[guitarplayer426]

Hi,
This is how my home network is setup...
I have a broadband connection going to a router. From that router goes a cable to my home pc. Also, there is a wireless signal broadcasted that i use for my laptop in the use. Connected to the home is an hp printer.

What i want to know is home do I print from my laptop to the printer connected to the home pc. thanks.

[Bombadier3001]

First I need to know if you have XP on your home computer and your laptop.

[guitarplayer426]

yes i have xp sp2 on my laptop and home pc. thanks in advance for your help.

[BASSMASTER]

Go into your printers control panel, right click on the printer, go to the sharing tab, and select the "share as" option, then just give it a name.

On the laptop, go to printers, add new printer, browse your network for the printer you just named, and your all done. Your PC will automatically supply the needed drivers to the laptop.

[guitarplayer426]

ok i enabled sharing on my home pc, and now i go to my laptop's printers, click add a printer, then it asks to attach a printer connected ot this computer or a network printer, so i click network printer, then there are three options: browse for a printer, connect to this printer, and connect to a printer on the internet or on a home office network. i am confused on what to do next. i am not good with computers o please help, thanks.

[BASSMASTER]

just select "browse for a printer", it should be there under your computers name, select it, and hit finish

[guitarplayer426]

ok, sry im bad at this. i click browse for a printer, then click next. Then in the box it shows Microsoft Windows Network, and then under that brnaching out of that is HOME and RYBICKIHOME (rybicki is my last name). At the top, it says Printer: and i type "hp" there because that is what i named my printer on my other computer. i click next but it says windows cannot connect to the printer....

[BASSMASTER]

I'm not sitting in front of an XP machine so sorry if my instructions are a little off.
After you click "browse for printer" and you see the name of your computer there, can you just hit "next" or double click it and let windows find the printer for you? Rather than manually type in "HP" I mean?

[guitarplayer426]

if i doubel click it and wait a little, still nothing happens and if i highlight it and click next, it says please specify a printer name, so i type hp in the box and highlight rybickihome and still it says cannot connect to the printer...

[Obtruse_Man4]

I'm sitting in front of an XP computer right now so maybe I can clarify things a little. Starting from the beginning to avoid confusion:

First write down the share name of the printer on your desktop. Then write down the name of your windows xp desktop; in your case I think you mentioned it was your last name.

Then go to the laptop and click

Start --> Printers and Faxes (or if you're running the classic start menu click Start --> Settings --> Printers and Faxes)

Once the Printers and Faxes windows is open select Add a Printer on the left

At the first screen select Next

Select: A network printer, or a printer attached to another computer

Click Next

Select the second option box "Connect to this printer"

In the blank field type two backward slashes, your computer name, one backward slash, and then your printer share name

e.g. \\yourcomputername\yourprintersharename

I can't go past this part on my own because I don't have a printer to connect to with the computer I'm at now. You should just be able to click next then finish or something

If it doesn't detect the printer make sure the names are correct and that the printer is shared on your desktop. Also that you don't have any firewalls like Norton or McAffee installed and running.