Cannot share a printer on a home network


  1. Posts : 28
    Windows 10
       #1

    Cannot share a printer on a home network


    Hi
    I have a home network consisting of Windows 10 PCs and one Windows XP Pro PC. I used to be able to access the printer from my other PCs not the XP one though. Because of the XP PC I have all the PCs in a workgroup. The printer is attached to what I refer to as a print server. The server can access the other PCs but the other PCs can't access the server.

    The issue is due to the Windows Update which took over two hours to complete. I say that because I could access the printer before. The trouble is I don't know what the update has done.

    So I have a printer that works fine but my other computers although they can see it cannot access it.
    Last edited by ggeoff; 27 Sep 2016 at 11:38.
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  2. Posts : 9,765
    Mac OS Catalina
       #2

    Get a Network Print Server that will work with your printer if only USB.
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  3. Posts : 28
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #3

    bro67 said:
    Get a Network Print Server that will work with your printer if only USB.
    I am sorry I don't know what a network print server is. Is it software? My printer works fine it cost me £500. surely the issue is making the printer accessible to other computers on my network.

    When I upgraded to Windows 10 I did need to update my Epson software. Perhaps I need to update the software on the other computers?
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  4. Posts : 8,057
    windows 10
       #4

    A print server is a cheap little box that plugs into the network and printer so everyone can print to it and is always on so you don't need the share of on
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  5. Posts : 28
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Samuria said:
    A print server is a cheap little box that plugs into the network and printer so everyone can print to it and is always on so you don't need the share of on
    Thanks for that. In the mean time I have removed the printer from one of the PCs and then added it again. I now am able to access the printer. I can't explain what the problem solution was though as I am accessing the printer from a PC that has been updated today. As before the PC took over two hours to update!
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  6. Posts : 9,765
    Mac OS Catalina
       #6

    There are two KB's that came out a week ago that caused issues with Network shares. With XP no longer being supported, you may want to move that machine up to Windows 7 or install a Linux Distro to turn it into a server for printing and files.
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  7. Posts : 28
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #7

    bro67 said:
    There are two KB's that came out a week ago that caused issues with Network shares. With XP no longer being supported, you may want to move that machine up to Windows 7 or install a Linux Distro to turn it into a server for printing and files.
    Thanks for that info. The trouble with updating the XP PC is that it would be a lot of work and at present it is running very well. It's Dell 9200 with three hard drives two in a mirror raid. I have bought, for a less than £200, another Dell 9200 that is running on Windows 7. The idea being that it would replace the old Dell (2006) when it failed. I have Adobe Creative Suite on that and I can't print from Photoshop. I have other document folders synced to other Windows 10 PCs so I can print from them.
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  8. Posts : 9,765
    Mac OS Catalina
       #8

    The 9200 should run Windows 7 just fine. If the printer has a compatible Cups driver, there is always NethServer or set it up as a Linux Mint or XFCE install, so that you have the GUI. There is a install to allow you to access Cups from any web browser on the network, same as using Webmin.

    I ended up just retiring our last Inkjet that was a Deskjet Pro All-in-one and getting a Brother HL-2280DW. Of course my wife did not notice at the time that it was not iOS compatible, so I had to get a Lantronix server. For the price of the extra server box, I could have just had her take back the printer and get the next one up.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 28
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #9

    bro67 said:
    The 9200 should run Windows 7 just fine. If the printer has a compatible Cups driver, there is always NethServer or set it up as a Linux Mint or XFCE install, so that you have the GUI. There is a install to allow you to access Cups from any web browser on the network, same as using Webmin.

    I ended up just retiring our last Inkjet that was a Deskjet Pro All-in-one and getting a Brother HL-2280DW. Of course my wife did not notice at the time that it was not iOS compatible, so I had to get a Lantronix server. For the price of the extra server box, I could have just had her take back the printer and get the next one up.
    Hi I have managed to get printing from my XP PC. I created a local port and also this was crucial downloaded a driver for my printer from the XP PC this installed the printer on the XP.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 9,765
    Mac OS Catalina
       #10

    I would place the drivers for Windows 7, 8 and 10 on that machine. These headaches are not going away too soon.
      My Computer


 

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