Windows 10: Cannot share a printer on a home network

Hi
I have a home network consisting of Windows 10 PCs and one Windows XP Pro PC. I used to be able to access the printer from my other PCs not the XP one though. Because of the XP PC I have all the PCs in a workgroup. The printer is attached to what I refer to as a print server. The server can access the other PCs but the other PCs can't access the server.

The issue is due to the Windows Update which took over two hours to complete. I say that because I could access the printer before. The trouble is I don't know what the update has done.

So I have a printer that works fine but my other computers although they can see it cannot access it.

:)

 

How do I share a local printer over a home network?

I'm not a home network with Windows 10 computers. How do I share a printer connected to my desktop with the two laptops on the network?

 

How do I share a local printer over a home network?

Hi,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Community.

I understand that you want to share a printer connected to the desktop with two laptop computers’. I will try to help you with this issue.

Please answer these questions to get more clarity on this issue:

• 
  Do you have Windows 10 Pro on the desktop pc?
  
• 
  Which version of Windows is installed on the two laptop?
  
• 
  What is the make and model of the desktop and the laptop?
  
• 
  How are they connected to each other?
  
• 
  Have you installed all pending updates on the computers’?
  

You may create a homegroup as it is much easier way to share files and printers on a home network.

Turn on network sharing. The network sharing setting is only available for Wi‑Fi, Ethernet, VPN (non-domain), and dial-up (non-domain) connections.

Make sure your firewall allows file and printer sharing. If you are using the Windows Firewall then it automatically uses the correct settings for file and printer sharing when you share something or turn on network sharing.

Keep us informed to help you further.

 

Get a Network Print Server that will work with your printer if only USB.

 

I am sorry I don't know what a network print server is. Is it software? My printer works fine it cost me £500. surely the issue is making the printer accessible to other computers on my network.

When I upgraded to Windows 10 I did need to update my Epson software. Perhaps I need to update the software on the other computers?

 

A print server is a cheap little box that plugs into the network and printer so everyone can print to it and is always on so you don't need the share of on

 

Thanks for that. In the mean time I have removed the printer from one of the PCs and then added it again. I now am able to access the printer. I can't explain what the problem solution was though as I am accessing the printer from a PC that has been updated today. As before the PC took over two hours to update!

 

There are two KB's that came out a week ago that caused issues with Network shares. With XP no longer being supported, you may want to move that machine up to Windows 7 or install a Linux Distro to turn it into a server for printing and files.

 

Thanks for that info. The trouble with updating the XP PC is that it would be a lot of work and at present it is running very well. It's Dell 9200 with three hard drives two in a mirror raid. I have bought, for a less than £200, another Dell 9200 that is running on Windows 7. The idea being that it would replace the old Dell (2006) when it failed. I have Adobe Creative Suite on that and I can't print from Photoshop. I have other document folders synced to other Windows 10 PCs so I can print from them.

 

The 9200 should run Windows 7 just fine. If the printer has a compatible Cups driver, there is always NethServer or set it up as a Linux Mint or XFCE install, so that you have the GUI. There is a install to allow you to access Cups from any web browser on the network, same as using Webmin.

I ended up just retiring our last Inkjet that was a Deskjet Pro All-in-one and getting a Brother HL-2280DW. Of course my wife did not notice at the time that it was not iOS compatible, so I had to get a Lantronix server. For the price of the extra server box, I could have just had her take back the printer and get the next one up.

 

Hi I have managed to get printing from my XP PC. I created a local port and also this was crucial downloaded a driver for my printer from the XP PC this installed the printer on the XP.

 

I would place the drivers for Windows 7, 8 and 10 on that machine. These headaches are not going away too soon.