Printing in Vista to an XP network machine Canon MP780

  • Thread starter Thread starter metspitzer
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metspitzer

I am using an XP machine as kind of the server. I have an MP780
printer connected. I could print from my old laptop that comes with
XP.

I just bought a Dell laptop with Vista installed. I want to print to
the XP machine.

I went to Canon's web page. They have a driver for XP and one for
Vista. I installed the XP driver on the XP machine. When I try to
load the Vista driver on the laptop, the driver is searching for a
printer locally. As I have said, I don't have a printer connected to
the laptop.

Anyone know what I can do to use the XP printer with Vista?

Thanks
 
metspitzer said:
I am using an XP machine as kind of the server. I have an MP780
printer connected...
I just bought a Dell laptop with Vista installed. I want to print to
the XP machine.

When I try to
load the Vista driver on the laptop, the driver is searching for a
printer locally. As I have said, I don't have a printer connected to
the laptop.
Click to expand...

Which sounds like it may be the problem.
Anyone know what I can do to use the XP printer with Vista?
Click to expand...

Try going about it backwards from what you've been trying. Add the
printer first, then install the driver. Vista may even have a built-in
driver that will work better than the bloatware that probably shipped
with the printer. If so, I'd use that unless there are gotta-have
features it doesn't support.

All this assumes, of course, that you have the printer properly
installed and set up to be shared on the XP machine, and that you can
"see" the XP machine from your laptop. But you knew that already-didn't
you?
 
Are both units using x86 (32 bit) OSs? are is one using 64 bit, by
chance? If one is 64 bot and the other 32 bit, you need to have the 64
bit you will need the 64 bit driver on both machines so they can
communicate properly.

If that's not the issue, make sure you have the current driver for the
printer on the XP machine loaded on the Vista machine.

Then see if following these instructions below help. I am not heavily
knowledgeable in networking, but I found this information on line and it
seemed to help some people with similar issues:

1.) Verify that File and print sharing is turned on and properly
configured on the XP machine.

2.) Locate and notate the Win XP computer name (i.e. "Desktop") (Found
in System Properties in the Computer Name tab)

3.) Locate and notate the printer share name on the XP computer (i.e.
"Printer") (Found under the Sharing tab on the Printer Properties page)

4.) On the Vista machine launch the "Add a Printer" wizard

5.) Choose "Add a local printer"

6.) Select "Create a new port" radio button and choose "Local Port" from
the drop down menu

7.) Press Next

8.) In the "Enter Port Name:" box enter the following: \\Desktop\Printer
where "Desktop" = the computer name from step 2 and "Printer" = the
printer share name from step 3.

9.) Select the Printer driver from the list provided or use the "Have
Disk" button to install the correct Vista driver if it is not in the
built-in list.

It is critical that the driver you use is Vista compatible.

10.) Press next

11.) Give the printer a distinct name and choose whether to set as the
default.

12.) Press Next

13.) Print a test page to verify functionality.

14.) Press Finish

Hope this is helpful,

Art


If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/
 
That worked!

Thanks
Click to expand...

Well it worked, and then I broke it.

I had tried earlier to plug the USB printer directly into the laptop
to see if I could get Windows to load the drivers before I read your
helpful message. This caused me to have 2 printers......

I had "Canon" and "Canon Copy (1). So to make everything look neat,
I deleted both.

So now when I try to reinstall, I get an error that \\network\canon
already exists.

sigh

Any suggestions (other than.....learn to quit when you are ahead :)
 
Glad to hear it all worked out in the end and you also learned a
valuable lesson... computers are always ready to bite you when you try
to make anything work or look better... always just thank the computer
gods when things finally work and leave it be ;-)

Art


If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/
 
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