wireless network printer sharing

I have a Linksys Wireless-G Super Boost router connected to my desktop. I
also have an Epson CX3810 printer connected to my desktop. I have a wireless
laptop that accesses the internet via the router. I am having a problem
setting the printer up to print from the laptop.

I set up and named a home network and gave my desktop and the laptop a
workgroup name. I set up the Epson printer to be a shared printer and gave
it the name "Den". I also disabled my McAfee Personal Firewall.

On the laptop, I ran the Add Printer Wizard and selected "A network printer,
or a printer attached to another computer". I clicked Next, then selected
Browse for a printer. The only name displayed in the "Shared printers:" box
is "Microsoft Windows Network". When I typed the printer name "Den" in the
Printer: field, then clicked Next, the error message displayed is "Windows
cannot connect to the printer. Either the printer name was typed incorrectly,
or the specified printer has lost its connection to the server. For more
information, click Help." After rechecking all that I have set up / done, I
ran the Add a Printer Wizard again and ran into the same error message.

I checked the Newsgroup page of the Microsoft site, and read the article
"Share Your Printer Over a Home Network Using Windows XP" by Jerry Honeycutt,
Windows XP Expert Zone Community Columnist Published: July 2, 2001. I
re-followed his steps, which were basically the same that I outlined above,
and came up with the same error message.

Am I missing something? Did I miss a step? I think I tried everything.

Can anybody help please?

"vgers2" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:43736213-A76F-4FDF-9C7A-(E-Mail Removed)...
> On the laptop, I ran the Add Printer Wizard and selected "A network
> printer,
> or a printer attached to another computer". I clicked Next, then selected
> Browse for a printer. The only name displayed in the "Shared printers:"
> box
> is "Microsoft Windows Network".

No "+" sign next to that? You need to expand Microsoft Windows network....

Have you doubled click on "Microsoft Windows Network"? Normally you'd get a
list of network names, double click and then a list of servers (computers)
then a list of resources. Or how are you entering the printer name?
--
David Hettel

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group for everyone
to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions addressed directly to me in
E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

DISCLAIMER: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranty of any kind,
either expressed or implied, made in relation to the accuracy, reliability
or content of this post. The author shall not be liable for any direct,
indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of, or
inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this post and confers
no rights.



"vgers2" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:43736213-A76F-4FDF-9C7A-(E-Mail Removed)...
>I have a Linksys Wireless-G Super Boost router connected to my desktop. I
> also have an Epson CX3810 printer connected to my desktop. I have a
> wireless
> laptop that accesses the internet via the router. I am having a problem
> setting the printer up to print from the laptop.
>
> I set up and named a home network and gave my desktop and the laptop a
> workgroup name. I set up the Epson printer to be a shared printer and
> gave
> it the name "Den". I also disabled my McAfee Personal Firewall.
>
> On the laptop, I ran the Add Printer Wizard and selected "A network
> printer,
> or a printer attached to another computer". I clicked Next, then selected
> Browse for a printer. The only name displayed in the "Shared printers:"
> box
> is "Microsoft Windows Network". When I typed the printer name "Den" in
> the
> Printer: field, then clicked Next, the error message displayed is "Windows
> cannot connect to the printer. Either the printer name was typed
> incorrectly,
> or the specified printer has lost its connection to the server. For more
> information, click Help." After rechecking all that I have set up / done,
> I
> ran the Add a Printer Wizard again and ran into the same error message.
>
> I checked the Newsgroup page of the Microsoft site, and read the article
> "Share Your Printer Over a Home Network Using Windows XP" by Jerry
> Honeycutt,
> Windows XP Expert Zone Community Columnist Published: July 2, 2001. I
> re-followed his steps, which were basically the same that I outlined
> above,
> and came up with the same error message.
>
> Am I missing something? Did I miss a step? I think I tried everything.
>
> Can anybody help please?
>

I have a similar issue with my Linksys Wireless G router, but I think it is
just my misunderstanding of how to set up the network. I set up the host PC
in Network Setup Wizard just fine, so it seems. But can't see it from the
laptop with Linksys wireless card. I get the internet from the host fine.
Do the workgroup names of each pc have to be different for the network to set
up correctly? It seems to me they would be the same, with the computer
name's each different though. Am I wrong?
--
Barry Guidry


"vgers2" wrote:

> I have a Linksys Wireless-G Super Boost router connected to my desktop. I
> also have an Epson CX3810 printer connected to my desktop. I have a wireless
> laptop that accesses the internet via the router. I am having a problem
> setting the printer up to print from the laptop.
>
> I set up and named a home network and gave my desktop and the laptop a
> workgroup name. I set up the Epson printer to be a shared printer and gave
> it the name "Den". I also disabled my McAfee Personal Firewall.
>
> On the laptop, I ran the Add Printer Wizard and selected "A network printer,
> or a printer attached to another computer". I clicked Next, then selected
> Browse for a printer. The only name displayed in the "Shared printers:" box
> is "Microsoft Windows Network". When I typed the printer name "Den" in the
> Printer: field, then clicked Next, the error message displayed is "Windows
> cannot connect to the printer. Either the printer name was typed incorrectly,
> or the specified printer has lost its connection to the server. For more
> information, click Help." After rechecking all that I have set up / done, I
> ran the Add a Printer Wizard again and ran into the same error message.
>
> I checked the Newsgroup page of the Microsoft site, and read the article
> "Share Your Printer Over a Home Network Using Windows XP" by Jerry Honeycutt,
> Windows XP Expert Zone Community Columnist Published: July 2, 2001. I
> re-followed his steps, which were basically the same that I outlined above,
> and came up with the same error message.
>
> Am I missing something? Did I miss a step? I think I tried everything.
>
> Can anybody help please?
>

Barry wrote:
> I have a similar issue with my Linksys Wireless G router, but I think it is
> just my misunderstanding of how to set up the network. I set up the host PC
> in Network Setup Wizard just fine, so it seems. But can't see it from the
> laptop with Linksys wireless card. I get the internet from the host fine.
> Do the workgroup names of each pc have to be different for the network to set
> up correctly? It seems to me they would be the same, with the computer
> name's each different though. Am I wrong?

Barry,

You would do better to start your own thread with a descriptive subject
line and add a little more description of your problem.

See http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm

In general, workgroup name doesn't really matter, but if you are going
to rely on it, all of the computers in your local network should have
the same workgroup name. Each computer must have its own unique
computer name.

If your laptop can access the Internet through its wireless card, but
can't see the other computer or access files/printers on the other
computer, see this advice from MS-MVP Malke:

<quote>

This is most commonly caused by a misconfigured firewall. Run the
Network Setup Wizard on all computers, making sure to enable File &
Printer Sharing, and reboot. The only "gotcha" is that this will turn
on the XPSP2 Windows Firewall. If you aren't running a third-party
firewall or have an antivirus with "Internet Worm Protection" (like
Norton 2005/06) which acts as a firewall, then you're fine. If you have
third-party firewall software, configure it to allow the Local Area
Network traffic as trusted. I usually do this with my firewalls with an
IP range. Ex. would be 192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254. Obviously you would
substitute your correct subnet.

If one or more of the computers is XP Pro:

a. If you need Pro's ability to set fine-grained permissions, turn off
Simple File Sharing (Folder Options>View tab) and create identical user
accounts/passwords on all computers.

b. If you don't care about using Pro's advanced features, leave the
Simple File Sharing enabled.

Simple File Sharing means that Guest (network) is enabled. This means
that anyone without a user account on the target system can use its
resources. This is a security hole but only you can decide if it
matters in your situation.

Then create shares as desired. XP Home does not permit sharing of users'
home directories (My Documents) or Program Files, but you can share
folders inside those directories. A better choice is to simply use the
Shared Documents folder.

If that doesn't work for you, here is an excellent network
troubleshooter by MVP Hans-Georg Michna. Take the time to go through it
and it will usually pinpoint the problem area(s) -
http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm
</quote>


--
Lem MS MVP -- Networking

To the moon and back with 64 Kbits of RAM and 512 Kbits of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer

To the original poster...........
Technically it isn't a networked printer unless it has a Cat5 cable
connection & it's own IP address.
Really it is just a printer connected to one or the other computer & is
shared ON THE NETWORK. (or by the computers connected to it)
It's long time since I did it but try just chucking the shared printer icon
into your shared folder.
Should show up in "show network places" I think.
First make sure you can share a file one way & then back the other way &
then proceed from there.



"Lem" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Barry wrote:
>> I have a similar issue with my Linksys Wireless G router, but I think it
>> is just my misunderstanding of how to set up the network. I set up the
>> host PC in Network Setup Wizard just fine, so it seems. But can't see it
>> from the laptop with Linksys wireless card. I get the internet from the
>> host fine. Do the workgroup names of each pc have to be different for
>> the network to set up correctly? It seems to me they would be the same,
>> with the computer name's each different though. Am I wrong?
>
> Barry,
>
> You would do better to start your own thread with a descriptive subject
> line and add a little more description of your problem.
>
> See http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
>
> In general, workgroup name doesn't really matter, but if you are going
> to rely on it, all of the computers in your local network should have
> the same workgroup name. Each computer must have its own unique
> computer name.
>
> If your laptop can access the Internet through its wireless card, but
> can't see the other computer or access files/printers on the other
> computer, see this advice from MS-MVP Malke:
>
> <quote>
>
> This is most commonly caused by a misconfigured firewall. Run the
> Network Setup Wizard on all computers, making sure to enable File &
> Printer Sharing, and reboot. The only "gotcha" is that this will turn
> on the XPSP2 Windows Firewall. If you aren't running a third-party
> firewall or have an antivirus with "Internet Worm Protection" (like
> Norton 2005/06) which acts as a firewall, then you're fine. If you have
> third-party firewall software, configure it to allow the Local Area
> Network traffic as trusted. I usually do this with my firewalls with an
> IP range. Ex. would be 192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254. Obviously you would
> substitute your correct subnet.
>
> If one or more of the computers is XP Pro:
>
> a. If you need Pro's ability to set fine-grained permissions, turn off
> Simple File Sharing (Folder Options>View tab) and create identical user
> accounts/passwords on all computers.
>
> b. If you don't care about using Pro's advanced features, leave the
> Simple File Sharing enabled.
>
> Simple File Sharing means that Guest (network) is enabled. This means
> that anyone without a user account on the target system can use its
> resources. This is a security hole but only you can decide if it
> matters in your situation.
>
> Then create shares as desired. XP Home does not permit sharing of users'
> home directories (My Documents) or Program Files, but you can share
> folders inside those directories. A better choice is to simply use the
> Shared Documents folder.
>
> If that doesn't work for you, here is an excellent network
> troubleshooter by MVP Hans-Georg Michna. Take the time to go through it
> and it will usually pinpoint the problem area(s) -
> http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm
> </quote>
>
>
> --
> Lem MS MVP -- Networking
>
> To the moon and back with 64 Kbits of RAM and 512 Kbits of ROM.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer

Well, after hours of searching for answers I have finally found the reason
that I could not access shared files over what appeared to be a perfectly
network setup...it is all because of a Vonage VOIP phone adapter that I have
connected to my router. I visited Vonage's website support for routers and
it stated that the router, a Linksys WRT54G, should be configured as internet
connection type "PPPoE" with the MTU set to "1500". So I then called Linksys
tech support to see how to change the configuration. They said that I need
to un-bridge the modem first before making the change from DHCP to PPPoE
configuration. I was too tired to do it now though, at midnight. It seems
that it needs to have a static IP address rather than a dynamic one.
--
Barry Guidry


"BruceM" wrote:

> To the original poster...........
> Technically it isn't a networked printer unless it has a Cat5 cable
> connection & it's own IP address.
> Really it is just a printer connected to one or the other computer & is
> shared ON THE NETWORK. (or by the computers connected to it)
> It's long time since I did it but try just chucking the shared printer icon
> into your shared folder.
> Should show up in "show network places" I think.
> First make sure you can share a file one way & then back the other way &
> then proceed from there.
>
>
>
> "Lem" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Barry wrote:
> >> I have a similar issue with my Linksys Wireless G router, but I think it
> >> is just my misunderstanding of how to set up the network. I set up the
> >> host PC in Network Setup Wizard just fine, so it seems. But can't see it
> >> from the laptop with Linksys wireless card. I get the internet from the
> >> host fine. Do the workgroup names of each pc have to be different for
> >> the network to set up correctly? It seems to me they would be the same,
> >> with the computer name's each different though. Am I wrong?
> >
> > Barry,
> >
> > You would do better to start your own thread with a descriptive subject
> > line and add a little more description of your problem.
> >
> > See http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
> >
> > In general, workgroup name doesn't really matter, but if you are going
> > to rely on it, all of the computers in your local network should have
> > the same workgroup name. Each computer must have its own unique
> > computer name.
> >
> > If your laptop can access the Internet through its wireless card, but
> > can't see the other computer or access files/printers on the other
> > computer, see this advice from MS-MVP Malke:
> >
> > <quote>
> >
> > This is most commonly caused by a misconfigured firewall. Run the
> > Network Setup Wizard on all computers, making sure to enable File &
> > Printer Sharing, and reboot. The only "gotcha" is that this will turn
> > on the XPSP2 Windows Firewall. If you aren't running a third-party
> > firewall or have an antivirus with "Internet Worm Protection" (like
> > Norton 2005/06) which acts as a firewall, then you're fine. If you have
> > third-party firewall software, configure it to allow the Local Area
> > Network traffic as trusted. I usually do this with my firewalls with an
> > IP range. Ex. would be 192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254. Obviously you would
> > substitute your correct subnet.
> >
> > If one or more of the computers is XP Pro:
> >
> > a. If you need Pro's ability to set fine-grained permissions, turn off
> > Simple File Sharing (Folder Options>View tab) and create identical user
> > accounts/passwords on all computers.
> >
> > b. If you don't care about using Pro's advanced features, leave the
> > Simple File Sharing enabled.
> >
> > Simple File Sharing means that Guest (network) is enabled. This means
> > that anyone without a user account on the target system can use its
> > resources. This is a security hole but only you can decide if it
> > matters in your situation.
> >
> > Then create shares as desired. XP Home does not permit sharing of users'
> > home directories (My Documents) or Program Files, but you can share
> > folders inside those directories. A better choice is to simply use the
> > Shared Documents folder.
> >
> > If that doesn't work for you, here is an excellent network
> > troubleshooter by MVP Hans-Georg Michna. Take the time to go through it
> > and it will usually pinpoint the problem area(s) -
> > http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm
> > </quote>
> >
> >
> > --
> > Lem MS MVP -- Networking
> >
> > To the moon and back with 64 Kbits of RAM and 512 Kbits of ROM.
> > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer
>
>
>