s h u b n a t i o n

This is a how-to for allowing your new Vista or Windows 7 to connect to a networked printer shared from an older Windows XP computer.

1. Connect the printer to the Vista or Windows 7 PC, as though it were to be used with that computer, and let it install the drivers automatically.
2. Reconnect the printer to the computer you will be sharing the printer from (Windows XP computer) and in its Properties, set it as “shared”.  Make a note of both the XP’s “Computer Name” and the printer’s “shared-printer-name”.
3. In the Vista or Windows 7 PC, launch the “Add a Printer” wizard and select the “Add a local printer” option. This automatically opens a new dialog box in which to select the Port.
4. Click the “Create a new port” radio button and leave the drop-down menu options on the default of “Local Port”. Click Next.
5. A small box opens in which to enter the Port Name. Type in the path to the “shared” printer in the host PC using the format \\computername\shared-printer-name where computername and shared-printer-name are the details you noted in (2) above.
6. Select the Printer driver from the list provided, which should include the driver you originally installed, otherwise use the “Have Disk” button to install the correct Vista or Windows 7 driver if it is not in the list. It is essential that a Vista/7-compatible driver for your printer is used. Click Next.
7. Give the printer a name and choose whether to set it as the default. Click Next.
8. Print a test page to verify functionality and then click Finish.

Jared geek