How to Set Up a Small Network with Windows XP Home Edition (PART 8)

This article includes Part 8 of the "Set up a Small Network with Windows XP Home Edition" guide. Part 8 discusses how to share a printer.

Note To view the other topics of the "Set Up a Small Network with Windows XP Home Edition" guide, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base articles that are listed in the "References" section of this article.

The "Set Up a Small Network with Windows XP Home Edition" guide includes the following topics:

Part 8. Sharing a Printer

You share a printer the same way that you share files.

Sharing a Printer

To share a printer, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click View installed printers or fax printers.
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   If you are using Classic view in Control Panel, double-click Printers and Faxes.
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2. Right-click the printer, and then click Sharing.
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3. If you have already shared a folder or a drive, printer sharing is already activated. The next two windows do not appear. Otherwise you must first enable remote access. To do so, click the Security warning message, click Just enable printer sharing, and then click OK.
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4. You can now share the printer. Click Share this printer, type a share name, and then click OK.
5. Click OK.

The printer is now shared. Windows automatically installs the network printer that has the share name that you entered in step 4 on the other computers.

Adding a Printer

To add a printer, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Faxes, and then click Add a printer.
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2. After the Add Printer Wizard starts, click Next.
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3. Click A network printer, or a printer attached to another computer, and then click Next.
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4. Click Browse for a printer to find the printer in the network, and then click Next.
   
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5. Look for the workgroup, look for the computer, look for the share name, and then click Next.
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6. Ignore this warning, and then click Yes.
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7. Click Finish. Windows configures your printer and copies the printer driver over the network.
   
   Your printer appears.
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You can use the network printer like a local printer if the corresponding computer is turned on.

Tip If you use other versions of Windows in your small network, make sure that the appropriate driver is installed for the network printer. To do so, you can use either of the following methods:

• Install additional drivers when you set up the shared printer (on the computer where the printer is locally connected):
  1. Right-click the printer, and then click Sharing.
  2. Click Additional Drivers, and then click the required operating system. If a user connects to the network printer later, the corresponding driver is copied through the network. You must use a floppy disk or a CD from the hardware manufacturer.
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• Install the intended network printer initially as a local printer on LPT1 (to access the drivers integrated in Windows). This is also how the corresponding drivers for the operating system are installed. Later, assign the printer to the correct port. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Right-click the locally installed printer.
  2. Click Properties.
     
     Note The following screenschots are from Windows 98 Second Edition, but the process is almost the same in all Windows versions.
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  3. The Printer Properties tab varies based on the model of the printer. Look for the tab that manages the port for printer output, and then click Add Port.
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  4. Type the network path for the printer, click Browse to find the shared printer in the network, look for the printer, and then look for the share name.
  5. Click OK to close all the windows.
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You can also install Internet Connection Sharing now if you want to do so. Before you can do this, you must configure an Internet connection.

To view other topics in the "Configure a Direct Cable Connection with Windows XP Home Edition" guide, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: This article is a translation from German. Any subsequent changes or additions to the original German article may not be reflected in this translation. The information contained in this article is based on the German-language version(s) of this product. The accuracy of this information in relation to other language versions of this product is not tested within the framework of this translation. Microsoft makes this information available without warranty of its accuracy or functionality and without warranty of the completeness or accuracy of the translation.