Sharing HP LJ printer with Macs and WinXPs ?

The ethernet network has Macs and HP LJ 2100 printers. All has worked well. Recently, several Windows laptops (XP h.e, 2000) have been added to the wireless segment of the network.

I've added drivers to Windows machines before, but I'm having some problems doing it on these.

I downloaded the driver for WinXP from the HP web site, and unzipped it. The folder is sitting on the root level of the C: drive. So, how do I get it installed?

I've tried the "Add A Printer" route by running the Add Printer Wizard, but when I browse to find the printer on the network, I see nothing.

One of the Help files mentions that if ICF (Internet Connection Firewall) is enabled, this might interfere, but I can't find that feature (where to enable/disable it).

I need some step-by-step assistance on how to install this printer for these Windows systems. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Reply to
DaveC
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Just discovered that the only network connector the HP LJ 2100 printer has is an AppleTalk connection, not an Ethernet connection. Plugged into the printer's AppleTalk port is an Asante AsanteTalk adapter, which has an Ethernet connector which connects to the network hub.

I guess the $64K question is whether the Windows computers can print to the printer over this adapter. I presume that these AppleTalk-to-Ethernet adapters have an IP address, but it is not obvious what it is, and if so, if it is configurable. The manual for the AsanteTalk device says that it will not pass IP packets. Is this a "killer" for using it with the Windows computers?

If so, HP makes an Ethernet card that plugs into the printer (available on e-Bay). Maybe this is my solution?

Thanks,

Reply to
DaveC

First, on my XP SP2 the LJ2100 has a native XP driver. You can check this by using the Add Printer Wizard, Install a local printer, accept the default port, and the printer driver array will appear. Select HP, scroll to find the LJ2100. Cancel out since this is just a check. If you find the LJ2100, then you do not need the HP download, which is good since the Windows driver is naked, not containing the annoying HP monitor app.

If the LJ2100 is not native on these XP installations, then you can browse to the driver folder from the Add Printer wizard (select a location option) and the install.inf file will be identified and the driver installed. Otherwise if there is a setup.exe file, use that to install (double-click it to execute). Look in that folder for a readme.txt or install.txt file for installation hints.

Second, the Windows network must be accessible before you can browse for a printer successfully. A quick check is to open Windows Explorer, select My Network Places, Entire network, Microsoft Windows Network, NetworkName. You should be able to see the computers on the network. If you cannot see the networked computers, then the printers will not show up in the Add Printer wizard either. Since XP networking can be hit or miss for even experienced users, go to this site and work through the networking advice:

formatting link
This is the best site I know of for help with Windows networking and includes information about XP SP2. Note that even with this it might be necessary to have the printer IP address and/or network name, i.e., //Printername/PortNumber in order to access it via the Add Printer wizard.

Q
Reply to
Quaoar

I'd go with the Ethernet card or a JetDirect, whichever you can get cheaper. The apples will speak TCP/IP to the printer, and since the printer is a standalone network device (not shared on a PC), you won't have to deal with installing additional protocols or the nightmares that go along with that. The apples can just print directly to the printer. You can still create a print server for the windows boxes so you don't have to install the printer software on every machine.

....kurt

Reply to
Kurt

Many protocols can run over ethernet, IP and Appletalk being two. The original Appletalk hardware was renamed Localtalk not long after it appeared, and Appletalk protocols over ethernet were named Ethertalk.

It is unusual for Asante boxed to have IP addresses, but there are print servers that support both IP and Appletalk.

-- glen

Reply to
glen herrmannsfeldt

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