computer help network printers

[Willow]

A couple of weeks ago I dispensed with the wireless usb and installed a network card in my computer. We have 3 computers on the network all of which could print on both printers (dell 1720dn and lexmark 2400 series). Last night DS1 needed to print homework and couldn't. He has recently had a new desktop which runs vista. I have spent hours checking all the settings trying things, downloading drivers etc etc then it dawned upon me it may be to do with putting the network card in. Sure enough my other sons machine doesn't print either although the main machine, mine does (the printers are plugged into my usb ports). So how do I resolve this please short of going back to using wireless usb.

(I'm afraid this frustration has sent me to the biscuit tin and I was doing so wel on the healthy eating front!)

 

[Carwash]

So... the printers are not networked printers, they are plugged into the USB ports of a single (your) machine?

Have you shared those printers over the network?

 

[Willow]

yep they were shared via belkin usb until I put the network adapter in my machine. Now I've done so much fiddling I'll be suprised if anything works again!

 

[Carwash]

No, that's not what I meant. Are they shared *over the network*? If they're plugged in to your computer with a USB cable, and your computer is not making them available over to other computers over the network, other computers will not be able to see them, much less print to them.

 

[1LegRikk]

Other thing to check out is your firewall settings, as you've effectivly changed the network everything is on you may need to tell the firewall it's a local network rather than a public one which is the default starter setting.
local=see/share everything
public=lockdown nothing in

 

[Willow]

if you mean have I asked network to share printer then answer is yes. Surely it must be something to do with installing network adapter card though because up until them everything was working fine.

 

[Carwash]

So the printers are shared by your computer - good. Have you added them to the other computers? That is, when you go to print on the other computers, do the shared printers appear?

Sorry to keep asking the obvious, but we have to eliminate these possibilities first.

 

[Willow]

Have done the anti virus stuff all switched off (so fingers crossed) and yep they printers are available on other machines but can't print (well except the one I deleted to try again!).

Do I need to start a new network using the network adapter card rather than the usb?

 

[Carwash]

yep they printers are available on other machines but can't print (well except the one I deleted to try again!).

Good stuff. When you try to print from one of the other machines, do you get an error message of any sort? And does anything show up in the print queue?

Do I need to start a new network using the network adapter card rather than the usb?

I'm not sure what you mean by that... you can't create a 'network' over USB. How are the computers connected to one another? Is it a wireless network, or wired ethernet?

 

[Shaun]

Is it possible that the original share was bound to the wireless USB NIC (Network Interface Card).

Now you've changed the NIC, the shares have probably stopped.

Go to one of the PC's that can no longer printer and use the Add a Printer wizard to see if the PC can find it. If so, complete the wizard, run a test print, then make the new printer profile the default. (Apply this to the second PC if it works).

If it doesn't work, you need to look again at how the printer is both set-up, and shared on the PC it is physically connected to.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Shaun

 

[Willow]

No they can't find them any more. But the internet etc is all working satisfactorily.

 

[Shaun]

For the other two machines to be able to print, the three PC's need to be on the same network range and the PC with the printer needs to have sharing enabled.

Okay, to help make this a bit easier, lets call the PC with the printer attached to it PC A, and the other two B and C.

PC A has a new wireless internet card?

PC A can access the internet okay?

You can print okay from PC A?


Can PC's B and/or C see PC A?

 

[Willow]

Well I don't know how, but after another 3 hours of mucking around I have computer B (the new desktop with Vista) working with both printers. Computer A the main one is working with both so now I need to set to work on the old laptop from work and see what that's up to. This stuff takes ages, feel like I;ve tried everything 20 times so no idea how I achieved it! I could never achieve a living from this stuff it takes me so long even though in the end I seem to crack it.

Thanks for help so far folks, I'll probably be back for more.

 

[Willow]

the laptop is now done too. Phew next time I'm on here for advice to update my system remind me not to do it!

Thanks folks for your ideas, not sure if any one them were the right ones but who cares you kept me sane.