Windows 10: How to access a network printer without installing it in Windows 10

Greetings all.

We have a number of networked barcode printers set up and shared on a Windows 2012 server. They all use the Generic/Text Only driver. In Windows 7 we are able to print to these printers by specifying the UNC path in our application, such as L: \\servername\printersharename. We don't need to add the printer in Windows on each PC.

We're now starting to switch to Windows 10 and found that the only way to access the printers is to add each one to Windows on every Win 10 PC. Is there a way to avoid this in Windows 10 and access the printers without adding to each PC?

Thanks very much.

:)

 

How to set printer as default

The question is how to get Windows 10 to change the default printer based on the currently connected network. For example, when at work and connected to NETWORK-A the default printer should be PRINTER-A but when at home and connected to NETWORK-B the default
printer should be PRINTER-B.

This was a feature of Windows 7 and was accessed through the Manage Default Printer selection. How do we do this in Windows 10?

win 10 network printers manage printers- Original Title

 

resource (peer-to-peer grouping) is online but isn't responding to connection attempts

Window 10 Enterprise - "resource (peer-to-peer grouping) is online but isn't responding to connection attempts." : Search on MS Support for this issue results only in drivel about this error in Windows 7.

This message is from Win 10 "Network Troubleshooting". Network Troubleshooting was initiated manually by me in an effort to set-up printing access to an previously existing printer on another PC in my Homegroup network. While this printer had been set
up and previously accessible, without any changes, this network has been subject to numerous Windows 10 Updates that have disrupted this network's ability to function and use existing network printers.

MS Update - Have to fix something, MS Update - Have to fix something, etc, etc.. This operating system is a bane on my customer base and my MS Partner relationship.

The Advanced Printer Add-on presents only one inappropriate printer name while not finding, the actual installed and shared printer, no provision is offered to manually enter the actual name of thel printer.

One is then left with no resolution path to creating a link to this printer.

BTW: This access, loss, issue now also newly exists at a 3rd PC in my Homegroup/local network.

 

It does not matter what OS you are using to print to a printer. You just have to be able to use the drivers for whatever printer you are using. As long as there are drivers for those barcode printers, you could even use just Linux to do the job. Any printer will print out Barcodes.