Xp to Vista connectivity

[Chip Shapiro]

Machine 1 - XP Professional SP2
Machine 2 - Vista Home Premium.
I am trying to install a printer on machine 2 from machine 1.
The printer is shared. Same workgroup
The same logon information on both machines, user and password the same.
When I log onto machine 1 it won't let me print. It tells me I don't have
access or the print spooler is not running..
If I go to network places on machine 1 and click on machine 2 it asks for
the user name and password. I enter the same information I entered when I
logged onto machine 1 and after this I have connectivity and am able to
print.

Is there something wrong here?

These are not my computers.

On my network with basically the same setup, machine 1 XP-PRO machine 2
Vista Ultimate. I log onto machine 1 with the same user name and password I
used to log onto machine 2, but when I ask it to print it prints, I do not
have to log onto machine 2 again.

What is the difference?

Appreciate any help.

Thanks

...Chip..

 

[Malke]

Machine 1 - XP Professional SP2
Machine 2 - Vista Home Premium.
I am trying to install a printer on machine 2 from machine 1.
The printer is shared. Same workgroup
The same logon information on both machines, user and password the same.
When I log onto machine 1 it won't let me print. It tells me I don't have
access or the print spooler is not running..
If I go to network places on machine 1 and click on machine 2 it asks for
the user name and password. I enter the same information I entered when I
logged onto machine 1 and after this I have connectivity and am able to
print.

Is there something wrong here?

These are not my computers.

On my network with basically the same setup, machine 1 XP-PRO machine 2
Vista Ultimate. I log onto machine 1 with the same user name and password
I used to log onto machine 2, but when I ask it to print it prints, I do
not have to log onto machine 2 again.

On the XP Pro box: Folder Options>View tab, uncheck Simple File Sharing.
Double-check that the user accounts/passwords really match. Some people
rename the generic Owner that comes with the computer from the OEM instead
of creating a new account, for instance. So the account would look like it
was called "joe" (for ex.) but really be "Owner". Re-enter passwords if
there is any chance of a typo or a misremembering.

File/printer sharing in Vista:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb727037.aspx

Malke

 

[Malke]

Thanks, I'll give that a try.

I know the user and password are correct as I created them both and it
works if I log onto the network after the initial login.
Not a very strong password almost impossible to enter incorrectly.

Is there a way to NOT have to login to be able to share that computer on
the
Vista machine? Is that what turning off the simple file sharing will do?

Great link below, lots of good stuff. Thanks for that.

My experience is that Vista networking just works better with passwords and
even setting simple ones like "password" is preferable to no password.
Since I do this for a living, having things "just work" as swiftly as
possible is my goal. Simple Sharing makes you log on as Guest, which limits
what you can share/do. Certainly you can try setting it that way and
turning off the password protected sharing in Vista. If it doesn't work,
you can do it my way. ;-)

With only two computers where security isn't an issue, doing it my way takes
under 5 minutes. Then share out desired resources. If you want to log on
automatically to both machines after you've set passwords, here's how it's
done in XP and Vista:

XP - Start>Run>control userpasswords2 [enter] Then follow the instructions
in the "Uncheck the option..." paragraph below.

Vista - Start Orb>Search box>type: netplwiz [enter]
Click on Continue (or supply an administrator's password) when prompted by
UAC

Uncheck the option "Users must enter a user name and password to use this
computer". Select a user account to automatically log on by clicking on the
desired account to highlight it and then hit OK. Enter the correct password
for that user account (if there is one) when prompted. Leave it blank if
there is no password (null).

All of this assumes you have your firewalls configured correctly, btw. It
sounds like you do, but here's my usual boilerplate about that:

Configure firewalls on all machines to allow the Local Area Network (LAN)
traffic as trusted. With Windows Firewall, this means allowing File/Printer
Sharing on the Exceptions tab. Normally running the Network Setup Wizard on
XP will take care of this for those machines.The only "gotcha" is that this
will turn on the XPSP2 Windows Firewall. If you aren't running a
third-party firewall or have an antivirus/security program with its own
firewall component, then you're fine. With third-party firewalls, I
usually configure the LAN allowance with an IP range. Ex. would be
192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254. Obviously you would substitute your correct
subnet. Refer to any third party security program's Help or user forums for
how to properly configure its firewall. Do not run more than one firewall.
DO NOT TURN OFF FIREWALLS; CONFIGURE THEM CORRECTLY.

HTH,

Malke

 

[pupick]

It should not be this hard and you should not have go through so many steps
to allow printer sharing on small peer to peer networks.
Vista networking is needlessly complex, unstable and the
sharing/permissions/ownership language is impenetrable to non-acolytes.
If you can find your way through the Microsoft instructions you may be ready
to take the IT tests for certification as a network engineer.
I have nothing but contempt for the consumer fraud that is Apple: however
users are far less frustrated setting up small peer to peer networks than
with Vista. XP peer to peer networking is also much simpler.
Only the insane would think that running the Vista network gauntlet yields
real security gains that are worth the agony.
From what I have seen in Win 7/Vista SP3 it is clear Microsoft still does
not get it.

 

[Chad Harris]

It should not be this hard and you should not have go through so many
steps to allow printer sharing on small peer to peer networks.
Vista networking is needlessly complex, unstable and the
sharing/permissions/ownership language is impenetrable to non-acolytes.

I agree setting up networks and printer sharing should be easier. It's not
so much the steps which are simple and covered by Vista Help and countless
decent websites on the subject, it's the glitches.

Two tips I've found that help with sharing and printers on networks and
their stability for a connection:

1) To share files, folders, music, and have a cloud where you can leave
files, docs, pics, etc. for people I like http://www.getdropbox.com a lot.
It takes seconds to set up using an email address for each box on your
network and updates and shares files beautifully. It gives even a beginner
file sharing in seconds with the simplicity you're looking for. They
improve upon it all the time, and it works terrifically.

Check it out. It offers immediate network sharing, works great and offers
seamless cloud file sharing. If you get the paid version, you get more
storage space on the cloud. The free version works great.

2) I've found with wireless printers on networks, that you can confer
stability in the connection by assigning the printer itself its own IP
address. I'm not talking at all about the IP address assigned by say
Comcast or an ISP--I mean go onto the printer itself and use its settings to
assign an IP address using the password that you assigned to your router
because it will ask you for this. Then go to the printers folder by simply
typing printers into the search box on Vista or Win 7>right click the
printer>printer properties>ports tab>check to make sure that the IP address
on the ports tab matches the new IP address that you have assigned to the
wireless printer and make sure a checkmark is in the box to"enable
bidirectional support.

CH