I have a wireless network with a linksys wireless router.  I am having
trouble setting up a wireless laptop to recognize a printer connected
to my main computer to allow for wireless printing.  I have a total of
2 wireless laptops, and I have been able to set up one to work but the
other does not recognize the printer.  All 3 computers (desktop,
laptop with WORKING wireless printer capability, and laptop WITHOUT
working wirless printer capability) can access the internet with no
problems.

All three computers use windows XP.

QUESTION:  Can you please walk me through the process to access the
wireless printer on my network?  A complete answer will be able to
diagnose and correct why my Dell laptop CANNOT currently recognize the
printer even though it can access the internet wirelessly and print on
the printer directly using cables.

Please let me know what other information is needed to successfully
accomplish this.  Thanks...

If you run the add printer wizard, are you able to successfully
install the printer?

If yes, then print a self-test page. Does that print? Can you print
from other programs, and not from some or is this issue 100% for all
programs?


If you can not install the printer via add printer wizard, check your
permissions on the main computer that has the printer attached. Verify
the permissions for the printer allow EVERYONE to use the printer.

Also, from windows explorer (not Internet Explorer), type in
\\maincomputername. You should get a listing of all shared resources
on your main computer. See if your printer shows up there. If so,
right-click on it and select "connect..." on the context menu.

Reply to this post with your results.

JtB()

1.  Running "add a printer," the printer is not found;  note that on
my other laptop, I was able to find and install (and print from) the
printer with no problem;

2.  Issue is 100% from all programs...when I try to install printer,
it just lists "Microsoft windows network" and when I try to select
that and select next, it says I must select a printer first.....in
other words, the remote computer does not seem to "find" the printer
when I try to install it.

3.  On main computer, printer is selected to "share this printer" 
Also as noted, my other laptop found and can use the printer with no
problem.  Where can I find the permissions for the Everyone command? 
I am not sure how to access this...

4.  From windows explorer, I do not know where to type in
anything...can you please be more specific?  Do you mean from a DOS
prompt or using search?  Also, should I be doing this from my main
computer or from the wireless laptop (or both?)...finally, do you mean
literally "\\maincomputername" or do I substitute the name of MY main
computer for the word "maincomputername?"  If so, how do I find out
what my main computer name is?

Thank you so much for responding...

Ok, you've given me some good info. Based on your comments, let's try this:

From your wireless laptop that fails to print, start windows explorer
(START > PROGRAMS > ACCESSORIES > WINDOWS EXPLORER). At the top,
you'll have an address bar (it may be opened to "My Documents"). In
that address bar, type in "\\maincomputername" (no quotes). Press
Enter.

:BEGIN NOTE: replace "maincomputername" with the actual name of the
desktop that has the printer attached. To find this name, type
"hostname" (no quotes) and press Enter, at a command prompt (what you
referred to as a DOS prompt) on that desktop. :END NOTE:

Windows Explorer should now provide you with a list of all shared
resources on it. Does it? If so, one should be the printer. If you see
that, you should be able to right-click the printer icon and select
"connect...".

Let me know how this goes. If this works, good. If not, we'll go to the next step.

JtB()

Jtb:

Again, thanks for your efforts.

I had to add the address line to my toolbar in windows explorer...when
I did and typed \\maincoputername, I got the following error: 
"windows cannot find "\\maincomputername".  Check the spelling and try
again, or try searching for the item by clicking on the start button
and then clicking search."

Any thoughts on what to try next?

BTW...I WAS able to get the main computer name by using the hostname
prompt you suggested on the main computer.

Thanks again...

Let's look at some basic networking settings. Since you can access the
Internet from all machines I'm really not expecting this info to yield
anything, but I tend to be a bit paranoid and like to cover all my
bases.

[TASK 1]
1. Open command prompt (START > RUN > type "cmd" [no quotes], hit Enter)
2. At the prompt, type IPCONFIG. In the response, you should have two
lines: IP Address and Subnet Mask. What are they for both computers?
[END 1]

[TASK 2]
From the command prompt of each computer, type PING \\computername.
Where you replace "computername" with the name of the other computer.
So on your desktop you'll use the laptop's name and on the laptop
you'll use the desktop's name.

You should get a response similar to the following:
Pinging www.yahoo.akadns.net [68.142.197.83] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 68.142.197.83: bytes=32 time=19ms TTL=56
Reply from 68.142.197.83: bytes=32 time=19ms TTL=57
Reply from 68.142.197.83: bytes=32 time=25ms TTL=56
Reply from 68.142.197.83: bytes=32 time=24ms TTL=57

Ping statistics for 68.142.197.83:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 19ms, Maximum = 25ms, Average = 21ms

In this case, I typed PING WWW.YAHOO.COM.

I want to know the details of the lines that say "Reply from ... ",
and the "Packets: Sent=x, Received=x, Lost=x (x% loss)".

If the output is anything different I want to know that exact message.
[END 2]

[TASK 3]
Also, do you have any firewalls on either machine? If so, turn it off
on both machines and see if you can get the printer or any of these
other troubleshooting steps to work.
[END 3]

JtB()

1.  main computer:  ip 192.168.1.100.......subnet 255.255.255.0
  Laptop:           ip 192.168.1.103...subnet same

2.  Both ping requests came back with the same error message:

"ping request could not find host <<computername>>.  Please check the
name and try again"

Obviously, the laptop came back with the name of the main computer
(since that's the one you wanted me to ping), and vice versa.

3.

I double checked and turned the firewalls off and got the same thing.


Thanks...

1. Check your router to make sure you aren't blocking any services
from your laptop to your desktop.

2. Shutdown your router (pull power cord). Shutdown your desktop and
your laptop. Then power on your router, let the lights settle out and
become steady, then power on your computers. Try to set up your
printer.

JtB()

:(

No luck.

I shut down the router, restarted the computers, and the laptop STILL
can't "find" the networked printer.

I'm not sure how to "  1. Check your router to make sure you aren't
blocking any services from your laptop to your desktop."

But again note that my OTHER laptop started right up immediately and
found the printer with no problems whatsoever.

Again...thanks for all of you help...

To get your printer responding to your other wireless computers Click
My computer then in the address bar type in Control Panel. Then click
Printers and Faxers. Click on the printer you wish to have on your
network. Then right click it and click properties then click on the
SHARING tab. Then click on the bubble that says share this printer.
Type in what you wish your printer's name (does not have to be the
model name you can have it  be anything you wish). Then click
ADITTIONAL DRIVERS. Press every intel. And once you follow the
instuctions You'll be done just restart it.

ellswortha-ga:

Thank you for your comment.  I already have the printer designated as
"shared," and as noted I have been able to use it with another
wireless laptop easily and simply.

When I tried to load the other "Intel" drivers, I got an error saying
the other drivers were not found.

Please note that all of the computers use Windows XP and THAT driver
is already loaded.

Any other thoughts?

Thanks again...

colel-ga, sorry for the delay in responding to you.

Let's go back a bit. Referring to TASK 2 from my post on 1 Dec 2005
12:39 PST, instead of PINGING the computer name, type in the IP
address of the other computer. So on main computer, type PING
192.168.1.103 (press enter). On the laptop, type PING 192.168.1.100
(press enter). You should get a response as noted in the post.

I'm beginning to wonder if the laptop is having trouble resolving the
name of the desktop w/printer.

JtB()

jebediahtbone-ga:

When pinging the laptop from the main computer, I got the following:

Pinging 192.168.1.103 with 32 bytes of data:

Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.

Ping statistics for 192.168.1.103:
Packets:  Set = 4, receieved = 0, lost = 4 (100% loss),

I will comment again on the ping from the laptop to the main computer;

When I pinged the main computer from the laptop computer, I got the
same timeout messages.

Interestingly...when I typed the Ping main computer (ping
192.168.1.100) command on my OTHER laptop (that can print with no
problems), I also got the time out error messages.

"Interestingly...when I typed the Ping main computer (ping
192.168.1.100) command on my OTHER laptop (that can print with no
problems), I also got the time out error messages."

That sounds to me like you have a firewall running and it's blocking
ICMP (PINGing). If you turn off your firewalls, do you still get the
same results?

JtB()

New Ping info (with firewalls turned off:

1.  From Laptop to Main Computer:

Pinging 192.128.1.100 with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 192.168.1.100:  bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 192.168.1.100:  bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 192.168.1.100:  bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 192.168.1.100:  bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128

Ping statistics for 192.168.1.100:
     packets:sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
      Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms
=========================================

I also checked again with the firewalls turned off to see if I could
access the printer from the laptop, but still no luck.

Ping information from the main computer to the laptop will be in the next comment...

When running the ping command from the MAIN computer to the laptop, I
still get the timeout messages, even with the ativirus and firewalls
turned off.

I tried running the ping agaian from my OTHER laptop (the one that can
access the printer), and I got:

Pinging 192.128.1.100 with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 192.168.1.100:  bytes=32 time=106ms TTL=128
Reply from 192.168.1.100:  bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=128
Reply from 192.168.1.100:  bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=128
Reply from 192.168.1.100:  bytes=32 time=8ms TTL=128

Ping statistics for 192.168.1.100:
     packets:sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
      Minimum = 4ms, Maximum = 106ms, Average = 30ms

================MORE===============

Then I Pinged the working laptop from the main computer...note that I
FORGOT to turn off the firewall on the working laptop before I did
this, but it still worked...here is what I got:

Pinging 192.128.1.102 with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 192.168.1.100:  bytes=32 time=731ms TTL=128
Reply from 192.168.1.100:  bytes=32 time=191ms TTL=128
Reply from 192.168.1.100:  bytes=32 time=111ms TTL=128
Reply from 192.168.1.100:  bytes=32 time=236ms TTL=128

Ping statistics for 192.168.1.100:
     packets:sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
      Minimum = 73ms, Maximum = 236ms, Average = 152ms

Has there been any resolve to this issue? I just had this happen to
me, exactly as it happened to colel-ga. I have a laptop that was
working fine on my wireless network but suddenly you cannot ping my
computer and I cannot see any of the other computers or printers. It
is all very strange .....

Regards,
Steve

Steve:

I reposted this question here and got some more info... 
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=431715

After checking a couple of settings, all of a sudden I got it to
work....unfortunately, I'm not really sure WHAT I did differently, but
you might want to check the comments on the link above.  I did not
re-check the pings but I assume they are now working since I can now
print from the other computer.

Good luck...