Laptop no longer connects to printer on home network

I am about at the end of my rope, and I hope someone can help: My HP
dv2500 laptop running Vista used to work fine connecting to my printer
over the local network via an XP-based main PC, which has a Kodak
Printer hooked to it. At some point in the last few months, the laptop
stopped being able to connect. I think this was around the time of
upgrading to SP1, but cannot be sure. In any case, I even went so far
as to rebuild my main PC and do a clean install of Vista on that
machine, in the hopes it might help. No joy. I can print from the
laptop if I connect the printer directly into the USB port on my laptop,
but cannot access the printer via the network anymore

Here are the details:

- Printer sharing is enabled on both the PC and the laptop
- When I go into control panel - add printer - select network printer,
the network printer appears in the pop-up box.
- Once I select the printer and click next, I get the following error:
"Windows cannot connect to the printer. Make sure that you have typed
the name correctly, and that the printer is connected to the network"

The printer works fine over the network on my wife's XP laptop, but
does not work on mine, nor my daughter's HP vista laptop. Interestingly
enough, the printing function worked fine for my daughter's laptop until
I borrowed it to test her print function and noticed that she did not
have SP1, and her virus program was out of date. I helpfully upgraded
both, and (I am not sure if this happened right away, or just a
coincidence) her printer function no longer works either. All three
laptops (2 Vistas and one XP) are running AVG Free 8.0 anti-virus. As
I said, the XP laptop works, so I do not think it is AVG. Both Vista
laptops print fine if hooked directly to the printer via USB.

I have searched the forum and tried several suggestions, including
trying to add as a local printer, but cannot figure this one out.
Thanks for any help you can provide. - Bob


--
Moose95
Posted via http://www.vistaheads.com

Post in reply to: Moose95
AVG has certainly been known to cause problems. Can you connect if you
uninstall it?
--
Cari (MS-MVP) Printing & Imaging
www.coribright.com/windows

Post in reply to: Moose95
Check HP site for Vista Driver.

I uninstalled AVG and tried again - got the exact same error message. I
also have checked for the latest updates from Microsoft and HP. In
addition, I downloaded and installed the latest software from Kodak for
the printer. I am not sure if there is an HP printer driver I should
have installed, because all I can find are drivers for specific HP
printers, not for the laptop itself. Once again, I am stuck... Thanks
for the suggestions, though! If you have any other ideas, I am open to
suggestions - Thanks


--
Moose95
Posted via http://www.vistaheads.com

Post in reply to: <>
On Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:50:49 +0000, Moose95


This works for most people:
Go to Control Panel. Choose printer. Then choose Add Printer.

ChooseAdd a local printer. Click on Create a new port. The default in
the
drop down box is Local Port. Do not change that. Click Next.

A dialogue box will appear asking for you to enter a port name. Type
in the
\\computer name\printer name ie. My computer's name is basement and
the
printer name is EpsonSty so I typed in \\basement\epsonsty."
Hope it helps.
I have AVG running on one pc and Avast on the rest, the Avast is the
free version, but AVG is the paid for version. When it runs out so
does it, I dislike it! Actually I dislike the Support folks more than
the program!! Told me I could not have more than 5 or 6 computers in
my home all running at the same time and not be a business! I have 16
running today and as it gets colder I will crank up about 5 or so
more. I do Distributed Computing, and have since 1999, but the Support
folks at AVG can't seem to get that thru their thick heads!!

Thanks f/fgeorge. I followed your instructions, but after I typed in
the path (\\yellow-pc\KODAK ESP 5 AiO) in the "port name" dialogue box
and hit "OK", I get an "access denied" pop up box, and cannot go
further. Any ideas how to access the local port? Also, I will check
out Avast - thanks for the tip. - Bob


--
Moose95
Posted via http://www.vistaheads.com

Post in reply to: Moose95
Get rid of the spaces in the Shared Printer Name.
--
Cari (MS-MVP) Printing & Imaging
www.coribright.com/windows

Thanks Cari, but I am still stuck. I went to my main PC, renamed the
printer "KODAK" (both in the "name" field, and by going into printer
properties, opening the sharing tab, and changing the shared name). I
then went back and tried f/fgeorge's instructions, and got stuck at the
same point (access denied at the "local port" dialogue box). I also
tried the "official" way of adding a network printer again, and it shows
up in the pick list as "\\Yellow-pc\KODAK" now, but still gets the same
error as I first got when I try to select it ("Windows cannot add... be
sure you typed the name correctly... etc.").

I really appreciate everyone trying to help - as I said before, what
is perhaps most frustrating is that this used to work fine, but
something in the last few months "broke" this function. I would be less
frustrated if I never had been able to print over the network. As
always, any clues would be greatly appreciated! Thanks - Bob


--
Moose95
Posted via http://www.vistaheads.com

Post in reply to: <>
On Tue, 2 Dec 2008 13:23:19 +0000, Moose95


Did you "share" the Kodak first? Do a right click o nthe printer, on
its own pc, and click sharing. Follow the steps and then try the
above, using no spaces in the name. I forgot about having to do that
on mine, sorry.

Post in reply to: Moose95

Launch Add Printer As administrator

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/search/?adv=1

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.