Problems printing via a LAN

[alan]

I have an XP desktop connected to an HP 3650 printer, which is shared.
I'm running a simple wireless LAN (3Com) with two laptops which use
the printer and an internet connection. Up until now this has given us
no trouble, but now suddenly I can't print from one of the laptops,
even a test page. The message given is "Test page failed to print" or
for a normal print "Windows failed to print because of a problem in
the print set-up". The printer still works on the desktop and,
bizarrely, the other laptop. The network seems to be working fine in
other respects - I can still access the internet and see shared files
and folders, and I can ping the desktop from the laptop.

The thing that seems to have triggered this is that I installed a
program called 'Ink Saver' on the desktop. I have now uninstalled it
and done a 'system restore' but that hasn't solved the problem.

All suggestions considered.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I have an XP desktop connected to an HP 3650 printer, which is shared.
I'm running a simple wireless LAN (3Com) with two laptops which use
the printer and an internet connection. Up until now this has given us
no trouble, but now suddenly I can't print from one of the laptops,
even a test page. The message given is "Test page failed to print" or
for a normal print "Windows failed to print because of a problem in
the print set-up". The printer still works on the desktop and,
bizarrely, the other laptop. The network seems to be working fine in
other respects - I can still access the internet and see shared files
and folders, and I can ping the desktop from the laptop.

The thing that seems to have triggered this is that I installed a
program called 'Ink Saver' on the desktop. I have now uninstalled it
and done a 'system restore' but that hasn't solved the problem.

All suggestions considered.

Try uninstalling & reinstalling the printer.

 

[alan]

Try uninstalling & reinstalling the printer.

Tried that with no change. Thanks anyway.

 

[Guest]

I think you need to reinstall the printer on your Laptop, not the Desktop.
Delete the previous installed printer on your Laptop and try reinstalling it.

Hope this help, let us know!

 

[alan]

Tried that too! It's a weird one, because I know the laptop can see
the printer - it has the right shared name under Properties - it just
doesn't want to print to it.

 

[Guest]

It seems that following article is complicated one but you can try it as an
alternative:

http://uis.georgetown.edu/software/documentation/winxp/winxp.network.printer.html

After reading your post, I tried installing my HP 1402PSC printer on my
other 4 LAN machines. Before that it was just installed on my 1 PC and I was
not using it as a Shared Printer.

What I did was very simple than the article above. The networking is working
fine and I can access shares and internet. My method was:

1. Click Start - Printers and Faxes
2. Add Printer
3. Clicking Next Button
4. "A network printer, or a printer attached to another computer".
5. "Browse for a printer". My 2 network machines were not showing the share
printer while browsing. Then I try alternative method. "Connect to this
printer (or to browse for a printer, select this option and click Next):"
6. Then I type the printer Name as \\myxp-pc\printer2. Printer2 is the share
name of my printer.

That is all.

Hope this help, let us know!