network printer

[marty001]

Help please

I am a complete novice and so far I have been lucky and managed to set up
WIFI at home and got laptops and PSP's and an Archos system working fine.

We have a Brother MFC-410CN printer and a BT Voyager box. I bought a network
cable and attached it to both.

The new laptop on Vista connected fine and i can print from it through the
network but i cannot for the life of me work out why i cannot see the printer
on the windows xp machines. I have tried add printer but it just doesn't see
it and when I type the name it doesn't like it. The printer was attached to a
base unit using USB cable which i unplugged when i attached the network cable
- should i have left it connected as well as the network cable?

Sorry to sound like a moron but i am completely stuck

 

[Chuck [MVP]]

Help please

I am a complete novice and so far I have been lucky and managed to set up
WIFI at home and got laptops and PSP's and an Archos system working fine.

We have a Brother MFC-410CN printer and a BT Voyager box. I bought a network
cable and attached it to both.

The new laptop on Vista connected fine and i can print from it through the
network but i cannot for the life of me work out why i cannot see the printer
on the windows xp machines. I have tried add printer but it just doesn't see
it and when I type the name it doesn't like it. The printer was attached to a
base unit using USB cable which i unplugged when i attached the network cable
- should i have left it connected as well as the network cable?

Sorry to sound like a moron but i am completely stuck

Marty,

If you have 2 Windows XP computers, start by getting file sharing working
between those 2 computers.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/06/file-sharing-under-windows-xp.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/06/file-sharing-under-windows-xp.html

Knowing that two computers, running Windows XP, can act both as clients and
servers between each other will make it a lot easier to diagnose a problem when
one (or both) of them can or can't access (or be accessed from) a computer
running Windows Vista. This is a basic network troubleshooting technique.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/08/solving-network-problems-tutorial.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/08/solving-network-problems-tutorial.html

Are you sharing anything else besides the printer? Sharing a printer is similar
to sharing files, but it has extra complications, and if you start by sharing
files, and get that working, it's a lot easier to diagnose a printer sharing
problem.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2007/05/file-sharing-and-printer-sharing-are.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2007/05/file-sharing-and-printer-sharing-are.html

This is especially true, when you combine Windows XP and Vista (in itself a
challenge).
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2006/12/windows-xp-and-vista-on-lan-together.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2006/12/windows-xp-and-vista-on-lan-together.html

Do some reading, Marty. Take it one step at a time.

--
Cheers,
Chuck, MS-MVP 2005-2007 [Windows - Networking]
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/
Paranoia is not a problem, when it's a normal response from experience.
My email is AT DOT
actual address pchuck mvps org.

 

[marty001 via WindowsKB.com]

Cheers Chuck - Will Do

Help please

I am a complete novice and so far I have been lucky and managed to set up
WIFI at home and got laptops and PSP's and an Archos system working fine.

We have a Brother MFC-410CN printer and a BT Voyager box. I bought a network
cable and attached it to both.

The new laptop on Vista connected fine and i can print from it through the
network but i cannot for the life of me work out why i cannot see the printer
on the windows xp machines. I have tried add printer but it just doesn't see
it and when I type the name it doesn't like it. The printer was attached to a
base unit using USB cable which i unplugged when i attached the network cable
- should i have left it connected as well as the network cable?

Sorry to sound like a moron but i am completely stuck