Accessing a shared Deskjet670c from NT on Win2K professional

[ash2000in]

Hi All,

I have a Deskjet670c configured on an NT machine and is shared. I am unable to access this printer from a Win2K machine due to the un-availability of drivers on the NT-machine where the printer is shared.

I tried to install a dummy printer on the Win2K machine thinking that it might load all the necessary drivers needed, and then the shared printer could be accessed..but to no luck

Please let me know if there's anything that can be done.
Thanks. Ash

 

[rxpete]

STEP 1: If you have the w2k drivers for the printer available on disk, then install the printer locally on LPT1. That will install all the drivers. Then you just have to change the port from LPT1 to the port the printer is actually on.

STEP 2.1.0: If your printer is connected via parallel port to the NT4 machine, then go to the w2k network neighborhood, find the printer resource on the NT machine, and install it as a plain vanilla HP Laserjet II (which w2k will have drivers for). You will now have two printers installed on the W2K machine: an HP 670 and an HP LJII.

STEP 2.1.1: That'll create a new printer port on your w2k machine that you can now substitute for the LPT1 port your locally installed HP 670 is on. Afterwards, you can delete the HP LJII.

STEP 2.2: If the printer is on a Jet Direct hub or equiv. then all you have to do is get the static IP address for the hub and create a TCP/IP port on your w2k machine that you can swap for LPT1.

 

[ash2000in]

Rxpete,
The printer is configured on an NT machine over a TCP/IP network and is to be accessed by a Win2K machine.
I have already tried the first 2 options that you have mentioned, but none of them tend to solve the problem.
No sooner do I start adding the printer to the Win2K machine, I am prompted for the "*.INF" files !!

One more thing, I tried to physically connect the same printer on the Win2K machine and then shared it. Unfortunately, this does not load any other drivers other that for Win2K !!! After installation was done, I tried adding additional drivers for "Intel Nt4.0"; and again the same problem >> "The file "*.INF" on (Unknown) is needed" !!

I have browsed the HP site for support as well, but could not find anything of use. Ash

 

[rxpete]

It sounds like you are saying your printer is connected via parallel port to the NT4 machine. Does that mean you installed the nt4 driver on that machine and the printer works fine? I'll assume yes.

That being the case, after you right-click on the printer in network neighborhood and select Connect on the w2k machine you should get a message something like "the drivers are not available on that machine, if you want to install them locally then click OK"

If you don't get that message then it means there is a driver on the w2k machine that is only paritially installed. W2K has a driver for the 670 but if it isn't installed right then go to HP's website and download their driver. When you unpack the download, you'll select Have a Disk when prompted for driver files.

If you are not prompted for driver files even after uninstalling the 670 driver from the w2k machine then do a filesearch in Windows folder for HP*.* and delete any such files found in System32\spool\drivers as well as any HP*.INF files found in Windows or Windows\inf folders. If you get nervous about deleting files, just move them to different folders instead of deleting.

Following that, when you connect to the shared printer and are told that the nt4 machine doesn't have a driver for your w2k machine, and you go to install the driver locally, select Have Disk, and browse to the folder with the driver you downloaded from HP and unpacked.