I have a new windows vista desktop (windows home premium 32 bit). I have it
set up to share file/folders with my laptop which is running XP home. Both
machines can see each others files and can make changes to those files. I
attached a Dell A920 all in one printer to the vista machine and the pc took
over and went and found/installed whatever driver it needed and I can print
from the vista machine to the directly attached printer. I have the printer
set up to share on the network. ie. printer sharing on, password protection
off. However, when I open a document on the laptop xp machine and click
print--it showes me the printer on the vista machine (the path lines up with
the exact name I gave the shared printer)- but I get a message saying that
"can't communicate with printer".

Is there something with the laptop being XP and the printer being hooked to
a vista machine? Before I had the vista machine, my previous desktop was an
XP machine with the same printer attached to it and the laptop could use the
printer thru the network.

carl43m wrote:

I have a new windows vista desktop (windows home premium 32 bit). I have
it
set up to share file/folders with my laptop which is running XP home.
Both
machines can see each others files and can make changes to those files. I
attached a Dell A920 all in one printer to the vista machine and the pc
took over and went and found/installed whatever driver it needed and I can
print
from the vista machine to the directly attached printer. I have the
printer set up to share on the network. ie. printer sharing on, password
protection
off. However, when I open a document on the laptop xp machine and click
print--it showes me the printer on the vista machine (the path lines up
with the exact name I gave the shared printer)- but I get a message saying
that "can't communicate with printer".

Is there something with the laptop being XP and the printer being hooked
to
a vista machine? Before I had the vista machine, my previous desktop was
an XP machine with the same printer attached to it and the laptop could
use the printer thru the network.

If you have a CD for the printer, put it in the XP machine and install the
drivers. The printer should be seen during the driver installation routine.
If you don't have a CD for the printer, go to Dell's website and download
XP drivers for the printer. Install them on the XP machine.

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
Don't Panic!

The laptop already has the software/drivers for the printer on it. This pc
was shared with a different desktop that also ran XP and the laptop could
always use the printer thru the other pc. It was only after I hooked the
printer to the vista system that the xp laptop could no longer do this. The
printer attached to desktop can be seen on the laptop, that is not a
problem--the problem is when I click to print it says it can't communicate
with the printer.

"Malke" wrote:

carl43m wrote:

I have a new windows vista desktop (windows home premium 32 bit). I have
it
set up to share file/folders with my laptop which is running XP home.
Both
machines can see each others files and can make changes to those files. I
attached a Dell A920 all in one printer to the vista machine and the pc
took over and went and found/installed whatever driver it needed and I can
print
from the vista machine to the directly attached printer. I have the
printer set up to share on the network. ie. printer sharing on, password
protection
off. However, when I open a document on the laptop xp machine and click
print--it showes me the printer on the vista machine (the path lines up
with the exact name I gave the shared printer)- but I get a message saying
that "can't communicate with printer".

Is there something with the laptop being XP and the printer being hooked
to
a vista machine? Before I had the vista machine, my previous desktop was
an XP machine with the same printer attached to it and the laptop could
use the printer thru the network.

If you have a CD for the printer, put it in the XP machine and install the
drivers. The printer should be seen during the driver installation routine.
If you don't have a CD for the printer, go to Dell's website and download
XP drivers for the printer. Install them on the XP machine.

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
Don't Panic!

carl43m wrote:

The laptop already has the software/drivers for the printer on it. This
pc was shared with a different desktop that also ran XP and the laptop
could
always use the printer thru the other pc. It was only after I hooked the
printer to the vista system that the xp laptop could no longer do this.
The printer attached to desktop can be seen on the laptop, that is not a
problem--the problem is when I click to print it says it can't communicate
with the printer.

Because you've changed the location of the printer. If the printer is
installed on the XP box, uninstall it and reinstall it.

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
Don't Panic!