Well, my mom asked me if it'd possible to use our printer from every PC over the network. Now I'm not really sure, since we don't have an actual network, since each PC is only connected to our router, but not to each other PC. As an example: If I want to share files, I'd have to use my home server. That's no big deal, since I use a usb stick for larger files.
But seeing that I need to print out more stuff lately(job applications and such), I would find it easier to just print them out from my PC, while the printer is located in my mom's room.
Now if I can have a home server, I'm pretty sure there would be a printer server too, so to get to the point: [b]Does anyone know off a good printer server for windows?[/b]
Let me get this straight as I'm a bit hazy on the details (a network diagram in paint would be great right about now!) - so this is what I got from your post:
All your computers are connected to the router via ethernet and/or wireless.
Your printer is in your mother's room.
You have a home server (this was ambigous as you said "if I can have a home server" and "I'd have to use my home server" - do you have one?).
Couple of questions to aid in a solution:
How are all the machines connected to the router?
What machines are in your mum's room?
Which versions of windows do they run?
Is your mum's machine on all the time?
What is your budget if there was a better hardware solution instead?
Not hard goto devices and printer, find the printer right click and printer properties, Share. Then goto the other PC's goto network and find the printer and set it up (can't remember how exactly, shouldn't be hard with some fiddling) and set as default printer if not already.
Sorry I would go into detail but I'm tired and this is from memory.
@wingless: That doesn't work, I'll create a simple paint graphics now.
[img]http://www.abload.de/img/network20rt.png[/img]
Yes, I have a home server(WampServer2) which I use sometimes when I'm at my mates to share music.
All of the PC's use Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3.
Absolutely, infact my aunt has something like this.
Unless your printer doesn't support this.
Try disabling the firewalls.
@BenJ: Before I don't know if there's a printer server in windows or if someone can suggest me a good one, there's no point in disabling the ports.
In vista and 7 I had no problem connecting to my mom's XP computer see if you can see each others shared folders on your network
Well the problem is that all the PC's are directly connected to the router, without any hub inbetween. Else I'd just use the printer network share thing from windows.
Edit: Well, I guess we have a hub laying around...
[QUOTE=itsDivine;23515035]Absolutely, infact my aunt has something like this.
Unless your printer doesn't support this.[/QUOTE]
It shouldn't matter if your printer supports it or not. The PC its connected to initializes the printing. To the printer, it just looks like any old printing job from the host PC.
[QUOTE=Torekk;23517302]Well the problem is that all the PC's are directly connected to the router, without any hub inbetween. Else I'd just use the printer network share thing from windows.
Edit: Well, I guess we have a hub laying around...[/QUOTE]
Whats your point? Windows printer sharing works fine with computers hooked together with a router.
[QUOTE=Yumyumbublegum;23519287]Whats your point? Windows printer sharing works fine with computers hooked together with a router.[/QUOTE]
With newer routers, the problem is that our router isn't intended to work like a hub, or atleast I wasn't able yet to configure a connection.
[QUOTE=Torekk;23520315]With newer routers, the problem is that our router isn't intended to work like a hub, or atleast I wasn't able yet to configure a connection.[/QUOTE]
What are you talking about?
Um, routers should have a built-in switch (hence how you can connect more than one computer. :downs: )
In XP, make a new Home Network for each computer. (If you go to Control Panel and Network Connections, the option should be in the kleft-hand plane.) Have all the computers have the same home network name. You may leave it at default.
Then, on the computer that has the printer, go to Control Panel and go to the Printers option. As stated earlier, right click the printer and make it available for sharing.
Restart each of the computers, and check the My Network on each of them. All the computers should show up here. Find the name of the computer that has the printer.
On the computers that you want to add the printer to, go to the Printers option in the control panel and add a new printer. Choose "A network printer or a printer attached to another computer..." and it should dhow up there.
[QUOTE=Torekk;23520315]With newer routers, the problem is that our router isn't intended to work like a hub, or atleast I wasn't able yet to configure a connection.[/QUOTE]
You mean its like like a switch?
Well, I just managed to get a network, so I can see shared documents on my mom's pc, and she can see mine. Now I've shared the printer over the network, everything works fine, selected it as my default printer, windows installed the drivers and then I was going to print out a testpage, but it never got any further than into the printing queue. Then it creates some "EPSON DUMMY DATA" or something like that a few times, but nothing happens.
I'm not even sure if the printer is too old, it's an Epson Stylus Color 480.
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