Old computers not compatible with network printer...

A

abby205

New Member
We have a network of 4 computers and a printer set up in our office. We recently replaced the old computer that the other computers accessed all our files and the printer off of. The new computer runs XP and has been set up on the network without a hassle - everything works. However, two of the other computers on the network are older, running 98, and while they can access all the files off the new computer, they don't seem to be able to pick up the printer through it. :rolleyes:

The printer is shared, and the other newer computer we have (which also runs XP) can print perfectly. But when I go to set up the printer on the old computers (by adding a new network printer), they simply do not see any printers attached to the new computer. Is this because they are older computers? And if so, is there anything I can do to fix this? :confused:

:) Thanks.
 
It should pick it out without a hitch if it's shared. The only problem it might have is that the drivers are wrong(well, I know that'll be a problem) To fix it, if you can actually get them connected, you need to find the printer, then install the correct software. If you used the same OS, normally it would just pull the files off that computer.

I beleive there's some way to actually install the additional files on the server(comp with the printer) Never tried it myself, but I beleive it's somewhere in the printer proporties.
 
im assuming the printer is hooked up directly to the XP machine if so do this

go to start?settings>printers and faxes>right click on your printer>properties>sharing>then click "additional drivers" and install the ones you need, i believe that should fix your problem.

dangit you beat me! i wanna help people too!
 
Thanks guys, I've already tried this though, and it asks me to provide the driver. I do have the old driver (on 3 floppys, yay!) so I direct it to the A drive and it comes up with two printer model options (this is where it gets weird)...one of the options is the printer model and the other option reads as follows: "You MUST use the setup program!". When I select either of them and press ok it just takes me back to printer properties.

As for when I try to run the actual setup program as it seems to suggest, it says that it's not compatible with XP.
 
is the setup program a shortcut or something like that? can you right click on it? if so try right-clicking it, then go to properties>compatibility and choose to run it in compatibility with 98
 
I tried running it in every compatibility option it gave me. Still not working.

Is there not some kind of update that can be downloaded or installed somehow on the older computers to help them detect the printer?
 
have you tried downloading drivers for your printer that work for 98 and installing them on the 98 machines? that might just solve your problem, dont know why i didnt think of that earlier. you should be able to go to your printer manufacturers website and find drivers there...im still not sure if theyd be able to see the printer on the network or not, but its worth a shot.
 
Yeah I tried fully installing the printer on one of the old computers, but again, it can't find a network printer to install. So just for the hell of it, I installed it as a local printer (even though it wasn't at all connected as a local printer) to see if that would make any kind of difference, but alas, it didn't.

Flippin' old computers. Everyone should be running XP anyway....
 
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