I have a desktop PC hooked up to a linksys wireless router. A printer is also connected to the desktop PC through a parallel connection.

I have 2 laptops that access the network through wireless. Is there anyway I can set up the laptops to detect the printer so they can print to it?

Thanks

9/16/2007 9:55:54 PM

is your desktop always on? if so you can just share your printer over the network. I have done this a lot at home and at work where there are multiple computers in different rooms.

9/16/2007 10:07:27 PM

yes my desktop is on and i enabled printer sharing on the printer on the desktop. however, both laptops will not detect the printer

9/16/2007 10:13:35 PM

you did go through and NETWORK printer right?

9/16/2007 10:21:11 PM

what do you mean? I have no idea how to do this

9/16/2007 10:23:15 PM

ok go to control panel on the computer with the printer attached
open up printers and make sure it has a hand around it in the icon (meaning it is shared)
if not, right click and share it.

then on the other computers you could either find the desktop on the network and click on the printer and add it

or you could go to the control panel, click add printer and then it should ask if it is a network printer and then it should find it or maybe you will have ti find it for them

9/16/2007 10:28:17 PM

Google is your friend:

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1596

Most forgotten item - open up your windows firewall

[Edited on September 16, 2007 at 10:29 PM. Reason : .]

9/16/2007 10:29:05 PM

I got it. The firewall was my problem. So the desktop always has to be on?

9/16/2007 10:45:49 PM

yes, unless you get a wireless print server

9/16/2007 10:49:30 PM

or a wired one... (doesn't need to be wireless if printer and router are in the same place)

9/16/2007 10:53:18 PM

ok..my laptop running xp detected it easily once i disabled the firewall on the desktop..

however, my new laptop running vista will not detect it still...what gives now?

9/16/2007 10:58:40 PM

do you know the name of the computer
vista uses a new network protocol or something that won't see xp computers

but if you update the xp computer it will show up
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTMyNywyLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==
#12

or if you go to //[computername] it will show up

9/16/2007 11:03:03 PM

guess i better download SP2 on my XP desktop then

9/16/2007 11:12:02 PM