Printer Sharing Question

Yes, you have to add File and Printer sharing for Microsoft Networks on your main computer to allow the printer to be shared on the network. But obviously for the laptop to get to it the main computer will have to be on. (Adding a print server can get you around that). On the laptop you have to add a new Network printer. It should be able to find the networked printer once it is shared on you main computer (reboot needed after sharing).

 

Open the Windows 98 Network control panel.
Select settings, then select control panel. Double-click the icon in the resulting Control Panel window opening
Select the Configuration tab.
Click on the Add button.
Select the Service type and click on the Add button.
Select the File and printer sharing for Microsoft Networks.
Now click the File and Print Sharing button and select the "I want to be able to allow others to print to my printers" option.

On your XP laptop from Start, select the Printers and Faxes button. And then select the Add a printer icon (you may have to expand the Printer Tasks to see this). Then work your way through the Add Printer Wizard. You are adding a network PC since it is shared from the other (Win98) PC.

 

Yes, you do have to have the printer installed on the Win98 machine already. I just assumed you must have already done that. I did not think that this was a new printer setup. Is it?

After connecting it to the Win98 PC and installing any necessary drivers, try to Add a network printer on the XP machine.

 

Does it work okay on the 98 machine? If yes, make sure you have done the step (repeated below from a previous message) on the 98 machine:

Now click the File and Print Sharing button and select the "I want to be able to allow others to print to my printers" option.

 

Okay! You said "Did that...It's all set up" Did you print with it on the Win98 machine?

Also I'm asking you to double check to make sure that the File and Printer sharing really did get enabled correctly. Go back and double check the settings.

 

Okay! On the Win98 machine run Control Panel, select Printers, then right click on your printer. Select the Sharing tab and make sure it is Shared As . Give it a name and add a comment (you will see these on the network). See if this helps.

 

You do not have to have a comment. It's just useful information. But you did not say whether Sharing had already been enabled. Was it? Or did you just enable it.

If just enable a reboot may be required (I forget, its a long time since I needed to do this).

Can the XP machine Add and Browse for the Network printer now?

 

OK Drew! What's the verdict?

 

Not sure I follow you. We are trying to connect manually. On the XP machine bring up the Add Printer Wizard then select Browse for a printer. Click Next. Now you should see the Win 98 PC on the next screen in the Shared Printers list. Double click on the Win 98 PC and you should see the shared printer name appear. Select it the click next. Follow directions from there. Did you see you Win98 PC and the printer? Did this work?

 

You do not have your network information configured correctly yet or both PCs.
On the Win98 PC, click start, select Run then enter winipcfg, and hit enter. Now in the winipcfg application select more info. Make sure your network card appear in the Ethernet Adapters selection box. Then note your IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, and DHCP server.

Now on the WinXP system you need to select your wireles card. LinkSys has an icon in your tray that you can click on. Compare the information to above and make sure that you are on the same network. If you don't know how to do that, put the info I ask you to note above for both PC's in your next message.

By the way, can both of these PCs access the internet okay? Are you using DHCP on your router or static addresses?

 

Yes and no! You need to do it from a command prompt. And use ipconfig /all.

Or you can also find the XP machine info from the Local Area Connection Propeties. Click Start, My Network Places, View Network Connections. The select your network connection in the LAN or High-Speed Internet window. Right click on it and select properties. Now select the Internet Protocol TCP/IP

 

Hmmm? We need to find out why you cannot see the Win98 PC and printer from the XP machine. Something is not configure correctly. Have you tried turning on file sharing on the Win98 PC and then setting up your C drive to be shared? If so can the the XP machine see the Win98 drives from the Viw workgroup computers selection in Network Tasks?

 

If you want to be able to print from both PCs, one of them must be the server and physically be connected to the printer (and obviously must be on). Installing locally on the XP machine would mean it must be connected to the XP machine.

I thought all teenagers like to stay up late!

 

Its not an interrupt Boccemon. I thought the problems from that link were all resolved. But that may be a bad assumption. That is why a couple of messages ago I asked about having file sharing on and seeing if the XP machine could see the Win98 drive. That should be rather straight forward. If that does not work, something is still misconfigured. Any suggestions you have would surely be appreciated by Drew and me.

 

Drew, I assume you hit the sack. When you next login try the stuff below since your last message. If that does not help, try shutting down ZoneAlarm and see if you can see the Win98 PC and/or printer from XP.

 

Great! Anytime you want.

 

Sorry Drew, I just got in the door now! Answer these questions:

1) So does this message mean you can see shared drives in both directions (from Win98 to XP and vice versa)? For example: from the XP PC if you click Start, My Network Places, View workgroup computers, do you see the Win98 PC.

2) Can you copy files back and forth in either direction? If you have not tried that, please do so.

3) From the XP PC if you click Start, My Network Places, Printers and faxes, do you see the Win98 PC's shared printer?

If the answer is no to any of these, the network info may still not be correct. First try the above again with ZoneAlarm not running to avoid the possibility of it not be configured right..

4) Does shutting down ZoneAlarm help?

5) I know you may have done this before but make sure for both PCs you retrieve and send in your next message the following information:

IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, and DHCP server, DNS Server.

 

On the XP machine try from the command prompt "ipconfig /all" . It should show at least the DNS servers. On Win98 system use, Start, run, and enter winipcfg. Click the more info button. (ipconfig /all from MSDOS prompt will also work on Win98)

 

Drew,

You need to follow directions. I asked you for this info on BOTH machines:

5) I know you may have done this before but make sure for both PCs you retrieve and send in your next message the following information:

IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, and DHCP server, DNS Server.

You have given me all of it on the XP machine and only the DHCP & DNS info for the Win98 PC. But even from what you have given so far, you do not have things setup correctly. You cannot have a DHCP server address of 255.255.255.255. All the information for each PC should be the same except for the IP Address. In other words, you should have something like:

Win XP System
IP Addr = 192.168.2.101
Subnet = 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway = 192.168.2.1
DHCP Server = 192.168.2.1
DNS Server = 192.168.2.1

Win98 System
IP Addr = 192.168.2.102
The rest should be as above.

This info should be getting provided automatically by your router. You said you had provisioned it for Obtain an IP automatically and you set your PCs for DHCP. Thus, if you have a DHCP Server address of 255.255.255.255 in the Win98 PC something is not set correctly. Are you sure you did not provision static IP info in the PC. Whatever the cause of the wrong info is, it is the reason you cannot see the other PCs or printer on your network.

Start over with ZoneAlarm disabled (not uninstalled):
1) make sure router and both PCs are set to automatically assign IP addresses
2) make sure you have file & printer sharing enabled on the Win98 system.
3) make sure you have allowed the printer to be shared on the Win98 PC
4) follow the previous directions I gave you to setup a network printer on the XP system.

Again you need to follow directions and provide complete answers for questions asked. It is not easy doing this via these email like messages since I cannot verify that you are doing exactly as I ask. Setting up a network share printer and sharing disk drives is not that complicated. But if the network address information is wrong it will not work. In addition, remember that ZoneAlarm (I think we discussed this earlier in this or another thread) must be provisioned correclty too for your Network and IP address range or it will block the network communication between the PCs and printer. This can be confusing sometimes because you may be able to access the internet through your router on both PCs but your own LAN information could be incorrect (behind the router) and this makes it impossible for the two PCs to communicate properly.

 

Drew, My intent was not to be mean. I apologize if it seem that way. What I wanted was to get you to pay attention to the details and accuracy of information that I need to help you from a remote location.

Now this info looks good. Different than what you said before for the DHCP address on the Win98 PC. By MAINCOMPUTER I assume you mean the Win98 PC. You are not adding a network printer there. It is a direct connect that is already physically connected and working. You only need to double check to make sure that file & print sharing is enabled and the you enable the printer itself to be shared. On the WinXP system, a network printer will be added.

 

If you try to connect to the WinXP system from the Win98 system, you must have a login ID (USER ID) on the XP system and it must be the same as what you logged into the Win98 system as (at least to keep things simplier). You do not however need to do this for your simple sharing of the printer on the Win98 PC. This will only be needed if you want to have admin like priveledges if you connect to the XP system from the 98 system (for disk sharing and moving files around).