When will MS bring back Homegroup?

I have a simple home network: desktop, my laptop, my wife's laptop. I cannot get them all to see one another.

Sorry, but I do not have the patience to go into arcane setting and services to adjust 150 setting options.

This seems to be among the most obvious things an operating system should do brainlessly.

When will MS automate this basic task that nearly every household shares today?

I just want to be able to print from a laptop using the printer connected to the desktop. Pretty exotic, huh?

Hi there

@James Callan

I think I posted years and years ago a really easy way to do it in the Windows 7 Forums -- still works for W10 --
@sbh7600 the easy way to do it - doesn't have to be between XP machines etc etc.


essentially add local printer (yes I know it's on another machine but you "poodlefake" the OS to thinking it's a local printer. enter the port and it should work -- you'll need the printer driver though on the machine that does NOT have the printer physically connected.

I've found what I wrote -- even though it was XP and W7 - somebody filched my stuff but it's the Internet - even though I'm happy to let people have my stuff but at least acknowledge where it came from !!!!!!!

........

Stand alone" Network printers can be done slightly similarly BTW).

assume the computers are call XPMACHINE and W7MACHINE.

1) Ensure Printer on XP machine is shared - assume it's called SHAREDPRINTER.

2) On the Network Browsing on your W7 machine ensure you can "See" the Printer share.

Now on the W7 machine do the following (doesn't matter if it's X-86 or x-64).

3) Control Panel==> add LOCAL (Yes LOCAL) printer. I know it's on a Network but hold your horses -- what we are actually doing is "Poodlefaking" the W7 machine into thinking it's running the printer.

4) Create NEW port==>Local port

5) Portname is \\XPMACHINE\SHAREDPRINTER

6) Now W7 will load a driver and you'll be able to print on the XP machine.

Simple

(For a "Network stand alone printer") at 4) chose TCPIP port
and at 5) enter the IP address.


If the printer is on the W7 machine and you want to print on the XP machine then do the same instructions on the XP machine --
port name in this case will be \\W7MACHINE\SHAREDPRINTER

..........



You might need to set in programs and features on BOTH machines (again via control panel) enable SMB1 but if they are all W10 machines then that probably won't be required. If you can't see machines on the network then chances are you'll need to set to enable SMB1.

Also allow "incoming" or "remote" connections on the computer which has the printer connected to it.

Cheers
jimbo

Sorry, but all computers are W10. The settings and options in W7, to say nothing of XP, do not help.

All computers are set up for network discovery and file/printer sharing - it simply does nto wrok.

In 2019, this OS is hopeless. Homegroup worked -- this doesn't. Moving backwards at high speed.

James Callan said:

Sorry, but all computers are W10. The settings and options in W7, to say nothing of XP, do not help.



All computers are set up for network discovery and file/printer sharing - it simply does nto wrok.

In 2019, this OS is hopeless. Homegroup worked -- this doesn't. Moving backwards at high speed.

Hi there
@James Callan

it doesn't have to be an XP computer --this was just an example !!!!

It actually works fine -- tested between 3 W10 computers with an Epson printer attached to one of them. No problems whatsoever.

Just substitute W10_1 and W10_2 for the W7 and XP computers or whatever you've called them on your LAN.

For control panel access just on the menu (Windows key) type control panel and you can enter it.

Cheers
jimbo