Windows 7 Printer networked with Windows 7 and XP computers works only on Windows 7 computer

In Vista, add a network printer, there's a choice to select a shared printer by name, example: \\computername\printername or add a printer using a TCP/IP address or hostname. If I select shared printer by name and type \\192.168.1.nnn\printersharename I get the message "Windows cannot connect to the printer. Make sure that you have typed the name correctly, and the printer is connected to network." If I type \\computername\printersharename I get the same message. If I select add a printer using a TCP/IP address or hostname I can only type 192.168.1.nnn, it will not take anything else. When I hit next it says it's contacting printer, then detecting TCP/IP Port then I get a message Additional Port Information Required; the device is not found on the network. Be sure that: 1. the device is turned on. 2. The network is connected. 3. The device is properly configured. 4. The address on the previous page is correct. The screen asks for Device Type and Standard and Generic Network Card is already selected. I hit next. Screens says detecting the driver model. Next screen is install the printer driver. I select Eastman Kodak and 5100 AiO and hit next. next screen use the driver that is currently installed (recommended) is already selected. I hit next. Next screen says type a printer name and Kodak 5100 is already in the printer name space, I retype kaio which is the name of the shared printer. Screen says this printer will be installed with the kodak 5100 AiO driver. I hit next. Says installing printer. Next screen say you've successfully added kaio. I hit print a test page and i get the message network connection error, make sure a firewall is not blocking access to the printer. I have uninstalled all of Norton using your link and I have also uninstalled the microsoft security essentials software (or whatever it was called) that I downloaded with your link. That pretty much sums it up. I really don't know what else to do at this point. Thanks for any help.
 
OK, let's see if we can head fake it by doing a local printer work around.
Some of the following may vary because we're dealing with VISTA and I don't have a Vista Machine up and running right now, but the should be pretty close
Open Devices and Printers
Select add printer near the top menu bar
Select add local printer
Choose Create a new port and local port from drop down arrow Click Next
In the enter a port name do one of the following
1. \\MachineNameHostingPrinter\Printer'sShareName or
2. \\ipaddressOfMachineHostingPrinter\Printer'sShareName
In the install printer driver dialog box do one of the following
1. In the left panel select your printer manufacturer and in the right panel select your printer model (to use Win7 native drivers) or
2. Select the have disk button and direct the install process to the folder where you have download and extracted the Win 7 drivers for your printer.
If that doesn't work post back and I will see if I can find some reference notes I have around regarding a Vista to Win7 printer issue specifically.
 
should i have Win 7 printer drivers on the Vista machine? i've downloaded the updated Vista drivers but have not downloaded the Win 7 drivers to the Vista machine?
 
No, the Vista machine may very well require the HP drivers for that printer, that are specifically designed for the Vista operating system, or it may have embedded drivers that will work, of it may be able to just use the Win7 printer drivers from the Windows 7 machine. I personally would see if HP has drivers for that printer for Vista and note 32bit or 64bit will probably be different.
 
Yes, I've actually seen that before and for some reason it only involved a Vista machine trying to access a printer shared from a Windows 7 machine. Here's what we had to do to get around it, I don't know why for sure, but it seems to do the trick, try the following and then see if you can successfully add the port, and keep us posted.
On the Windows7 machine hosting the shared printer
Go here C:\Windows\System32\spool
Right click on the PRINTERS folder and choose properties
Go to the sharing tab and then click the advanced sharing button
Check the box that says "Share this folder"
Then click the permissions button
Make sure "Everyone" is selected in the top frame and
In the bottom frame check the box for full control under the allow column
Click OK
Click OK again
Now under the Security Tab
Click the Edit button under the top frame
In the next dialog box that appears select the add button
In the next dialog box that appears select advanced button
In the next dialog box the appears select the find now button
In the bottom frame choose "NETWORK" and click OK
then click OK again on the box that you go back to
And then on the next box you go back to click to select "NETWORK" which you just added in the top frame
And check the box for full control under the allow column in the bottom frame
You will probably get a security warning, just click yes
And then you'll go back to the properties box, just click close.
You may have to reboot, not sure. Won't hurt
Now see if you can add the local printer port from the vista machine as you tried before
 
Hi. I have not yet been able to try your above instructions regarding the laptop. Hope to accomplish that in the next few days. I am writing because I am not able to print from the XP machine, even though we configured it and it was working at last attempt. When I try to print from the XP I get a message "unable to start print job." and when I go into the printer screen the status is unable to connect. The printer and the Window 7 Machine are on and functioning properly. Any advice?
 
First, double check the setting on the host machine (Windows 7 with shared printer), check to see if you may have changed anything in your attempt to get the Vista Machine Printing. Second on the Windows 7 machine delete everything in the spool queue. Just double click the printer inside printers and devices and see if there are any documents pending. Third restart the spooler service on the Windows 7 machine. Type services.msc into the search box or run dialog box and when the services console opens up scroll down to print spooler right click and restart.
 
If none of that works, make sure you double check the IP address of the Win7, machine, I don't remember if you used the ip or host name when setting up the printer originally, but if either has changed then that's the problem and you can address it either of two ways.
Get the information on the new IP address or host name, delete the printer on the XP machine and reinstall it with the new information.
Second you should probably manually assign a static value for the ip address of the Win7 machine so it doesn't happen to you again in the future if you need help in doing so post back.
 
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