Windows 7 Need to Print from Laptop to Desktop Printer via WiFi

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wilhelm1

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Both machines are Win7 and both are on the same network. How can I print from the Lap to the Desk printer? At one time, I believe I was able to do this. .
 
Solution
You need to get the install utility for your printer install it on the lap top. When you get the proper setup utility it should ask you if the printer is local or on the network. The utility should them search your network for the printer and do the setup for you.
I have a Canon at home and HP laser and Lexmark laser at church and they were able to install via the utility to all the PCs wired and wireless.
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. I just disconnected the Ethernet cable from the Printer to the Router and moved the usb cable from the computer and connected it to the router. Will see what happens now? No sparks so far. Be right back

Needed to hookup Ethernet cable back up as without it printer was off line. hooked it to Router

Going to check the Laptop now . Nothing different. Still no go

Back to square one.
 
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Thanks Trouble. Going to give it up for now
Beginning to think this printer has to be hooked up by Ethernet cable or usb with no WiFi capability
 
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You've already said that you had, had the printer connected to the router through Ethernet, same as your desktop.
That should be sufficient as long as the router has wifi capabilities then you should be able to use it on the network.
My concern is that it does not seem to be getting an IP address from the router that corresponds to the network scheme of your desktop and I would assume, your laptop.
It might be worth your while to just reset the printer's network configuration back to factory defaults and see if that helps.

To reset to factory defaults
1 On the control panel of the HP all-in-one, press the Setup button.
2 Press 8, and then press 2.
This displays the Network menu and then selects Restore Network Defaults.
3 Press 1 to confirm.

SOURCE: Page 17 of the printer manual.
 
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And it does not need to be wifi enabled, no more than your desktop needs to be wifi to communicate with your laptop which is.
The wireless router handles that. Please read and see the picture / diagram on page 10 of the attached manual.
 

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I see what you are saying. By going into the router with the Ethernet cable that should let me communicate with the laptop just as I am able to go thru the Router. Right? I more than likely am not making any sense.
 
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yes that is correct.
It seems that on page 3 of that same document that switching from USB to a network connection is a little more awkward than it should be though.
Evidently it involves (oddly enough) reinstalling the software again with the USB cable disconnected. My HP printer (which is wireless) does not require those extra steps, the HP software itself will let you switch between the two.
Perhaps it is because yours is a wired printer that it requires the process to be done over again. I am not sure.
Whatever the case may be it does not seem to support having both the USB and the Ethernet connected simultaneously.
 
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Okay, I am going to try it with the Ethernet cable only and then with the USB only. See if I can get it going. Going to watch some football see ya later. Thanks
 
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@Trouble I have not given up. Was reading some things and what I gathered is the Default Gateway Address is not the same as my IP Address. Am I right ? Right now I have to much on my plate here at home to get it done, Will be back later to tackle the problem. Thanks for your help so far. Bill
 
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The default gateway address...
1. Will never be the same as your IP address
AND
2. Has very little to do with anything happening on your local network. It mainly comes into play when you want to exit your local area network and go elsewhere, like the web.
Think of it like a gate in the fence around your yard. You can interact with everything inside your yard ( local area network) without exiting through the gate. But....
If you want to walk down the street and talk to a neighbor you have to leave your yard through the gate. So.....
Don't worry to much about the Default Gateway at this point, the 192.168.1.1 address you've noted is correct and accurate and is the address of the inside edge of your Router, so you're good.
My concern is that your printer did not seem to be getting an IP address from that same Router and that is why I suggested, perhaps resetting the printer's network settings, from the printer's panel.
 
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I am only guessing here, but ......
As I have noted earlier it seems that that printer does not support using both the USB cable and the Ethernet connection at the same time.
So it may be a case of needing to disconnect the USB cable, reset the printer's network configuration at the printer's panel in order to get the Ethernet Connection to work at all.
It may ignore the one (Ethernet) if the other (USB) is in use.
I reiterate.... just a guess.
 
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Really this stuff is getting real enjoyable as I learn it. Shame I did not get an opportunity to learn anything about computers. What I just did is as follows. Trying to open the GATE. Did a ping on 169.254.288.15 should that have been .1.5. ?
The returns were Desktop 192.168.1.2 Unreachable, Laptop 192.168.1.4 Unreachable. Is this meaningful? What to do next.
 
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One of things that may be making your problem confusing is that at some point you had both USB and Ethernet cable connected to the router.
You need to only have one or the other connected. The one you have connected will determine how the printer talks to the router. It will either be via USB or via Ethernet. If via USB there will not be a valid IP address, if via Ethernet it should be in the range of the IP address on your router. Such as 192.168.XXX.XXX.
As an example my router is set to 192.168.0.1, so my printer has a IP of 192.168.0.134.
 
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Okay, I have 1 Ethernet connection on my Desktop and several USB connections. How about this: I hook the Ethernet cable from the Printer to the Desktop and the USB connector from the Desktop to the Router? Should that work?

Minutes later, guess what I found 7 Ethernet cable in the drawer and not 1 unused USB Cable. That test will have to wait til I get one.

Sorry I miscounted it is more like 10 Ethernet cables
 
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No absolutely not.
Just leave the USB Printer Cable in the drawer somewhere and leave the desktop connected to the router and leave the printer connected with the Ethernet cable to the router and reset the printers network back to factory and then restart the printer and then print a network configuration page to see if it is getting an IP address from the DCHP server (which is the router).
 
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Guess what? I found my Network Guide and I found my HP disk. On page 7 of the network guide, it shows a Printer hooked up to the Router. A DSL or Modem out of the Router and picking up www. Is there something missing in that photo? If that is correct, why do I need a cable from my Desktop (hard wire) to the Router? I think I need a cable hooked up.

Talk about an old printer, the Copy Right is 2004 and only goes up to XP. Thought printer was about 4 years old.
 
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wilhelm1 said:
why do I need a cable from my Desktop (hard wire) to the Router?
Click to expand...
The only cable that should be going from the desktop to the router is the same type of cable that should be going from the printer to the router.
They are typically Cat 5 Ethernet Cables and that's what makes a network, work.
No cable from Desktop to Printer.
The router switch ports are what makes everything communicate with each other over the network.
 
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I now have a printer that will print on the Desktop and on the Laptop. Took a long time to get it going. Read a lot and had a lot of help from Trouble, Thanks. One funny thing happened, when I tried to install the printer using the original disk is did not like that.
 
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