.... for us these days is getting stuff to print to our HP printer.

We have two computers at home (one in the kitchen and one in my study, where I work daily) - they are both connected to a wireless router in my home office. The office is also where the HP printer sits - it's not on the network - it only has a USB cable attached, so I physically have to connect my laptop to it to print (annoying) but it works most of the time.

We need to print from the kitchen computer quite often so I got this bright idea that since both machines are connected to the same router I should be able to SHARE the printer that's connected to my office laptop that can fairly easily be connected to the HP printer (a.k.a. Boat Anchor). Wrong!

On my office laptop (WindXP PRO) I shared out the Printer definition, trimmed security to nothing (such that group 'Everyone' can pretty much destroy everything on my machine, except apparently Print a simple document). I had to install File Serving and Sharing Service in my Network definition settings (fun) and turn OFF my Firewall. I noted the host name and the ShareName then went to the other machine.

On the VistaHOME computer, I attempted to create a definition to the Shared printer on my WinXP laptop like this:
Add Printer... Local Printer... Create New Port.... type Local... port name: \\HOSTNAME_of_my_WinXP Machine\ShareName. Clicked Enter, and after a lot of 'thinking' an error message comes up that states that I don't have the proper Login credentials.

Obviously it wants to login to my WinXP machine and can't - but where the heck do you provide the Login credentials I have no idea....

Oh, Microsoft Networking -- what Joooooooooooooooooy it is to work with. I feel like calling Bill Gates and asking for help with this exceedingly difficult, if not impossible task!

UPDATE: just ordered a PrintServer for my network - and the heck with it....

__________________
1987 Mercedes 300SDL; SOLD
1985 Mercedes 300D; SOLD
2006 Honda Pilot - wife's ride; 122K;
1995 Toyota Land Cruiser - 3X locked; 182K

HP printers suck. Problem is, you can't hardly live without them.

My Photosmart 5500 suddenly became a photodumb printer one day. Applications couldn't find it, replacing drivers didn't help, Google searches turned up much of the same problems but no solutions...I basically struggled on and off with it for a month. One day, I decided to go back to square one and looked in the control panel and there it was, somehow it had gotten deselected as the default printer.

Looking back, the damned thing insists on 'phoning home' for updates. I honestly think one of those updates was corrupted or had a bug and it hosed me.

__________________
Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

Except for the p.o.s. HP Laserjet 1100, all my other Laserjets typically outlast the computers they serve. Inkjets are the cousins to dot matrix machines, but built less robust and with higher cost consumables.

I think the problem is largely MS networking 'mysteries' that are too difficult to probe and unravel. Hoping the PrintServer solution will be easier... time will tell.

__________________
1987 Mercedes 300SDL; SOLD
1985 Mercedes 300D; SOLD
2006 Honda Pilot - wife's ride; 122K;
1995 Toyota Land Cruiser - 3X locked; 182K

We have 600 HP printers that we route justice and financial data to. They are bastards to configure, but they are robust once set up properly. HP printers are designed with great flexibility in the types and delivery of data that they receive.

__________________
Happy Benzing
Darryl, Hill
2005 SL55 AMG Kleemanized
1984 500 SEC
1967 W113 California Coupe
[SIGPIC]
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/myphotos

No bad updates in October or November. If there was the excrement would have hit the wind generator around here.

__________________
Happy Benzing
Darryl, Hill
2005 SL55 AMG Kleemanized
1984 500 SEC
1967 W113 California Coupe
[SIGPIC]
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/myphotos

Troubleshooting basic home network printer issues generally goes along the lines of:

Check that the printer is functioning (self test)
Check data connection from PC to printer (print test)
Enable printer/data sharing on PC that hosts the printer.
Set the printer to shared in the printer settings menu.

Make sure the other computers on the network are using the same network name, such as MSHOME or such.

Install the networked printer, by having the program search the network for a shared printer; if that fails, you have a problem with the sharing settings on the host computer.

Don't they sell what's called a peripheral sharing device anymore these days?

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

Oh--I saw the title and assumed your starter went out on your 300d--time to figure out how to bust loose those two big cap screws!

So set up the same user name/password combo on both machines. That should take care of any credential errors -- if you share via the IP number, you can even make the workgroup name irrelevant.

We have 4 computers and 5 printers. It took me about a year to finally sit down and do it, but all printers are on the shared network, and all computers have access. We have a selection of printers ranging in brand from Lexmark (junk), a couple of HPs and a Cannon. The Cannon is the only one we have that is full wireless...and ended up causing me the most grief connecting to the wireless network.

__________________
1987 560SL
85,000 miles

The HP laserjets are great, I have used one in my Printing and Sign shop for the last 15 years.

__________________
For the Saved, this world is the worst it will ever get.
For the unSaved, this world is the best it will ever get.

Clk's Ebay Stuff BUY SOMETHING NOW!!!

There is (or was) a buggy update from Microsoft for networked HP printers that causes the computer to disconnect from the printer. HP has a patch, but then Windows update will try to re-install the update. If you get an optional or recommended update via Windows for your HP, don't install it without checking with HP first.

I've had good luck using the HP software update tool to stay current, bad luck accepting Microsoft's recommendations - and once they worked I stopped messing with them.