Linking a printer to a home wireless network

timomalleytimomalley
edited March 2005 in Science & Tech
Help! I have just set up a home network but am struggling to link up a printer. The wireless router is attached to a desktop and is succesfuly connected to two laptops. I'm not that technicaly mided so forgive me if this question sounds elementary but how do I enable the laptops to print on the HP Deskjet attached to the desktop? All advice warmly accepted!

Comments

  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited March 2005
    Go to the machine with the printer attached and right click on the printer and go to "sharing". Just follow the instructions.

    You must have file and printer sharing enabled of course? Is this XP and you ran the wizard to setup the home network?

    On the laptops you go to add a printer and tell it that its a network printer. You should be able to browse the network and select the printer at that point.

    You know they probably have even better step by step directions if you click on "start" and go to "help and support" and type "share a network printer". XP's online help and support is really awesome for most things and provides links after they tell ya what to do to go to the appropriate tools or screens to complete the instructions.

    We are glad to help ya here ALWAYS but you might get even clearer more explicit help using XP's "help and support" tool.

    Tex
  • DexterDexter Vancouver, BC Canada
    edited March 2005
    One other thing - you need to make sure that the computers are both on the same network Workgroup. You can check this by right-clicking on My Computer, going into Properties, and clicking on the tab "Computer Name." Check the Workgroup name, and if they do not match, change them both. Use something relatively unique for security's sake, like "tim_group" or "omalley_lan" etc. Set both to the same workgroup, reboot them, and then follow Tex's instructions above. You should be able to see the shared printer from the other computer.

    Dexter...
  • drasnordrasnor Starship Operator Hawthorne, CA Icrontian
    edited March 2005
    In addition to the advice given above, if the machines in question are running Windows XP Service Pack 2 you will need to open the File and Printer Sharing port in the Windows firewall. Just go to the Windows Firewall control panel and check the box under Exceptions.

    -drasnor :fold:
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