How to Troubleshoot Shared Printers in XP

Sharing a printer can save you money

Being able to share printers can greatly reduce your costs, whether you are working with your own home network or in a business setting. Instead of buying a separate desktop printer for every employee or every member of the family, you can simply share the printers you do have and let everyone use that printer. While most of the time printer sharing works quite well, there are times when printer owners running Windows XP will need to troubleshoot and resolve common problems.

Instructions

1. Walk over to the printer and look for any flashing lights or error messages on the display. If the printer is showing any error lights, unplug the printer for a few minutes then plug it back in. If the error condition returns, refer to the printer's owner manual for information about the specific error. A print cartridge may be out of ink, or a piece of paper may have jammed in the printer.

2. Go to the computer the shared printer is physically attached to and check the condition of the cables. With USB printers especially, the cables can become loose over time, and that will interfere with the communication from the printer to the PC. Reseat the cables if necessary.

3. Log on to the computer with the attached printer, click "Start" and choose "Control Panel" from the menu. Click "Printers and Faxes" and then right-click on your printer.

4. Choose "Properties" from the menu and click "Print Test Page." Make sure the test page prints properly. Right-click on the printer again and choose "Sharing" from the list. Make sure that "Share this printer" is selected.

5. Go to another computer on your network, open the Control Panel and click "Printers and Faxes." Right-click on the shared printer, choose "Properties" from the menu and click "Print a Test Page."

6. Ensure the computer is communicating with the network if the test page fails to print. Click "Start" and choose "Run" from the menu. Type "cmd" in the box and click "OK." Type "ipconfig" at the prompt and make sure you have a valid IP address. If you see a "media disconnected" message, remove the network cable from the back of the computer and reseat it. The network cable will look like a thick phone cord, and it is often blue in color.

References

• Microsoft: Sharing a Printer