Printing to WinXP through a USB port.

[kanga85]

Thanks Bob,

I managed to install the DeskJet 710c through LPT1: by using the appropriate download, and then apply the patch (Access denied.   Need administrator approval!   Why does Win7 have such horendous security for a 'home' computer.   I have been in computing since ~1975 and I have never had a security problem - apparently Windows have now decided that I will!).   In any case I manually copied the hpvdb720.dll file and pasted it into the corrected ...\x64\3 folder, overwriting a file of the same name already there.

I still cannot print!   I guess that I will now have to check my cables, and I will look for an upgrade to the driver(s) for my PCI Serial Port when I find out it's manufacturer.  

Thanks anyway.   It is nice to find someone who knows what they are doing, and comforting to us out in the big wide world.

[Bob_Headrick]

The security is tighter in Vista and Windows 7 than in previous versions of Windows to eleminate some of the issues that *are* out there.  You have been lucky so far....  

Back to the printer issue - just to make it clear, how is the 710 currently connected to the computer.  Do you have a USB-parallel cable or are you plugging into a PCI card with a parallel port? The 710 would not use a serial port.

[kanga85]

Bob,

I have tried both methods and both fail.   But I will need to try a new  Printer to USB cable as I have failed to get a connection when the printer has been linked (through USB) to a WinXP machine.   I bought this cable (Printer to USB) new a month ago, but I have not got it to work on any of my printers or on any of my machines so I must assume that it is faulty.   

I also need to update the drivers for the PCI card (parallel) in my Win7 machine as I am not sure that the people who fitted me with a new motherboard a month ago have got this correct.   I don't know the manufacturer of this card, and will need to contact my computer people here.

So I have ways to go.   Tomorrow is a holiday in Australia, but hopefully be Tuesday I will be able to report back successfully.

But one futher question.   If I get the the Deskjet working on my WIN7 machine, and then find it on the network with my XP machine, what drivers do I need on my XP system to print via the net work to the Deskjet on WIN7?    XP drivers, which I already have on the XP machine, or downloaded WIN7 drivers?

Thanks

[kanga85]

Bob,

Because I could not find out the manufacture of my PCI card, I took the computer back to the supplier/builder, and they upgraded the driver to the PCI card.   Windows 7  then found the DeskJet through the LPT1: port, installed the drivers automatically, and is now printing to it.   This solves my biggest problem.

   They claim that the printer to USB cable was ok, but I still cannot get it to work with any of my printers, either to XP or Win7.   I also cannot get my network to find the DeskJet 710C on Win7.   These other computers run XP.

I don't know what drivers I need on these XP machines to talk to a networked Win7 machine.

Microsoft say that Win7 does NOT support a HP LaserJet 5P printer, which I have connected to a XP machine.   I certainly cannot print to it from my WIN7 machine, but my daughter can (Win7, via our network).   She doesn't know how she does it, "It just works".

Thanks for any further advice you can provide.

[Bob_Headrick · Accepted solution]

OK, it sounds like you are making some progress.

My experience (and that of others I have seen post) has been rather spotty with USB-parallel converters, I have seen many cases where they just do not work.

For your XP machine you will need to use the XP driver.  You can use a similar method as I mentioned before, on the XP machine add a printer as if it is a local port and make a port \\windows7machine\dj720 or whatever the correct computer and printer names are.  The post here may help.

I m not sure what the issue is for your Laserjet 5P.  I have the 5P available in "Add Printer" after doing a windows update.  It is a bit hard to find - under manufacturer HP (not Hewlett-Packard) scroll down the printer list past the Laserjet 5, past the Laserjet 5000, 5100 and 5200  models and then there are additional Laserjet 5 models: 5M, 5MP, 5N and then 5P.

[kanga85]

Thanks Bob,

I now have all computers printing to the LaserJet 5P, but only the one (Win7) printing to the DeskJet 710C, to which it is attached.

I think that my problem is now a network problem, getting the XP1, XP2, and XP3 machines to talk to the Win7.

All my machines talk to the internet via my network '12Net'.   The Win7 machine is hooked to the wireless router via an ethernet cable, the other computers wirelessly link to it.  

Win7 has Homegroup, which I have never played with.   It has a password that I haven't touched, but the box 'Share Printers' is ticked.   This computer finds all other computers on 12Net, and prints to the LaserJet on XP1.

The XP machines all run 12 Net.   The 'Workgroup' is 'MSHome', by default - I have never touched MSHome and it has no password.   In 'Wireless Network connection' , the 'Client for Microsoft Networks', and the 'File & Printer Sharing' boxes are ticked.   But the XP machines refuse to talk to the printer on Win7.  

Do I need to do something to make the Win7 network consistent with the XP one?

Thanks.

[kanga85]

Bob,

I think I have now sorted out my networking problems, and my printers are working.   I found:

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-7/share-files-and-printers-between-windows-7-and-xp/

useful, and once I had got the network sorted out, the XP machines automatically found the printer attached to the Win7 machine.

Thank you very much for all your help.