Readers like you help support MUO. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More.
I installed an office printer to a desktop and I shared it on the network. I connected the front desk administrator's laptop to the wireless printer, and she was able to print. The next day, she wanted to print but the system say's Windows cannot print due to the current printer settings. Why is that?
2013-03-14 09:54:02
First Before trying anything , try updating or uninstalling-installing your Drivers . And be sure that your OS's is up to date . Secondly i believe that may the problem is with your router and the ip that is assigning to your network machine . Remember that every wireless device of your network gets a different value , counting Smartphones ,tablets , Pcs and printers etc. Some routers have settings that limits the devices the number of devices that are currently conected , for example if the limit is 5 and you have 2 smartphones a tamblet and 2 PCs connected already there is no room for another wireless device AKA your printer . That is one of the router Problems. Another problem is that the ip addresses of your devices are Given through the DHCP server. Again in Router settings you can configure if the router will act as a DHCP server or one of your network machines, usually the first to be connected. But This sometime can lead to such problems as yours , so you will have to tinker with this settings. Furthermore you can assign from your router a steady ip for every one of your machines , leaving no room for ip conflicts. So Resuming:1. Update/Reinstall Printer Drivers2.Update your OS3.Make a test . Turn off Router, printer and all of your PCs , and turn off Wireless from every mobile Device . Now First Turn on your router wait to estamblish the wireless network , Boot one of your PCs (a windows 7 preferably) ,turn on Printer . Is everything ok ? If so the problem is with your router Settings and now go to next step4. Find your router Manual or download one , and find the settings that i mentioned above , about number of machines connected , DHCP servers, and ip addresses5. Good Luck :)
2013-03-13 15:40:21
Try to plug the printer into the comp and see if it works. If it does, it's something in your wireless connection. And you can work from there.
2013-03-11 23:05:13
Is the printer DHCP or static IP you didnt say? That may tell us more.
2013-03-10 16:45:05
Not sure if printer can use wired and wireless connection at the same time. I suggest using wired connection for desk administrator's laptop. Wireless system on many lower end printers is not very good.
2013-03-10 10:10:19
Is it wired or wireless? A correctly composed question will result in correctly composed answers.Does the printer have the wireless capability to connect directly to the network?
2013-03-10 10:01:12
Troubleshoot network printer problemshttp://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/troubleshoot-network-printer-problemsAdd or remove a printerhttp://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/add-or-remove-a-printer1) print configuration page from the printer and check the IP address2) On Internet browser, type the IP address to open printer configuration window. 3) Find a Network - TCP/IP configuration menu, , it will give you the choice of setting a manual or static IP address or a DHCP assigned address. assign it manually and set IP address to the one you got from configuration page and gateway will normally be the IP of the router, like usually 192.168.1.1 and The subnet mask will be like 255.255.255.0
2013-03-12 10:15:56
Will a static IP address keep my computer from losing communication with my wireless printerhttp://www.hp.com/global/us/en/wireless/faq.htmlLinksys Tip: Assign Static IP Address To Printer While Using DHCP On Your Wireless Networkhttp://www.watchingthenet.com/linksys-tip-assign-static-ip-address-to-printer-while-using-dhcp-on-your-wireless-network.html
2013-03-10 07:02:57
If I understand your setup correctly the printer is wired (USB or something) to a desktop system which then shares the printer to the network? Depending on how the printer was installed my guess would be that the network is using dynamic IPs (DHCP) and the one assigned to the desktop system has changed causing the other client to no longer find the printer. If the printer is indeed "wireless" as it was written in the second sentence then again, make sure it is connected to the network and again, it might be a good idea to assign a static IP address.
2013-03-10 05:25:24
I would have to see it and investigate to tell you why, but I would recommend making sure the printer's wireless capability is turned on, and if that isn't the problem, go to Devices and Printers, remove the offending printer, and download/re-install the drivers.
2013-03-13 15:37:16
You can remove the printer...Then scan for new hardware and it should install the drivers automatically.