Add Shared Printer in Windows 10

[johnrobert]

Printer is shared on a win 7 desktop and connected with a parallel port, so I guess it's a network printer
I used to type \\ IP in run then drag it to devices and printers when I try that says Windows can't access it, did not ask for a password, it was working with old win 10 laptop so everything is set on desktop.
it's an HP laptop and had trial McAfee or something might be firewall I will get rid of it

 

[Mick]

Have you given it a static IP? If you've changed the rest of the setup, the IP address has probably changed too.

 

[NJW]

SMB version mismatch, I'll wager. Or it's so old that it died and no-one noticed ...

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I'll wager workgroup permissions issue...how is the new laptop logging in, how is the printer shared.
For workgroups, or even domains if a printer group policy isn't used to push printers out...I usually just browse to the UNC host path (such as \\computername.....see the printer share name, right click..."install".

 

[JoelM]

I'll wager workgroup permissions issue...how is the new laptop logging in, how is the printer shared.
For workgroups, or even domains if a printer group policy isn't used to push printers out...I usually just browse to the UNC host path (such as \\computername.....see the printer share name, right click..."install".

This is how I always do it.

 

[Sky-Knight]

Buy an LPT print server...

Update the printer such that it prints via ethernet. Can probably get away with using the HP Unidriver on the Windows side straight to the standard TCP/IP port and never touch the thing again.

Or well... given the prices on LPT print servers these days, buy a NEW PRINTER.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Buy an LPT print server...

Update the printer such that it prints via ethernet. Can probably get away with using the HP Unidriver on the Windows side straight to the standard TCP/IP port and never touch the thing again.

Or well... given the prices on LPT print servers these days, buy a NEW PRINTER.

This. Any network printer is going to be cheaper than labor costs to fix a PARALLEL printer port based printer. Unless this is some kind of special function label printer then go with the printserver.

 

[Sky-Knight]

The only time you need an LPT printer anymore is if an ancient DOS app needs to print. If you have one of those kicking around, you just need to map lpt1 to a UNC shared printer.

net use lpt1: \\server\share

So what you do is share the new network printer somewhere, usually the device that's running the DOS app, and then you make a login script that runs the above. Server becomes 127.0.0.1, share is whatever the shared printer's name is... I tend to make a special share named DOSPrn just because it's easier to type. You don't want spaces and junk on this level... this is early 90s era computing after all.

Between this and DOSBox I've made some seriously old junk work on modern platforms quite easily. There is one catch... the target printer must be a LASER PRINTER. Line printers such as inkjets will not accept this raw input. Even the laser printer often needs the HP Unidriver to work, and sometimes there are odd quirks... like having to press the online button on the printer with each job to print.

But yes, at this point any directly attached USB or LPT printer needs replaced. Any printing access mechanism that isn't network based is simply a cause for repeat phone calls. Now, if you've got a client that refuses to replace it, have fun making money on their stubbornness. But that's obviously not ideal, a network printer of appropriate scope will fix the problem effectively forever.

 

[britechguy]

. . . have fun making money on their stubbornness. But that's obviously not ideal, a network printer of appropriate scope will fix the problem effectively forever.

Or refuse to support, beyond whatever you do to get it up and running, if that, if the money you'd make is not worth the aggravation, and repeated aggravation.

I just had a potential client e-mailed me about reviving an XP era machine, "that buzzes when you try to power it up," because "I would like to be able to play an old game that only runs on Windows 98 and XP. (James Bond – NightFire)."

Since I have yet to find a game of that vintage that won't run under compatibility mode all the way up through Windows 10, and I feel it's doing a gross disservice to spend the amount of time and effort required to revive what is truly useless hardware for anything but this, I diplomatically refused, and offered instead to get the game up and running under Windows 10.

It makes no sense, whatsoever, to me to continue to support certain things. The odd XP machine that runs multi-hundred-thousand dollar equipment that you can't replace or would cost way more to replace, sure, but for a game to be played or a printer that's long past its prime to be used, no, thank you. You need to find another technician.

 

[Sky-Knight]

@britechguy I have several games that were meant for XP that won't work, or won't work correctly on anything more modern than Win7.

But, slowly most of them have re-released on Steam with updates to make them work most of the time. The original Knights of the Old Republic is first in my mind... but there are others.

It's kind of silly actually, because sometimes it's easier to get old DOS era games to work than it is to get anything made for Win3.1 up through XP on Win10. Compatibility mode is a thing, but it doesn't always work.

But still, reviving and old machine is one thing... maintaining it is another. It's one thing to do that junk for myself, but how would I sell it to someone else? There'd have to be a very trusting relationship there, because the client would need to have very clear expectations. So generally, yeah I'm with you... no touchie!

 

[Markverhyden]

First thing that comes to mind is the new machine on the same network as the old setup. Meaning are they on private or public.