "Local Port" from the
drop down menu
7.) Press Next
8.) In the "Enter Port Name:" box enter the following: \\Desktop\Printer
where "Desktop" = the computer name from step 2 and "Printer" = the printer
share name from step 3.
9.) Select the Printer driver from the list provided or use the "Have Disk"
button to install the correct Vista driver if it is not in the built-in
list.

I haven't tried adding the printer to Vista as a Local Printer, and then
specifying the portname as the XP host. I'll give that a try tonight and
see...

Bjarne

 

[Mick Murphy]

You are trying to access a Network Printer; the XP's Printer.
It is the only printer there?
I added myXP's printer by going into vista'a Network and Sharing Center, and
clicked onadding a Network device; namely XP's Printer. You also have to
get the vista compatible driver from the printer's manufacturer's website.

 

[Linda830]

You are trying to access a Network Printer; the XP's Printer.
It is the only printer there?
I added myXP's printer by going into vista'a Network and Sharing Center, and
clicked onadding a Network device; namely XP's Printer. You also have to
get the vista compatible driver from the printer's manufacturer's website.

Bjarne Hansen does a much better job explaining than I do. I have also done
everything he has done with no success and getting frustrated.

 

[Linda830]

I'm also very frustrated with the whole thing....I've tried everything you
have with no luck. I think I'll give it a rest but please continue to post
your progress if any. I'll keep checking back.

 

[Bjarne Hansen /freya]

Yes, the HP Deskjet 920c is the only printer on the network. It is connected
via USB to the XP Desktop. I'm trying to print from the Vista laptop. You
are correct, Mick, that Vista's Network and Sharing Center is the usual way
one would expect to add a printer. This hasn't worked for me and a whole
bunch of other folks. I am intrigued, and want to try, Arjen's approach of
adding a "Local" printer on the Vista laptop, except that the port that one
specifies for the printer is the XP machine. This is his step 8.) In the
"Enter Port Name:" box enter the following: \\Desktop\Printer where "Desktop"
= the computer name from step 2 and "Printer" = the printer
share name from step 3.

According to HP's website, the Deskjet 920c's drivers are already
incorporated into Vista. They have no additional drivers to download. On
Microsoft's website, I searched their Hardware Compatibility List and they
listed this printer as "Compatible" with Vista. To explore this further, I
have a newer printer at home that I'll try hooking up to the XP tonight. This
printer claims "Designed for Vista" or something similar on the box...

Thanks Linda830 for your posts too - I see from this newsgroup and the
....vista.printing one that there's an inordinately large number of folks who
can't get printer sharing to work, and many of the printers seem to be HPs.

Bjarne

 

[Bjarne Hansen /freya]

Hi Linda and others,

Good news - I can now print from my Vista computer to my shared Deskjet 920c
printer that is attached to my XP computer! (I had the same error message as
Linda "Could not connect...Access denied." See earlier posts in this thread
for a full history)

What finally worked was following the instructions in a post by Arjen Meijer
in the newsgroup microsoft.public.windows.vista.print_fax_scan (_not_ this
newsgroup as I had incorrectly said earlier).

The idea is to install a *Local* printer on your Vista computer, and specify
its port address as the network share name of your XP computer and attached
printer. Arjen laid the steps out this way:
1.) Verify that File and print sharing is turned on and properly configured
on the XP machine.
2.) Locate and note the Win XP computer name (e.g. "Desktop") (Found in
System Properties in the Computer Name tab)
3.) Locate and note the printer share name on the XP computer (e.g.
"Printer") (Found under the Sharing tab on the Printer Properties page)
4.) On the Vista machine launch the "Add a Printer" wizard as an
Administrator (for example, right-click:Run As Administrator->Add Printer
while browsing the Printers Control Panel)
5.) Choose "Add a local printer"
6.) Select "Create a new port" radio button and choose "Local Port" from the
drop down menu
7.) Press Next
8.) In the "Enter Port Name:" box enter the following: \\Desktop\Printer
where "Desktop" = the computer name from step 2 and "Printer" = the printer
share name from step 3.
9.) Select the Printer manufacturer and model from the list provided or use
the "Have Disk" button to install the correct Vista driver if it is not in
the built-in
list.

I should add that before you perform these steps, ensure that sharing is set
up on the host XP machine. You must be able to see the printer over the
network from the Vista machine. Other posts in this newsgroup cover the
"how-to" of setting up file and printer sharing.

After following these steps, my printer is listed when I choose "Print"
within an application. Interestingly, trying to right-click:Connect to the
printer while viewing the shared network still gives the "...Access denied"
error. I hazard a guess (though not being an expert it's only a WAG) that
adding the printer as a local one forces Vista to use the proper driver for
it. When trying to set it up as a remote shared printer, Vista tries to use
the drivers located on the host (XP) machine, and these just don't work.

Finally, I'd like to not thank HP and Microsoft for helping me solve this
problem. I've spent over 30 hours, pulling hair and rebooting. A sincere
thanks to Arjen however, and whoever wrote the initial post that inspired him.

Good luck Linda - hope it works for you too.

Bjarne

 

[Linda830]

Oh my,,,I can't believe it works. Thank you. I do have to say HP said to do
this but where they say "enter a path as: \\Computer_name\HP" I typed it in
exactly that way. It wasn't until I read your message where you give an
example that it clicked. So for dummies like me, more detail from HP is
needed. Anyway,,,,I can't thank you enough.