Setting up Local Shared printer to work quickly with numerous cpu'

[Guest]

I have a XP home machine with a local printer installed and connected through
USB. This unit is hard wired to my wireless router.

The printer is set as full share resource.

If I will be connecting many different computers either wirless or wired
to my network and possibly only for a short time.

How can I quickly and easily allow them to use this printer. With out having
to restart the either of the cpu's.

Is there a preferred workgroup name I should use on my computer, ore the
ones connecting to my network? Do I need a true network setup and just not a
workgroup?

I installed all the drivers 98 thru xp for this model printer (HP720cse) on
my cpu so they are already there for others computers.

Any help would be much appreciated thanks.

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

XP Home is limited to 5 simultaneous connections. I'd suggest a print
server if you need more connections.

 

[Guest]

Cari,
Thanks for the reply. you bring up a good point. It doesn't answer my
original question exactly but brings up another question that I may run into.

I should have been clearer in my post, that for the most part it will not be
having more than 5 cpus connected to the router. Rather just one new cpu to
my network at a time and having that cpu able to find an use my printer
easily without having to restart either of the computers.

your reply makes me wonder. What happens when I connect that 6th or 7th
computer? will it just never be able to see that resource? even if the
workgroup is the same? Do computers even have to have the same workgroup name
to share files and printers if they are connected to the same router wired or
wirelessly. Assuming the newer attaching cpus are running xp home or earlier.
ME, 98se, or maybe 2000?

 

[Guest]

XP Home is limited to 5 simultaneous connections. I'd suggest a print
server if you need more connections.

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

If the printer is connected to a PC (rather than a print server) it needs to
be in the same workgroup to be able to be 'seen' by the other PCs.

When you try and connect a 6th or 7th PC, it simply will not be able to
'see' the others and may come up with a lack of resources message or too
many users. Windows 2000 has a connection limitation of 10.... like XP Pro.