Printer Not Present In Virtual Machine

I have Win 7 64 bit installed in my computer with a working wireless HP printer. I have a "virtual machine" using VMWarePlayer of a 32 bit Windows XP. The printer does not appear in the virtual XP. Do I have to install it, and if so, how? I was told that the devices attached to the host OS would be available to the guest OS. Maybe I'm missing something.

Also, when I go to Device Manager, the USP Controller has a yellow "?" next to it, and I cannot read a thumb drive with virtual XP.

Finally, I cannot access the folders/files in the host OS (Windows 7). I think that I have to establish a network for XP? If so, how?

Thanks in advance, Joe Ciaravino.

 

In the menu top left is a section for removable devices. That's where you add or detach devices normally attached to the host. In the case of printers you may find it will print without first attaching the printer. USB devices are also attached there. In Virtual Machine Settings > Options tab you can enable shared folders. You need to do a little exploring to reveal all the settings.

 

Shows printer and USB devices "Present" but neither appear nor are functional.

 

Are you fully expanding the headings to reveal the Connect/Disconnect option?

 

Yes, I did all of that. I enabled file sharing on the virtual XP, also enabled "clock synch" with host, but the virtual clock still thinks it is eastern standard time and not EDT...........it is one hour too early.

I try to print a test doc and it says that I need to install a printer. I go to "printers" and none are listed. I go to network places and there is nothing.

My printer (on the Win 7 host machine) is a wireless (network?) printer. So, maybe I have to set up a network on the virtual machine? If so, please help me do it. I was never able to get an XP machine connected to a Win 7 machine. XP uses "workgroup" and Win 7 uses "home group", which confuses me because I don't know whether or not the homegroup is the same thing as the workgroup.

 

Let's deal with your clock first, as an incorrect clock can affect other things. So Control Panel > Date and Time, Time Zone tab. Use the dropdown to set your correct location and the Internet Time tab > Update now.

Your VM is an independent system from the Win 7 host and has to be fully configured as such. It does not inherit any setting from the host.

 

Moving on, networking with Win 7 shouldn't be a problem, just a case getting the configuration right. It certainly works here, but first things first. Is this XP system connected to the internet, and if so have you installed an AV program and ensured the firewall is on? Most ppl here recommend disconnecting XP from the internet and unless I have a specific reason to access the net I certainly keep my VM disconnected. It's not as if you will need Windows Update any more

 

Thanks. I had tried that already yesterday. The guest thinks that it is still Eastern Standard Time. So, I changed the date to May 15th and, voila.............it becomes EDT! So, this version of Windows XP (or, is it VMWarePlayer) still operates under the old system used before George HW Bush changed it in 2005. It would be "neat" to tweak that in the code, but not necessary now that know what's going on. Unless, you think that it IS necessary. If you know how to fix the code, then by all means, help me do it. Would be fun!

PS: This version of XP has NO updates and NO service packs installed. Downloading and installing SP 1,2 and 3 now.

 

Thanks for the footnote. Best to defer this conversation until XP is up to date. Then we'll take a look at networking. Bit pointless otherwise. BTW, there is a setting in date and time, when you click on change time zone, to adjust for daylight saving time. Probably explains your clock being out by an hour.

 

I have SP 3 installed. I actually downloaded SP 1, 2 and 3 seperately and installed each, one at a time. Was this necessary, or does SP 3 include 1 and 2? I'd like to delete the SP 1 and 2, if they are redundant. I will "slipstream" SP 3 into my XP install disk for future use, if need be.

Oddly, the clock is still showing Eastern Standard Time! If I push the date ahead to, say, May 15th, it goes to EDT. It would be cool to get to the bottom of that gremlin, but not absolutely vital. I have the interest and the time, if you do.

As I write this, I am currently downloading and installing all 134 available XP updates which came out after SP 3. This process will probably take another hour or two.

 

I'll have to leave you to worry about EST etc. I'm in UK and have no idea what you should be seeing or when. The first thing to get right in networking is to change XP from whatever the default is, to WORKGROUP. In Win 7 you have to leave the HomeGroup and use Change Advanced Sharing Settings to set it up per the attached pics. Obviously you will need to share in Win 7 everything you want XP to be able to see and access. The network printer, not being physically attached to win 7, should show up in XP's network but I'm not sure how you would get it to work as I've not used a network printer of that kind.

It's getting late here. Back tomorrow sometime.

 

Windows XP is now fully up to date. Strangely, the clock setting now shows "Eastern Daylight Time", with the correct time time zone and date. Maybe took some time to synch properly.

Now on to setting up the network.

I will try your procedure from the previous post and get back as to the outcome.

Thank you so far as I would think you're getting ready to turn in for the night.

Joe C

 

Strangely enough, the Service Packs for Windows XP are not cumulative. SP2 includes SP1, and SP3 includes SP2 but not SP1. Therefore you need SP1 & SP3, or SP2 & SP3. The latter option will result in a larger slipstreamed Windows XP disc. Go with SP1 & SP3.

Quote from Microsoft:
"The latest service pack for Windows XP is Service Pack 3 (SP3). To install Windows XP SP3, you must first have SP1 or SP2 installed."

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/service-packs-download#sptabs=xp

 

Earthling.....haven't had time to work on it today. Maybe tonight or tomorrow. Will let you know if I'm successful or not.

Eldon.........thanks for that info on the SPs. I'll keep SP1 and SP3 and slipstream both into my install disk.

 

Joe Ciaravino, there have been quite a few Windows updates to address the Daylight Saving Time issue; if they were not installed, that is probably the reason the computer did not know when DST began in 2015.

http://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/914387

 

That has resolved.
Please see post #12.
If I disconnect from the internet, as suggested above, I wonder if the clock will cycle between standard and daylight time twice a year?

 

Earthling (or anyone here who is a networking expert). Here is where I have come to the end of my knowledge. I have tried with no success to get the XP computer connected to the Win 7 network.

I have 2 devices that I have to connect to my virtual XP machine
1. My wireless printer
2. The host computer running windows 7

Everything on my windows 7 machine has been configured per Earthling post # 11, AND all of my folders on the win 7 machine are "shared".

My printer is wireless.

And now the critical part: In XP, must I use the wireless network setup wizard, or the network setup wizard...................or both?

I have been through tis process many, many times and have never been successful connecting XP to Win 7. My frustration level is very high. I truly need your help to walk me through every step.

 

You don't need any wizards, but we do need to run through your settings as clearly something is adrift. First, does XP have internet access at present? Next, in your VM setting what connection are you using, Bridged, NAT or one of the others? NAT works best for me with an identical W7/XP setup. And third, do the Properties of your LAN connection look like the last pic?

 

Yes, XP has internet access.

Strange, but XP has TWO identical LAN connections per your photo 2. Both configured the same way, NAT, but with 2 different MAC addresses.

When I go to "my network places", I see only the shared folders on the XP machine, but no local area network. If I then click on "view network connections", the box is labeled "LAN or high speed internet" and there are TWO identical icons in the box: "local area connection" and "local area connection 2", both of which are "connected, firewalled, VMWare accelerated AMD PCnet adapter". Right click and properties of BOTH are identical to your capture 3 photo.

PS: I don't want to cut the internet connection for the XP machine.....YET.........because if I need a file or program, I can't get it from the Win 7 host, AND the USB sockets are not working in the virtual XP machine, because if I insert a thumb drive into a USB port it doesn't show up on the virtual XP guest. The only way to get a file from the win 7 to the XP is to burn a CD.

 

MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH

I discovered that the USB driver was not installed properly in XP. I uninstalled and let the computer search for best driver. It installed the proper USB driver and now the thumb drive works (shows up in My Computer) on XP. Also, the yellow ? are gone in device manager.

One down.........two more to go.

 

Do me a favour - kill the Win 7 internet connection temporarily and disable the XP firewall. Now explore My Network Places > Entire Network > Microsoft Windows Network . Does Workgroup appear?

 

I can replicate your two adapter/two MAC situation by using the VM's Add Hardware option. I suggest you simply remove the second one.

 

I killed the firewall in XP and now the desktop (Win 7 host computer) and its folders appear in "My Network Places" on XP Bad news is that they are inaccessible.

How do I eliminate internet connectivity on XP? I should do it NOW since I have no antivirus and no firewall. Simply uninstall the browser. Or should I reconfigure TCP/IP settings?

I uninstalled the second network adapter but it reinstalled itself automatically on restart, just like it did when I tried the same thing yesterday.

 

Seems it is firewall related so how about a pic of your XP firewall settings, after re-enabling it of course? Can we also review the pics in #11? Are you quite certain that you replicated my settings for the Home or Work network and not by accident for the Public network?

 

Can you confirm as well please that your network is a Home network, not a Public network? It's on the Network and Sharing Center when first opened.

 

Something else to look at. You say you have shared all your Win 7 folders, but who have you shared them with? By default they are only shared with you but that won't do for sharing with XP. You need to change that to Everyone, one of the choices available on the sharing dropdown.

 

Neither of those. The best way for you is to change the VM's network adapter setting from NAT to Host Only. This turns off internet and creates a two way network between host and guest that should meet all your stated needs, though I remain unsure how your wireless printer will behave, as it is attached to the router rather than to the host.

You need to reboot the VM after making this change, and it may take a minute or two for everything to start working.

 

I do hope you are not going to abandon this Joe after all the time and thought we have both put into it. My Win 7/XPVM setup works perfectly and there is no reason we cannot replicate it on your system.

 

I have been away from this computer since my last post, and have not acted upon any of your suggestions (yet) that you made in your posts since then.

I will not give up without a fight, as I very much enjoy solving problems in my pursuit of perfection. Been busy today at a wake for a buddy's wife. We are 5 hours apart and with that in mind I appreciate all the more, your tenacity.

I won't give up if you don't. However, I must make perfectly clear that the printer is N E E D E D much more than the file sharing.

I would be delighted to eliminate the second network adapter simply because I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be redundant. But again, XP reinstalls it on reboot!

It would expedite this process if I knew how to attach screen captures. Can you educate me on how to do this?

 

Post #24 ..........yes
I still have firewall disabled
I don't need one so why not move on

 

Post #25 .....on the Win 7 machine, it is a HOME network

 

Post #26:
ALL Win 7 drives/folders were previously available to be read by everyone.
Now changed to "full control" by everyone (read, write, modify)

 

Ah, an easy one at last Win 7 has Snipping Tool - just type snip into Start and it will pop up. Save your snip to desktop as a jpg or png and use Manage Attachments to attach it to your post. Alternatively you can save it to Dropbox etc and just post a link to it in your post. One problem with Snipping Tool and similar utilities is you can't grab a screen with open cascading menus as the menus close when you open the tool. In that situation use the PrtSc key, open Paint, and use paste. That puts your entire desktop into Paint, including open menus, and you can then use the Snipping Tool to get the part you want.

With the printer we won't get anywhere until we have cracked the file sharing problem. I'm fast running out of ideas as to what may be wrong in your setup but try my suggestion of using Host only for the network adapter rather than NAT. I hadn't used it previous to this thread but it works perfectly here and if it works for you we are nearly home.

As I've said before I can't predict what will happen as regards your wireless network printer. Usually using a network printer requires installing a driver in the client system but we'll just have to suck it and see - when we get file sharing working that is!

 

I have eliminated the second (redundant) network adapter. I didn't realize that any system changes had to be done within VM and while the virtual machine is not running. So that's another problem solved.

Next, I changed the remaining network adapter from NAT to "host only". Other than losing internet connectivity within XP (which is not necessary any way), it does not seem to have made any difference in my connectivity to the host machine. Screenshot shows what I have, and what I had before the adapter change. The situation has not changed, because if I try to access 'gloria", the host machine, I get a error saying I don't have permission to access these folders.

PS:
Does my AMD processor make any difference here?
I have not tried "Unity" mode. Is that significant? What is "unity" mode?

 

I'm pleased you've solved the dual adapter issue as I was wondering if somehow it was the cause of the lack of connectivity. Obviously it is not. The pic looks promising, and while you've been away I took another look at the Win 7 sharing settings when using Host Only and discovered that you have to turn Network Discovery on in the Public network in order to gain access to the Win 7 shares, so you should test that next.

Assuming that finally cracks the file sharing issue take a look at Removable Devices > Printer. If you hover over Printer does the flyout show Connect or Disconnect? If it shows Disconnect you are home and dry and can print from the XPVM.

Good luck!

 

Haven't gotten to the printer yet, although I did download the XP drivers for the HP8600 wireless printer to my desktop in XP. I don't know if I need them, but I do have them if needed.

Back to file sharing. I have always had file/printer sharing turned on in Win 7, but when I try to share individual folders in Win 7, the "share" option is greyed out! So I cannot create a "share". Consequently, the folders show up in XP, but I cannot access them from XP. The flip side is that I CAN access the Win XP shared folders from Win7.

 

The point I am stressing is that you have to turn network discovery on in the Public network as well as in the Home and Work network. I don't understand what you are saying about folder sharing as you have said previously that all your Win 7 folders are already shared with Everyone.

 

Back to square one.
The virtual XP suddenly became very sluggish, and wouldn't shut down. Would take about 5 min to start.
I uninstalled it and VM program.
Will start over today.

 

You must have a real need for XP to start all over! Have you actually deleted the VM's .vmdk file from disk? If not you could just reinstall VMware Player and reload XP using 'open a virtual machine' and see if it still has problems.

How much RAM does the host have, and how much did you allocate to XP?

 

I have a very expensive 16 bit program that will not run on 64 bit Win 7! As I said before, I absolutely need the printer in XPfor this program to be effective, otherwise it is worthless. I do not need connectivity to the host. I do not need internet access. USB access is vital. DVD ROM access is vital. SP 1,2,3 are not necessary, at all. I need a lean and mean XP install with NO BELLS AND WHISTLES.............entirely dedicated to the running of my very expensive program.

That's it!

I have been at this for three weeks now (long before I engaged your help), and am running low on patience. I'd like to be able to get outside and enjoy the coming spring weather. I am going to drop this in another few days if I can't get results.

I have a dual boot with Win 7 and Ubuntu. I am going to try ..............again..................to install XP in its own partition, and then fart around with the MBR/bootloaders until I get this sonofabitch to work.

I allocated 5 GB to XP but after all the junk in SP1,2,3, I needed to expand to 10 GB. This time, I'm not going to add the SPs. I don't think I need them for a "lean and mean" setup. I have 8gb RAM, 64 bit dual core AMD and primary SSD 250 gb (GPT) , and sec HDD 1 TB (MBR).........both SATA.

 

All traces of VMWare have been uninstalled and deleted using regedit.

 

Because of the Windows/Linux dual boot your Windows boot manager has been overwritten by Grub 2. There is now no prospect whatsoever of XP being added to this and keeping both 7 and Ubuntu. Total waste of time and effort I'm afraid.

I asked you about RAM, not disk space, but now you have told us you only gave it 10GB disk space that is totally inadequate and explains XP grinding to a halt. XP needs 40GB to run smoothly, but the way VMware works it will only use what it needs and just treats the 40 as a maximum. For RAM you should allocate 2GB.

Your only hope with this is the VM approach, but with the right settings.

That is completely irrelevant as far as the XP virtual disk is concerned. That is stored separately from the VMware software and has a .vmdk extension. If you can find it it will still be usable and offers your best hope by far of getting this working.

You really should have sought more advice on this project as your mistakes could all have been avoided.

 

I reinstalled VMWare (version 7), Win XP, and my very valuable program. I allocated 8 gb virtual disk space, 1 gb of my 8 gb memory. I slipstreamed the AHCI/SATA drivers into the XP installation disk. I can see and use the DVDROM drive. I have not and will not install any updates or service paks, unless the necessity is clearly pointed out to me. As of now, if I can get USB functionality, and printer functionality, then I will be home free. I have IE version 6 functioning on the XP mach. I have uninstalled all of the junk that I don't need. I have installed all of the networking stuff from the XP install disk. I do not need file sharing between the guest and the host. I ONLY NEED THE (wireless) PRINTER TO CONNECT TO THE XP MACHINE.

 

Apart from reminding you to ensure the printer is shared I can't see there is much more I can say. It's all in the thread.

 

Thank you for your patience.

The printer is shared in Windows 7. It is not seen in XP. So I try to install it in XP. It asks for driver and I insert the printer install disk, which says that it is compatible with XP, Win 7, etc etc. Installer shows files being installed, then it stops and states that installation cannot complete.

Maybe I need a different driver?

 

There isn't any point installing drivers in the XPVM as it does not have its own IP address on the network. It shares the Win 7 IP address so can only connect via Win 7. That's why I have been stressing the need to get file sharing working first but you appear not to accept the logic.

 

Another way around this of course would be to get a USB or PS/2 printer. The XPVM will see that straight away

 

I've been re-reading earlier posts and realise I can't be sure whether your printer is a wireless network printer or a wireless USB printer. It makes all the difference to how we deal with it, so which is it? What's the model number?

 

It is a HP Officejet Pro 8600-N911A
Model: CM749A

When I look at the network in Win 7, the printer appears, with its own IP address. When I go to the printer's IP address, it shows "network connected", and "wired not connected". This printer can be connected either wirelesly, or USB wired. I don't know what "wireless USB" is.

 

Thanks, that clarifies it. As you have it set up at present it is a true network printer that is accessed by other networked devices by its IP address. That confirms that you can only access it at present via Win 7 file and printer sharing. However, and it's a great big however, if you connect it to 7 with a USB cable, it should appear as a removable device in XPVM and be usable. You may need to install drivers in 7 first, just not sure about that.

We may, finally, have cracked it.