Printer sharing-another issue

gladiator · Joined: Jun 30, 2007 Posts: 16

I found this thread while trying to solve the "Vista computer won't connect to a shared printer that every other computer can connect to."

This thread is a perfect example why Vista is a piece of ship.

At any rate, I was ever so hopeful the workaround described was the solution for me since it worked for others No dice.

When I get to the point of creating the local port to assign the printer (currently pointing at LPT1) to, it responds with a dialog "Access is Denied." I am entering the name for the port as "\\owner-HP\PRINTER" which is exactly the computer name and share name for the XP machine that does share the printer.

If you enter "\\owner-HP" in Start/Run, it does see the remote computer AND SHOW THE SHARED PRINTER. But you cannot get this piece of %*$ to connect to it.

gladiator · Joined: Jun 30, 2007 Posts: 16

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Anyone with this problem...
-------------------------
• You try to add a shared printer to a Windows Vista-based computer.
• The Windows Vista-based computer is connected to a peer-to-peer network.
• The shared printer was configured on a Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)-based computer.
In this scenario, you may receive the following error message:
Windows cannot connect to the printer. Access is denied.
-------------------------
...needs to investigate KB934643, WHICH MICROSOFT HAS REMOVED FROM THEIR KNOWLEDGE BASE. It is available here:
http://www.computersmarts.us/windows-vista/890-kb934643-error-message-...n-you-t

It DID NOT fix my problem which is EXACTLY as described in the KB article. It failed at least in part because at some point it was asking me to select tabs which did not exist on the displayed dialog .

I called Microsoft support. They refuse to help because the Vista on my laptop is OEM (Gateway from Office Depot).

I called Gateway support (which has no toll free number for retail store-purchased computers). They refuse to help...well actually tried a bit, reverting repeatedly to "you need to get a Vista compatible driver for your printer" in spite of the KB article clearly indicating it is an OS issue.

MS won't fix.
MS won't exchange Vista for XP, (because the Vista wasn't purchased off the shelf)
Gateway won't fix. Gateway won't exchange the OS (we don't do that).
I am left with a brand new $1200 laptop from which I cannot print (unless I install a directly connected printer beside the fam rm recliner). Thanks MS. Thanks Gateway... for nothing.

If anyone finds a true fix. Please post here. Otherwise I have wasted $1200. Welcome to American business.

gladiator · Joined: Jun 30, 2007 Posts: 16

I'm touching this topic again, to hope someone will save the day.

Over the past days, I have been in further contact with Microsoft, who finally blew me off with "your Vista is OEM copy; we can't talk to you. Talk to Gateway. Bye."

Gateway blew me off with, first, "This is a Vista issue; talk to Microsoft." And later, "this is a networking 'how-to' issue--not part of our free support; call the pay per incident line. Bye."

I have an expensive, useless, Gateway Vista laptop until someone saves me with a fix.

Please consider your options when you are shopping.

gladiator · Joined: Jun 30, 2007 Posts: 16

This is absolutely amazing. After posting the previous, I resumed my attempts to resolve the issue. Finally, after 56 days, It works.

Here's what I did...unfortunately, two things were involved at the same time and I am not sure what about the combination fixed the problem, but I AM SURE one of the two parts is an absolute requirement.

First, I noticed on the XP Home printer sharing machine, in the printers folder were TWO "printers" pointing to the LPT1 port. This happened along the way when I re-ran the Samsung print driver install exe again to be sure I had the very latest driver. That put the second printer into the folder. So I had two, one named PRINTER (I had renamed that one long ago from whatever it was initially) --also shared as PRINTER. This was the one I had been trying to connect to. The second one was named SAMSUNG and was shared as SamsungM.

Second, in reading somewhere tonight (sorry I don't remember where) I read that XP sharing was always done internally using the 'guest' account.
(Web search for [xp sharing "guest account"] and you can read about xp sharing.) It described a method of activating the guest account without having it appear on the login page, namely, to enter at a command prompt:

net user guest /active:yes (no spaces in the /active:yes)

I did that.

Went to the Vista machine, opened properties for the single printer there--named however the Samsung installer did it, and

clicked the Ports tab,
Add Port,
selected local port type,
typed in the \\printservername\sharename (\\owner-HP\SamsungM)
clicked the "OK"'s

and it took it!!! I did not get the "Windows cannot connect to the printer. Access is denied" message like all the times before! Printed a doc. It worked! Hallelujah! I said a prayer of thanks.

To help isolate what fixed it, I went back to the XP machine and inactivated the guest account (net user guest /active:no). Vista machine would not print. "net user guest /active:yes" on the XP brought printing capability back.

Summary: I do not know what role using the second printer installation had in this (it should have been identical to the first one), but I am convinced that the guest account MUST BE ACTIVATED as part of the solution to this issue.

Also, bear in mind I have done many unsuccessful things over the past 56 days, and some of those I did not back out, like changing permissions on the spool folder and contents. It is conceivable one or more of the other changes I made played a part in the ultimate success. I'm saying I don't guarantee that the net user thing is all that is required for the fix, but I am sure it is a necessary part.

blkvyyper · External Since: Sep 19, 2009 Posts: 1

i was reading through some of your print sharing problems with network
magic using vista and xp...i feel for you but the problem is simple. i
have 6 computers all networked through network magic. two are vistas
rest are xp's. my printer is connected directly to an xp laptop along
with an external hard drive. since the xp with the printer connected to
it is a local printer, it is shared. the rest my computers were add by
going through the add printer selection but you add a network printer.
this allows you to go through your workgroup name and get the driver
from your local printer. the drivers are loaded from here and you are
able to print from vista to xp using network magic. actually you dont
need network magic but its easier. i also found it runs alot better if
you use network magic to connect wireless. i've used the update to 5.5
and it all works fine.

hope this helped...

blkvyyper- CCNA, MSCE, CCNP, CCIE

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blkvyyper
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