Networking a Printer various Wins

[abrogard]

I have win10, win7 and winXP on our home LAN.

I have XP because I have a printer that needs XP: no drivers available for any other brand of Windows: a Laserjet 3150. So the printer hangs off that PC as a local printer.

Now I think if I want to access it across the network from these other machines I have to do 'install printer' on each of them, right? If I remember right. And that means they'll look for drivers and won't find them. So I'm predicting it won't work.

But I should be able to access that printer across the network as a printer server, shouldn't I? So's that pc does the processing of the file and prints it.

That right?

If it is right, how do I implement it?

 

[ussnorway]

ime wx is a deal breaker... xp, w7 and w8 can all play nice across a network when it comes to printers http://www.tp-link.com.au/print-server.html?url=http://static.tp-link.com/resources/compatible/Print-Server/Print_Server_Compatibility_List_140314.xls

I use a cheap brother HL-1210W on my home network but all network printers turn themselves off and this makes issues for XP... imo the fact that it plugs into the router and sits outside windows (7, 8, 8.1 & wx) is the best option for multi-system HOME networks

to be clear, replace my HL-1210W with whatever brand floats your boat... it's the router that does most the work with a network printer anyway.

 

[abrogard]

thanks for the response. but i'm not sure what you're talking about. what is 'wx' ? what plugs into the router - the printer? what's the compatibility list? to what does it refer? some print server - which/what print server? HP3150 isn't on the list anyway but I'd like to know.

the hp3150 never turns itself off, it seems. (I've only had it a couple of days).

 

[ussnorway]

• wx = windows ten.
• yes you plug a network printer into the router... the point is that windows does not have dirrect control over the printer i.e, printer works without turning the computer on unlike the hp3150 that needs the XP system to make it go.
  
• the compatibility list is all the printers that have been tested to work with that router driver... printers not on that list MAY still work but those are the ones that the company tested.
• a print server is the software or hardware that sends info to the printer and tracks the results.
• the hp3150 printer does not have a driver for windows 7, 8 or 10... modern network printers will all turn themselves off, thats why you won't find one that has an XP driver.

if it was me, I'd keep the XP with its old hp printer then grab a cheap network printer for the others to use because its tip cheaper to get a new printer than keep older printers running

 

[BIGBEARJEDI]

What Norway said is good. Your printer is 8 years old soon to be 9 years old; at that time it sold for $349.99. Today, there are faster aio printers for a fraction of the cost that come with W10 (or WX) drivers for $48-$75. It sounds like you picked up that printer at a yard sale or thrift store and threw it onto your home network without being aware of the issues with newer versions of windows and really old printers (XP-era). Norway gave you some good options here; but personally I'd also junk that printer and get something new for your network. Also, you have to buy and replace 2 different sets of inks for 2 different printers. That's annoying. However, if your brand new W10 printer breaks or runs out of ink, you can at least print from the dinosaur printer from one of the older windows PCs you have in an emergency. I have customers who keep dino printers on their home networks for just this reason.

<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>

 

[abrogard]

• wx = windows ten.
• yes you plug a network printer into the router... the point is that windows does not have dirrect control over the printer i.e, printer works without turning the computer on unlike the hp3150 that needs the XP system to make it go.
  
• the compatibility list is all the printers that have been tested to work with that router driver... printers not on that list MAY still work but those are the ones that the company tested.
• a print server is the software or hardware that sends info to the printer and tracks the results.
• the hp3150 printer does not have a driver for windows 7, 8 or 10... modern network printers will all turn themselves off, thats why you won't find one that has an XP driver.

if it was me, I'd keep the XP with its old hp printer then grab a cheap network printer for the others to use because its tip cheaper to get a new printer than keep older printers running

.Ah.... WX=win10. I should have seen it. thanks.

. i didn't know about plugging printers into a router. never had such a printer.

. pointless me trying it on the router because it needs a computer?

. I have been thinking of a print server as a location where all the print processing is done - rather than local software processing the file and sending print instructions to the printer across the network I'm thinking of the local computer sending the file across the network directly to the 'print server' where it gets processed.

That's what I was querying. Reading between the lines it seems you're saying no such ability exists. For a windows lan to drive a local printer.

I think you're saying such an ability/function exists but it works with modern printers that are plugged into the router. Interesting alright but doesn't help my configuration, just points to a new configuration/hardware/software i could get.

. i know it doesn't have the drivers. that's where i came in.

Yes, I'll keep it alright. But i won't grab a cheap network printer for the others to use unless you can point me to something that really works and is cost effective. I'll use the sneakernet, I guess. Or perhaps teamviewer. I'll send files across the net to the XP machine and either walk over there (it's in the workshed) and print or teamview and print. Might as well walk there, got to walk there to pick up the paper anyway.

My take on it is that modern printers are a simple con, costing more than they're worth in inks which is what they're really selling. And made too flimsy to last. I hate 'em.

Old office laserjets and such last for decades and do prodigious work and can be got very cheaply to date and in light of what you're telling me they're suddenly going to become throw away items. I love them. No, doesn't cost a fortune to keep them running. I dispute that. What I've been saying. Quite the contrary. Run for years on nothing.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Jimbo22]

. i didn't know about plugging printers into a router. never had such a printer

\
It's really not the printer per se but the fact that is has a LAN port built onto/into it. Then all you do is plug an ethernet cable from printer LAN port to router LAN port.

 

[abrogard]

Yes. Thanks.
I'm getting further into the manual.

Apparently there is or used to be a 'Jetdirect Print Server' which it can plug into and which itself I'd assume plugs into a router.

I wonder if they're still around and what they'd cost....

They also seem to think it can be shared across a network simply by using windows sharing - and kinda give the impression you could do with other computers not having XP - because they state the one with the printer must have XP.

And they say doing it that way the other computers wouldn't get any notifications of print progress, they'd just send the job off and have to assume it got done. Well that's the way it used to be in the old days on the minicomputer.

I might get somewhere if I keep looking. Find some people with HP background.

 

[ussnorway]

Pointless details you can skip

Windows devices (including printers) come in three basic types,

Local: a local device is one that the operating system has complete control over. Traditionally these are the internal parts like the keyboard and the hard drives but it can now include many USB options like a phone or camera and even wifi devices like a mouse.

In simple terms a local device only takes orders from that system and other people can't use it from the outside.

Network: all network devices have their own ip address ie, 192.168.0.5 and can have a name like nibbithost or a "share"... In the XP days a network device was on or off (at the power switch) and could only take basic instructions one at a time.

Wifi: a wifi or Bluetooth is a mix of the other two that can have almost anything talking to it like phones, harddrive, speakers, a tv or even a car but a secure one will first ask for a username and password... Wifi needs Windows 7 and above but Microsoft is losing the market control fast.

Be aware that manuals made for XP will assume that all printers are local, the only type of windows computer is XP and networks are the simple dot one networks that has not been used in 15 years and in fact windows systems after 7 no longer support
...
more power to you and best of luck with it mate.

 

[BIGBEARJEDI]

Oh yeah, the JetDirect's also cost $150-$300 back in the day; and that's more than the cost of a brand new laserjet b&w printer that can plug into the router and work with Windows versions XP-W10. And, it takes a networking expert to manage one; I had about 20 of them on my network when I had 90 printers on an XP-based network. And as Norway said, the JetDirect's have no support for OSes W7/W8x/W10, so another fail there. I will agree that using 10-15 year-old laser printers are great, and they were much more bulletproof than any made today. The problem is they don't last forever, and eventually will die. At some point you'll have to replace them. Guess you could buy them on ebay or online aftermarket sites, but that's a crapshoot as the ones I've bought for my network over the years at extreme discount are usually junk and cost more to keep running than the original priced they were purchased for. If you have the time, effort, and money to keep one or more of those guys running--best of luck with that.

Cheers!
<<<BBJ>>>