Recovery Disks and Norton Utilities Questions

[KazooTom]

If tech support cannot get the recovery disk to work for you, they should send you a recovery set at no charge.

I checked the printers in the Vista "add printer" dialog and yours is not listed. If you have another computer with the printer connected you can network your computer with that one, either wired or wireless. If a driver can be located you can then install it and share it with the other computer. I have a QMS 2060 configured as a network printer (ethernet) and a second Canon S9000 shared with two other computers on our network. If your printer is connected to a network you will only need a driver to connect.

[Padraig]

Can you believe I'm on the 3rd tech from HP . . . still working on the recovery discs. Something has happened which is making it a little more difficult. The first tech placed a shortcut for HP Instant Care. I had to use it a couple times when he lost his ability to control my computer. He left with a promise to call me over the phone in an hour to see how the process was going. Right after he hung up, so did the recovery program. I waited for 90 minutes and finally called back . . . to India, of course. :-)

When my new tech tried to have me open the shortcut, any attempt to get online is hung up. If I open a new IE window, the program opens but does not respond. I'm hoping when I restart the computer, this will correct itself. Anyway, right now, the new tech wished me well and he left. Interestingly enough, while I was visiting with the 2nd tech, a 3rd one called (she replaced my first tech). I now wish I had stuck with her, but since I was in the middle of a conversation with #2, I went with him.

I cannot believe how slow this process is . . . I'm just about done with disc 2 and he said it could take 5 or 6, possibly. I have a feeling this is going to be a long night . . . he made it very clear that once the process is started, it must be completed.

Now, about the printer. I'm not sure if I understand what you're saying. My printer is connected on the same network as my desktop. Therefore, what???  Sorry, I just didn't get that part of your comment. I have a feeling that this is going to work, if I can figure it out. :-)

Pat

[KazooTom]

If I read your message correctly, your printer is connected to a network and not directly to a computer?  If that is the case you can simply connect through the network. Your problem will be finding Vista compatible drivers for the printer. (interestingly Vista configures printers connected to a network as "local" printers and not "network" printers.) If you are unable to obtain Vista compatible drivers for the printer you will not be able to print to it from the Vista machine. A simple work around is to create the file on the Vista machine, save it to a shared directory and then open and print from the XP machine.

Hopefully you got your recovery disks to work out ok. It can take a while to produce, but mine were done in less than half an hour. It sounds like the techs may have "bugged up" your machine with all their tinkering. You are correct that having the factory produced recovery disks may be a better solution for your problems. If the disk set is not functional there is a better than even chance HP will send you the recovery set at no charge. Did the techs create a new restore point BEFORE they started messing around? You could "restore" to a point prior to them getting involved to try to solve the IE problem. After all the tinkering I think I would want the factory disk set and would immediately "recover" my machine to factory new and start over. (I actually had to do this to mine when I did something to mess up MS Media Player. It was quicker and easier to recover the machine than to search for a solution).

You would think that some of these companies would get the message that call centers manned by non-tech types who's first language is NOT english is hurting their image. It is not just HP, it is all the major players that are doing this. Any company that decides to hire within the U.S., and has true technicians will immediately get my future business. Back in the computer stone age I was a very loyal Compaq customer. At that time the tech support phones were answered by systems engineers. One call and the problem was solved, no reading from a script, no escalating to a higher level, the tech handled it quickly and efficiently. Oh for the good ole' days! After Compaq was bought by HP and could no longer fill my needs I tried a Dell desktop machine. Wonderful machine, but lousy support. In fact that 6 year old Dell is still in use today and going strong. I needed to call Dell Support on only one occasion. Of course I got answered by someone who's first language was NOT english. He read from a script and seemed to have absoulutely no technical expertise. His final answer to solve my problem was to run the recovery disk and bring the machine back to factory fresh. That seemed unacceptable to me and I refused to do it. It took a couple of days, but I found the solution on my own and corrected the fault (a software problem). It would have taken much longer to reinstall all the software and back up the data than to find the solution.

I'm rambling on, sorry. Let me know if you have any luck in finding a driver for your printer.

[Padraig]

Actually, Tom, I was wrong in giving you the connection between the wired desktop and printer . . . the printer is hooked directly into the computer.

The terms are a little confusing to me now since I have a desktop, printer (both wired), and a wireless laptop . . . to me, this seems to be a network, though it appears they won't interact as I was hoping.

I have Vista Premium Edition, but 64 Bit. I was able to find the Sharp AL-1641CS printer driver for Vista, but at 32 Bit.

Are you aware of any way in which the combination I have can share between themselves? Is it possible that I could access a folder on my desktop, e.g., from my laptop? If I could, I would then be able to transfer files to my desktop and print from there? That would be my goal since there is no driver available from Sharp at this time.

FYI, I finally got my recovery discs completed, but by the time I got that finished and downloaded/installed Norton, it was after 1:30 am. I began this morning by installing Office 2007, but had to download service packs, etc., and ended up downloading/installing over 400 MG.

I'm trying to install Netdrive to access our network at school, but receive a statement that part of what I was downloading was blocked. I allowed access to that site and am now at a loss of what to try next. One of the features the school allows besides Netdrive is "remote access." I can access it on my desktop, but when I try on the new laptop I appear to go in circles . . . . Netdrive and remote take me to the same place, just different ways of getting there. I keep getting a popup message stating that I need a USERID and PASSWORD, which of course works on my desktop but not here.

And finally, I purchased an HP wireless mouse for my laptop . . . it sure isn't working very well. In fact, when the tech from India took over my computer, he kept telling me NOT to touch anything . . . . I said I wasn't. Of course, I knew he was watching the cursor move all over the screen even though I wasn't touching it. Is this a common problem? just need to return the mouse for a new one? maybe a more expensive one?

Thanks again for your great input.

Pat

[KazooTom]

I also have a wireless mouse, Microsoft, and had initial problems. There is a small button on the bottom of the mouse, and another on the bottom of the USB part. Push the mouse button, you may need a pen or paper clip to do it, and then push the button on the USB insert. Both will flash a bit, hold the mouse in very close proximity to the USB insert. The flashing will stop and they should communicate with each other properly. I also noticed some strange activity when my first battery (in the mouse) began getting weak. A fresh battery and all was fine again.

You will probably find more incompatibility with programs and hardware using 64 bit Vista than with 32 bit. The problems are not insurmountable. I would give the printer driver a try anyway.

To network your two computers you will need some sort of router for best performance. Get a wireless router that also has a few wired ports, you could also use a completely wired router but you loose the freedom of your wireless connection to the laptop.  Connect the desktop to one of the wired ports, the laptop can connect either wired or wireless, your choice. If you have never set up a network before it would be helpful to have someone with network experience to assist you. Your internet connection is placed between the router and the internet, like a cable modem for example. This of course, assumes (I know!) that you are not accessing the internet through a dial up connection. Once both computers are connected to the network and each can access the internet they should be able to communicate with each other. It is then a simple matter to set the printer and as many directories on the old machine to be shared by the network. Once set to share, the laptop should be able to access any of them and print to the printer through the network, provided a Vista driver is available and working. This would also give you the ability to transfer your files to the desktop machine and print as you have described.

Setting up your home network sounds more complicated than it really is. Once set up it should be stable and reliable for a good long time. You will actually need to set up a workgroup name and individual computer names. It really isn't that hard, once your experienced it for the first time.

For the problems installing your Netdrive to function with your school's network, you should probably as your school IT people to give you a hand. When you try to connect your computer will broadcast a unique ID. Your IT dept. may need to set special permissions for your computer to access the network. Or it may be that the software is simply not compatible with your computer. If you are trying to access your network wirelessly at school there is probably a unique USERID and PASSWORD needed to enter the network. You will then have to provide your personal USERID and PASSWORD to access your personal account on the network. The wireless sign-on would be to prevent people like me accessing the network and using valuable network resources.

[Padraig]

Hi Tom, and thanks again for the extensive response . . . I'm beginning to feel guilty about taking too much of your time. Please know that it's appreciated.

1. The mouse. I inserted new batteries AND moved a regular mouse pad under it (I was using a notebook with a shiny cover) . . . it now appears to be working fine.

2. I do have a Netgear router . . . 2nd most expensive one they had. There are four slots available to me . . . actually three since I'm already using one. I'll some research on the networking; I just might be able to figure it out.  As I go back and read your note, it appears I've done everything EXCEPT set up the directories. You don't by chance know a website that would take you through setting up directories step by step, do you? I think if I can do this, I will have it made.

3. I will follow your advice in contacting our local tech support for remote access.

Thank you again, Tom,

Pat

[KazooTom]

No need to feel the least bit guilty. I enjoy participating in these forums and helping where I am able. If I didn't have the time to spare I wouldn't be here.

Setting up sharing on your xp machine is super simple.  Using windows explorer simply right click on the directory, file or drive you want to share. A pop-up menu will appear. One of the choices is sharing, choose it and tell it to share. You will need to give the directory a share name. It is essentially the same in Vista. After setting the sharing up on one of the computers open up your network dialog with the other computer and see if the files or directories show up. You can also set it up that a password is needed to access any files in a shared directory to provide an additional level of protection.

On my Vista machine I have set only the "public" directory to be shared across the network. On the other machines only specific directories are set to share. Hopefully all other directories are secure. If your network is set correctly each computer should be able to see each other. On the Vista machine you may need to make sure "network discovery" is turned on in the "Network and Sharing Center". Click the start button and type "network" in the search box to quickly get to the Network and Sharing Center.

[Padraig]

Thanks, Tom . . . I'm very excited about your post. I just copied and sent it to my email so I can print if off on my desktop. I'll try it tonight, I think.

I think I told you that I teach online college classes?? Anyway, with my 17 inch screen I discovered that I can easily manage four chat rooms at the same time . . . I wondered if I had gone overboard with this size monitor, but I'm loving it. I can set up two columns with two chat rooms in each (I have four classes this semester and my office hours are online as well . . . I figured chat rooms provide the easiest and quickest access for my students).

Anyway, I'll let you know how successful I am . . . or rather, how "good your explanation was." :-)

Pat

[Padraig]

So here's the deal, Tom. I had NO problems setting up the sharing on the XP side; however, when I go the my new machine with VISTA I don't seem to be able to complete the process. Here's what I get:

I set everything up on my desktop and when I go to  Network on my laptop, I have access to the files on that machine.

I "tried" to set everything up on my laptop but . . . . this is what I see for my settings:

Network Discovery - ON

File Sharing - ON

Public Folder share - ON

Password Protection- ON (I'm confused here because I never set up a password and can't figure out how)

then under Network Folders I see both the laptop and my desktop icons

I click on the laptop icon, click on Public folder and I get a popup asking me to choose people I wish to share with. At this point I have two options: administrator and everyone. When I set up the workgroup on the desktop, I called it PATSOFFICE. Shouldn't that be my option? it doesn't appear.

I feel like I'm SOOOOOO close, Tom . . . there must be one little thing I'm missing.

Please help!

Pat

[KazooTom]

The workgroup name on both machines must match. It is case sensitive so if it is PATSOFFICE (all caps) it MUST be all caps on both machines. Try turning password protection off and see if you can access the areas you want. As far as access names, mine is set to everyone, with ability to change and delete files. My network is secure and I am not concerned about hackers gaining access. Patsoffice is simply the workgroup name and not the name of any individual you wish to share with as asked by the dialog. It is actually asking for user names to grant access to. Set it to everyone and you will have no problems.

To check and possibly change the workgroup name on the Vista machine go to Control Panel - System and Maintenance - System. Scroll down the page to see your computer name and workgroup name. If the workgroup name is not correct you will see an option to change settings to the right. Select change and then click the change button. You can then change the workgroup name if needed.

Check your private messages too!