Guest Bob Posted October 3, 2007 Posted October 3, 2007 I have a wireless home network with XP. I told my printers to be shared. I go to one of my PCs and try to add a printer, it sees it, but wants an .inf file locally from that PC. If I've never attached that printer to that PC it doesn't have any of that printer's drivers & files, etc. Why don't I have a choice of getting the files off the internet? Am I supposed to put in the printer's install CD? What if the printer I am sharing didn't come with an install CD? Thanks Bob
Guest Patrick Keenan Posted October 3, 2007 Posted October 3, 2007 Re: shared printers "Bob" <Bob@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:86C060EF-D3FA-40A3-B287-23B6164ADCA6@microsoft.com... >I have a wireless home network with XP. I told my printers to be shared. >I > go to one of my PCs and try to add a printer, it sees it, but wants an > .inf > file locally from that PC. If I've never attached that printer to that PC > it > doesn't have any of that printer's drivers & files, etc. Why don't I have > a > choice of getting the files off the internet? You do, you just need to know what and where they are. Generally you look for the drivers for the specific printer and OS at the manufacturer's site. > Am I supposed to put in the > printer's install CD? What if the printer I am sharing didn't come with > an > install CD? Thanks Bob Then you download the print driver software from the manufacturer's web site, and run the install. Point the driver anywhere you like - to LPT1 or to file. Then, when you connect to the network printer, the files are present on the system and will be used properly. In the case of feature-slim printers, simple monochrome lasers, the drivers are small and quick to download and install. HTH -pk
Guest M.I.5¾ Posted October 3, 2007 Posted October 3, 2007 Re: shared printers "Bob" <Bob@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:86C060EF-D3FA-40A3-B287-23B6164ADCA6@microsoft.com... >I have a wireless home network with XP. I told my printers to be shared. >I > go to one of my PCs and try to add a printer, it sees it, but wants an > .inf > file locally from that PC. If I've never attached that printer to that PC > it > doesn't have any of that printer's drivers & files, etc. Why don't I have > a > choice of getting the files off the internet? Am I supposed to put in the > printer's install CD? What if the printer I am sharing didn't come with > an > install CD? Thanks Bob Windows includes functionality that when you try to install a printer that is physically connected to another PC on the network, the machine you try to install it on will try to download the drivers over the network from the other machine. This only succeeds if the installation routine when you first installed the printer put the required .inf files in the right place. Some installations do - many don't. If the .inf files aren't there, it is only usually necessary to insert the driver disk into the PC and let the wizard find the files it is looking for. A very few printer installation routines have offered me the opportunity to load the drivers and .inf files for Windows 2000, ME, 98SE, 98FE and 95 as well as the XP ones actually required for operation.
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