Vista's complicated wireless printing capability

[surfmavk]

Problem:

1. XP Home computer wired to HP printer
2. Had a previous XP Professional laptop connected wirelessly to this
shared printer and printed out easily using the wizard.
3. New Vista laptop connects to wireless network but can not print with
this shared printer.
4. Updated HP driver for Vista so I could print when WIRED to printer.
5. Could not update driver for Vista on computer with XP Home version,
thinking that is what I needed for the Vista laptop to wirelessly connect and
print to the HP printer.

What is the problem? Vista is maddening! I have spent weeks on this
problem. If I could get another step-by-step tutorial, I will try it,
although I think I have exhausted almost every scenario.

Advice is warmly welcomed please, especially if it can't be done because the
two OS's are incompatible, i.e., XP Home vs Vista, I would like to know that
as well since my head hurts.

 

[Mick Murphy]

Below is how to Network XP and Vista
1. You don't use a vista printer Driver in an XP computer?
2. You don;t say whether you have Networked them(workgroup name the same,
etc( for file and printer sharing!
3. read down the bottom about XP's file and Printer Sharing Wizard.

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

Have a read of the above link re Vista File and Printer Sharing.

Permissions/Share info is there as well.

If using Norton, McAfee, Trend Micro I.S., make sure file and printer
sharing is enabled in THEIR firewall (or LAN allowed, depending on how their
Exceptions are worded in their Firewall)

1st thing to do is make sure that the Workgroup Name of ALL the computers is
the SAME.

In Vista Network and Sharing:

Network Discovery: ON (So it can see the other computers)

Network set to Private (Public is for hotspots, airports, etc)

File Sharing: ON

Public Folder Sharing: ON (Vista’s Public Folder is the same as XP’s Shared
Docs)

Password Protected: OFF (unless you want to set up identical usernames and
passwords (passwords can be different) on ALL computers in your Network) If
you have it ON, you will be asked for a username and password when you try to
access a Vista computer from an XP computer, or a Vista computer.

Also, run the XP’s Home or Small Office Network File and Printer Sharing
Wizard to include Vista in your “New†Network, even if you had an XP Network
set up prior to adding a Vista computer to it(redoing the Wizard seems to
work for XP machines!).

In “My Network Placesâ€: “Set up a Home or Small Office Networkâ€
OR under Accessories > Communications > Network Setup Wizard > Allow File
and Printer Sharing.

 

[surfmavk]

Mick,
All of these things were set. What I did not have was the SP3 patch,
"Network Map in Windows Vista does not display computers that are running
Windows XP" that was released July 1st. This is a critical patch for anyone
whose Vista computer does not see their XP computer.

Hopefully, this will help. We'll see.
Thanks for your effort.