CyberSeniors Computer Tips

09/03/08 Sharing a Printer

Newk's Nook: With more of you having multiple computers at home, Kim presents an article on sharing a printer among your network computers.

 Sharing a printer without a print server

Q. I want to share my printer over my wireless network. I don't want to shell out for a print server, though. Is there any way for me to share the printer? My desktop machine runs Windows XP. My laptop runs Vista. Thanks for your support!

A. If you want to share a printer, a print server is the way to go. It connects your printer to your wireless network. All computers can access it. You don't need to leave a computer running.

But I can understand wanting to save a little money. So, you can leave the printer connected to your desktop. Then, share it with the other computers on your network. The computer must be turned on in order to use the printer.

Obviously, you'll want to connect the printer to your desktop. I assume you already have the printer up and running. If you need help setting it up, consult the manual.

You're ready to set up print sharing on the XP desktop. Click Start>>Control Panel. Double-click Printers and Faxes. Right-click the printer and select Sharing.

In the box that opens, select "Share this printer." Click Apply. Your other computer can now access the printer. That is, provided printer sharing is enabled on your network. Let's take a look at that.

Click Start>>Control Panel. Double-click Network Connections. Right-click your network connection and select properties.

Make sure "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks" is selected. Click OK. You may need to reboot for the settings to take effect.

Now, you need to add the printer to your laptop. Click Start>>Control Panel. Double-click Printers. Click "Add a printer."

In the box that appears, click "Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer." Vista will start searching for printers. Click "The printer that I want isn't listed."

Select "Select a shared printer by name." If you know the network address for the printer, great! Go ahead and enter it.

However, you'll probably want to use the Browse button. It will let you search the network for the printer. Select the printer. Click Next and follow the rest of the steps in the wizard. That's it!

Now, you opened your desktop up for file sharing as well as printer sharing. That means you need to be extra cautious. If others can access your wireless network, they can grab your files.

Fortunately, I have security advice and tools for you on my site:

• Step-by-step, secure your wireless network
• Lock out snoops and crooks with encryption
• Give guests the Guest account
• Encrypt your files
• Free security software