For better or worse, Windows Vista is out today and I’ll shortly be moving to it as the primary operating system on both my work and home PCs. Aside from compatibility glitches in certain Adobe applications, everything I need to work on Vista does (if a little shakily, in the case of Firefox).
The one issue that almost prevented me from making the move was my need to connect to the shared printer at the office.
A Samsung SCX-4216F, the SitePoint office printer requires new printer drivers to work in Vista. Unfortunately, unless Vista has the necessary driver built-in (it doesn’t in this case), the Add Printer wizard in Vista insists on retrieving the driver for a network printer from the computer to which the printer is connected. At SitePoint (and at many other offices, I imagine), that is and will remain for the foreseeable future, a Windows XP computer. Since you can’t install the Vista driver on a Windows XP computer, that means that Vista fails to connect to the network printer.
The solution is a twisty one that I wasn’t able to find in any of the official Microsoft documentation. In short, you need to fool Vista into thinking that the network printer is actually a local printer, so that you can install the driver directly on your Vista computer.
Here are the exact steps that worked for me:
- Download the Windows Vista printer driver for the SCX-4216F multifunction printer from www.samsung.com.
- Install the driver on your Windows Vista computer. During installation, you’ll be prompted to connect the printer to your computer. Choose the option to proceed with installation without connecting the printer.
- After installation completes, open the Printers applet from the Windows Vista Control Panel.
- Right-click on the new Samsung SCX-4100 Series printer and choose Properties.
- Go to the Ports tab.
- Click Add Port…, select Local Port, then click New Port…
- For the port name, enter exactly the network path and share name of your printer (e.g. \\RECEPTION\Samsung SCX-4×16 Series).
- Click OK, and double-check that this new port is selected with the checkbox next to it.
- Click OK to close the printer properties.
Hi. And Bye bye.
Finally! Installed Canon MP390 on Vista64.
Thank you!
Oh, and Vista sucks!
Thank you so much ! This works perfectly.
You were a life-saver…thank you and God bless…
Just remember that now you are installing a Local printer and not a Network printer
OMG You are awesome. Thank you so much, I wanted to throw my Vista computer into the trash I’ve been working on this since yesterday! SO COOL it worked instantly.
looking for the website to download hp photosmart 776 printer
can anyone help me please
It works really well on Xerox 186 Model
Thanks much !!!
Leo
Can someone pleae help. I got all the way down to number 7, and its seems from all the other posting we are having the same issues.
I used my computer name, the portname, everything what am I doing wrong. I have Vista on one computer and Windows xp on another…Thanks for any help
For the port name, enter exactly the network path and share name of your printer (e.g. \\RECEPTION\Samsung SCX-4×16 Series).
You guys are great – We have been able to solve all printer problems
Thank you very much!
It’s working OK with SCX-4200 model, except that after number 6, all I have to do is check that port, because it was already there. That’s on Vista Business and MFP is on XP.
Gabriel
I followed this and it seems to work up until I change the port. I have the printer installed on my laptop and plugged in to the desktop. I type in the \\server\printer (which I have checked several times on the desktop and it is correct) but it is saying the port is not found. In all the network pages on the laptop and desktop it doesn’t seem like the two computers can see eachother, as they never show up on the other. On my laptop another laptop in my network shows up, but on the desktop neither laptop shows up. It’s like the desktop isn’t actually on the network when it is connected just like the laptops (wirelessly). Any help? Thanks.
LlSA….I am at the same point as you. Everything works up until I change the port; and it continues to say “cant locate the port” I see no additional responses have been posted.
Thanks for the insight, solution worked as advertised sharing HP K4300 from WinXP to Vista. Disturbing thing was that previous to the above solution, Vista machine saw the printer, but when trying to install it, refused due to lack of authority. Go figure, thanks again.
Works for me! HP deskjet 3915, Vista 64-bit. It’s been 2 1/2 years since you posted your solution, and it is still saving people. Don’t know how you ever came up with this! Thank you!
Ever since i got my new laptop with windows Vista I was unable to get my hp dj 5550 printer to print over my network.
Thanks to his method of installing the printer as a local printer and adding in a port directed to the networked printer it works like its suppose to.
A for this post, I wont forget this fix next time it comes up.
Thanks a Billion!!
Canon S900 + Windows 7 and windows XP print server of course, and your solution is WORK!
Thanks for you
Because I know how by experience how much time and frustation it sometimes costs to get equipment working, I am very grateful for the solution you offered to get my Canon i865 (connected to an XP machine) working via wireless connection from my Toshiba m700 with Windows 7 operating system.
Many thanks you shared this solution ! Peter
Hey!!! after 2 days of figuring out how to download 64 bit driver into my 32 bit xp..I failed…Now,this works for a windows 7 machine very well…The printer is HP 3015 All in one.My server is xp and client is windows 7.
Your solution also works with Win7 accessing a printer on networked XP machine.
Took me 4 hours to find your blog.
Thank you heaps!
Worked it saved a marriage. I been dealing with this for 6 months.. trying to make two new vista computers work on network with XP computer where printer its. the key for me was the net work name i made it harder then need be
\\mycomputernamewheretheprinterisattached\printernamethatislocatedinthesharingoftheprinter
that simple two things listed in name .. then port worked…. i also changed my sharing name so it was one word… as before i had HP 812c i changed to HP812c … not sure if that helped but it worked…
What about a slightly different situation, a 64-bit Vista host and a 32-bit Vista client? The 64-bit driver will not install on the 32-bit machine.
I’ve been trying to connect to my HP laserjet 1020 from a Vista Laptop for almost a year, until I found this. It works like a charm.
Many thanks for this!!
Herc
You rock Dude! Set up a Canon i9900 printer, on my new Dell laptop, that is connected to my XP Pro box. Had to start a trial subscription at Expert’s Exchange to get an answer with a link to this article. Gat to find it!!!
I should say that the new laptop has Windows 7.
Because of a massive virus infiltration on my Vista 64 bit laptop, I had to reinstall the Vista program.
Then I lost everything I had done before. Some of it I had backed up on an external hard drive, but I could not connect my laptop to the printer which is connected directly to a desk top running XP.
I tried a lot of things, but until I came across your solution, nothing worked. Finally I was able to install on my laptop the required Vista driver and then following your instrucions, I was able to connect to the printer and print directly from my laptop and the desktop computers.
Thank you so much. It has been a very frustrating few weeks, trying to reinstall everything.
Many blessings to you!
Pat.
worked perfectly for me.. thanks!
Thank you for spelling it out so clearly, once i started have a look at this I was a skeptic, but now I’m consistently seeking info. Thanks once again, I hope you don’t mind if I link this tomy blog in order that my readers can benefit from this info aswell Thanks
A big thank you – I just got my Windows7 laptop to print to a networked XP printer. I’m thrilled, thanks to your instructions!!
A big thank you – I just got my Windows7 laptop to print to a networked XP printer. I’m thrilled, thanks to your instructions!!
Kev, You are awesome. My husband stopped me from committing murder/suicide by jumping out the window with computers and printer in arms. After 2 weeks of trying to solve this issue I did even more research and came across your blog somehow. I am no longer stressed out and you have saved my life. Thank you for your solution and thanks to Troy and Stan for being inspired by you to make it even easier to fix this problem. Your site is now in my Favorites.
Hard to say. I doubt either team will go all the way to the Super Bowl again. It’s a great time to make Superbowl bets though, the odds are really high.
In the middle of trying this I am. One anomaly vis-á-vis Step 7:
For the port name, enter exactly the network path and share name of your printer (e.g. \\RECEPTION\Samsung SCX-4×16 Series).
This Windows 7 Home Premium that HP installed will NOT accept spaces in the text box for the port name. Win7 [as in, Feelin' lucky, punk?!] just beeps at one if one attempts to enter a space character.
UNBELIEVABLE ! This article/solution was published over FOUR YEARS AGO, and it is STILL useful…!! I had just bought a Lenovo M58p Duo Core desktop to replace a NOISY old HP nx9600 laptop, and so I installed Windows 7 x64 onto it. My wife’s old laptop she does a lot of work on, is of course, XP. I of course could print to the Canon Pixma MP500 now attached to the new Lenovo desktop from my HP Elitebook laptop with Windows 7 x64, but I was PULLING MY HAIR OUT trying to get my wife’s XP laptop to print to the Canon printer..!! No matter what I tried. It didn’t even seem to want to recognize the same old printer drivers after I deleted the old laptop printer on her laptop to point it to the new desktop’s printer. Was killing me.
But I Googles “canon mp500 windows 7 won’t let xp print”, and this article was the 9th link down. Thank GAWD I scrolled down after hitting the unhelpful links above it!
This WORKED !!
Thank you Kev, whoever you are. You save me hours of tortuous troubleshooting. I was even thinking of calling – Canon! (ohgawd…).
Thanks again.
I add my voice to the many others that have expressed thanks for this tip! It’s not specific to any model of printer, it just works when you have a 64-bit computer trying to print to an older printer connected to a 32-bit computer acting as a print server.
WOW! 2 DAYS OF THIS CRAP AND THIS TOOK 2 MINUTES. I DID HOWEVER HAVE TO CHANGE MY PRINTER NAME TO ONE WORD. THANKS VERY MUCH FOR THIS. LIFE SAVER!!
hi.. can’t find windows vista printer driver for epson lq300. help. thanks.
Thanks. I also have spent months looking for this solution.
Now I can sucessfully can print from Win7 64bit to Canon MP360 printer attached to Win2k server.
Now I just need to refine the process for installing Win7 Canon print drivers (which still seems a bit hit and miss).
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