printer

Hi Peter

What model and make of Printer is it?
What Windows versions are the PCs?

You can add your laptop to print wirelessly to the printer, but would need a wireless card to do same with the desktop, just run the installer for the printer driver/software again and choose Network opposed to USB, but if you give make and model we can give a better step by step.

 

Hi Peter

I just read the specs too and its not Wireless, however you cannot add a wifi card to the printer would need the printer to be WiFi ready already like my HP Photosmart C4380


Dunno if you have Windows 7 but its Printer Hardware Wizard is superb and will find WiFi hardware great just need to click Start > Devices and Printers and Add Printer > Add Wireless or Bluetooth Printer and its scann will find a compatible device.


You could possibly use your network and wifi router and share the printer via the desktop PC to the Laptop, and use this guide HERE at eHow

 

Hi Peter

Well File and Print Sharing can be insecure, but you have likely got a wifi router that has its own firewall built in (NAT or SPI as this can hide your network from the outside world, as well as setting up a Wireless password in WPA or WEP at least, WPA is better) and you would really need to have user account passwords setup so you cannot log onto your PC automatically from boot but have to enter a password,

This is the route I use for my home network, although I have a wifi printer, but I share a folder with all my 4 PCs so to keep same data in all, but that network share folder is only accessable if you have logged on, Windows Vista and 7 have better security for network shares.

I would though if you are to use your laptop out and about in internet cafes and hotspots is to disable File and Printer sharing when you are out and about and only enable when back at home.