Printer Problem

[PCandNetworking]

I installed a HP LaserJet 6L on a WinXP Pro machine, and shared it out for other users. It works great on the XP machine, and any 2000, and 98 machines printing to it, but NT 4.0 users can not even add this printer! It says when trying to setup the network printer, that the host machine does not have a driver for your computer, and you must install the driver locally. Here is what I have done:

#1 - Tried unsuccessfully to install the driver on the WinXP machine under additional drivers. It tells me it's not a compatible driver.

#2 - Tried unsuccessfully to install the driver to the NT 4.0 machine, again it tells me that it's not a compatible driver.

I've downloaded the drivers from HP, and used Administrator level access to try to install the network printer.

Also, I've tried this with several NT 4.0 machines to confirm that it's not just 1 machine that is giving me this problem.

Any one have any ideas on what to do next?

 

[Lonman]

Do the NT machines see the printer as a shared resource? If so, go ahead and click on it and when it asks for the drivers, point it in the direction of the NT driver folder... It should pick up on it and install it for you automatically. If they won't accept one set of drivers, try it with all that are available or experiment with some of the inbuilt ones from the LaserJet family (4L, 4P, etc), you might get lucky.

 

[PCandNetworking]

Originally posted by Lonman
Do the NT machines see the printer as a shared resource? If so, go ahead and click on it and when it asks for the drivers, point it in the direction of the NT driver folder... It should pick up on it and install it for you automatically. If they won't accept one set of drivers, try it with all that are available or experiment with some of the inbuilt ones from the LaserJet family (4L, 4P, etc), you might get lucky.

That didn't work either. I have 4 NT workstations that need to print to it also.

 

[Lonman]

What about putting the printer on one of the NT machines and sharing it from one of them?

 

[PCandNetworking]

Originally posted by Lonman
What about putting the printer on one of the NT machines and sharing it from one of them?

That would work, but I would have to move it to another area, which would defeat the purpose of the printer being where it is. Hmmm.. I have a old PC I can use as a dedicated Print Server for it, that maybe what I'll end up doing. Thanks for you input.

 

[PCandNetworking]

To all that is interested, I've found the solution for printing from a Windows NT machine to a Network Printer on a Windows XP machine.


Step #1 - Install the printer like normal on your Windows XP Machine, and share it out!

Step #2 - On the Windows NT machine that needs to use that printer as a Network Printer:

Install the Printer as a LOCAL PRINTER, and Create a New Port, the TYPE being LOCAL PORT, and then type in the following format: \\PrintServer\ShareName

Step #3 - Continue will installing the correct WINNT driver for the printer.

YOUR DONE!

Your simply acting as if the PRINTER is on the Windows NT machine by installing it as a LOCAL PRINTER, but then your redirecting the print job to the Windows XP machine.