Can't see printer over network - malware?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rolyat
  • Start date Start date
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Rolyat

I have 4 Windows machines ... 2 XP Home, 1 Win98SE, and 1 WinME.

All are on a home network, all can see each other, all have access to
the internet.

1 machine (XP) has a printer attached, which is shared. The other XP
machine can see and use the shared printer.

The Win98 and WinME machines cannot see the printer as a share at all.

I used the add printer wizard to add a networked printer, I can see the
XP PC to which the printer is attached over the network, but no printer
is shown. The printer was previously working on the ME machine, but I
had issues with the 98 machine so hadn't tried to install it, till now.

On the ME machine, the printer that has been installed at an earlier
time is shown as being offline, or not connected. The OS knows a
networked printer is installed, but cannot see it across the network.

The common factor between the 98 and ME machine is Bearshare has
recently been installed.

Could some spy/malware be at work which is preventing the printer being
seen somehow?

I'm at a loss to think it might be anything else.
 
I have 4 Windows machines ... 2 XP Home, 1 Win98SE, and 1 WinME.

All are on a home network, all can see each other, all have access to
the internet.

1 machine (XP) has a printer attached, which is shared. The other XP
machine can see and use the shared printer.
Click to expand...
(snip)

In my experience, 98 doesn't work very well with XP with regard to sharing. I
can share files from my 98 which XP sees and connects to fine, but I cannot
attach to the XP shares from 98. I would assume that this might be the same
case with printers. Try putting your printer on the 98 machine, if you can,
and sharing it to the others.
 
(snip)

In my experience, 98 doesn't work very well with XP with regard to sharing. I
can share files from my 98 which XP sees and connects to fine, but I cannot
attach to the XP shares from 98. I would assume that this might be the same
case with printers. Try putting your printer on the 98 machine, if you can,
and sharing it to the others.
Click to expand...

I have my printer on 98 machine and my XP can see it.



Regards,

Boris Mohar

Got Knock? - see:
Viatrack Printed Circuit Designs (among other things) http://www.viatrack.ca
 
from the wonderful said:
(snip)

In my experience, 98 doesn't work very well with XP with regard to sharing. I
can share files from my 98 which XP sees and connects to fine, but I cannot
attach to the XP shares from 98. I would assume that this might be the same
case with printers. Try putting your printer on the 98 machine, if you can,
and sharing it to the others.
Click to expand...

At the very least you probably need to install printer drivers on the
Win98 machine .. if Win98 drivers for that particular printer exist.
Shared printers under XP are very peculiar beasts indeed, w.r.t. where
the printer drivers live, where the bytes get queued, and similar
strange stuff. Works great from XP to XP .. but you knew that. 8>.
 
I have 4 Windows machines ... 2 XP Home, 1 Win98SE, and 1 WinME.

All are on a home network, all can see each other, all have access to
the internet.

1 machine (XP) has a printer attached, which is shared. The other XP
machine can see and use the shared printer.

The Win98 and WinME machines cannot see the printer as a share at all.

I used the add printer wizard to add a networked printer, I can see the
XP PC to which the printer is attached over the network, but no printer
is shown. The printer was previously working on the ME machine, but I
had issues with the 98 machine so hadn't tried to install it, till now.

On the ME machine, the printer that has been installed at an earlier
time is shown as being offline, or not connected. The OS knows a
networked printer is installed, but cannot see it across the network.

The common factor between the 98 and ME machine is Bearshare has
recently been installed.

Could some spy/malware be at work which is preventing the printer being
seen somehow?

I'm at a loss to think it might be anything else.
Click to expand...

I would think that you should match up the NIC services and protocol
being used on all machines that would be the following:

1) Client for MS networks
2) MS File and Print Sharing
3) Internet Protocol TCP/IP

You can remove everything else off the NIC(s) including QoS on the XP
machines.

See if that works for you. I have also heard of case sensitivity in
naming WG(s) and machine names on the non NT based machines may cause a
problem too. But I don't know who true that is.

This may also help.

http://www.wown.com/j_helmig/guidshrh.htm

Duane :)
 
I have 4 Windows machines ... 2 XP Home, 1 Win98SE, and 1 WinME.

All are on a home network, all can see each other, all have access to
the internet.

1 machine (XP) has a printer attached, which is shared. The other XP
machine can see and use the shared printer.

The Win98 and WinME machines cannot see the printer as a share at all.
Click to expand...

Although netbios names can be up to 16 bytes long (or indeed 15 with
one reserved for a suffix as far as Microsoft is concerned), win9x is
limited to 12 characters for sharenames otherwise they will not be
seen. I think this is a remnant of something to do with the old 8.3
filename notation.


Jim.
 
Rolyat said:
I have 4 Windows machines ... 2 XP Home, 1 Win98SE, and 1 WinME.

All are on a home network, all can see each other, all have access to
the internet.

1 machine (XP) has a printer attached, which is shared. The other XP
machine can see and use the shared printer.

The Win98 and WinME machines cannot see the printer as a share at all.

I used the add printer wizard to add a networked printer, I can see the
XP PC to which the printer is attached over the network, but no printer
is shown. The printer was previously working on the ME machine, but I
had issues with the 98 machine so hadn't tried to install it, till now.

On the ME machine, the printer that has been installed at an earlier
time is shown as being offline, or not connected. The OS knows a
networked printer is installed, but cannot see it across the network.

The common factor between the 98 and ME machine is Bearshare has
recently been installed.

Could some spy/malware be at work which is preventing the printer being
seen somehow?

I'm at a loss to think it might be anything else.
Click to expand...
"there are always possablities"-have you run a couple of different
scanners? I have links to some on my pages.
Try running the printer wizard on the win9x boxes and enter the printer
manually
\\sharecomputername\printername
-max
 
I would think that you should match up the NIC services and protocol
being used on all machines that would be the following:
Click to expand...

Please note :

1. On the ME machine, it used to work, it doesn't now

2. The problem with the 98 machine was a dodgy HDD. Since replaced, but
is now experiencing the *exact* same symptoms as the ME machine ... can
see network, but not printer. Bearshare is apparent on both.

3. I've networked enough times to have a better than average clue. I am
not of the opinion it is my configuration that is the problem.

;-)
 
Please note :

1. On the ME machine, it used to work, it doesn't now

2. The problem with the 98 machine was a dodgy HDD. Since replaced, but
is now experiencing the *exact* same symptoms as the ME machine ... can
see network, but not printer. Bearshare is apparent on both.

3. I've networked enough times to have a better than average clue. I am
not of the opinion it is my configuration that is the problem.

;-)
Click to expand...

Well, for some malware to stop File or Printer Sharing, I would think the
malware would be looking to do some more serious damage. If all else fails,
there is always the rebuild option -- just kidding. ;-) Or you can switch
to Win2k and install it replacing ME and the 9'x machines NT to NT resource
sharing. You do know that the max machines a Win XP Home machine will
network with on a peer to peer is 5 and then results are unpredictable I
hear - search Google. Maybe, it's four for your situation who knows. ;-)

Duane :)
 
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