Sharing access to a printer in Windows 7. For many in the new operating system Windows system 7 Having trouble sharing the printer. How to create general access We have already looked at the printer on Windows XP. You can read about this in my article.

Now we have a more difficult task. You need to share your printer in Windows 7.

I would like to immediately draw your attention to this. If your printer is old (4-5 years old or more), then it will most likely install on Windows 7. And it will print, but when connecting it over a network, especially through Windows XP, problems may arise. You will need a driver for Windows 7. This is exactly what happened to me when creating the video that I posted at the end of this article.

If the printer is not very old, then you can download drivers for it on the Internet.

First we need to set up printer sharing in Windows 7.

To do this, go to the menu Start - Devices and printers.

Click right click mouse over the printer that you want to share and select from the drop-down menu Printer properties .

Go to the tab Access and check the boxes next to the entries Share this printer And Drawing print jobs on client computers(recommended) .

Click the buttons Apply And OK .

Now check which group your computers belong to. The group name must be the same on all computers on your network. Otherwise, they will not see each other, and you will not be able to connect the printer.

Checking the group name inWindows 7

To do this, go to the menu Start and right click on the tab Computer and select from the drop-down list Properties .

In a new window System click on the link Change settings .

Go to the tab Computer name and look at the recording Working group .

If you need to change it, click the button Change. Change the name and click the button OK .

Let's go to the menu again Start – Control Panel . In the upper right corner in the Search box, write the word “ net" You will have a list like this.

Click on the entry Network and Sharing Center . In the next window, go to the left side and click on the entry Change advanced sharing options .

In the next window, set the switches to

• Enable network discovery.
• Enable file and printer sharing.
• Enable sharing to allow network users to read and write files in shared folders.
• Use 128-bit encryption to secure your shared connection (recommended).
• Disable password protected sharing. (If you do not do this, you will be required to continually enter your password when accessing the printer.

Now let's go to the computer with operating system WindowsXP .

First of all, we check the network group.

Right click on the icon My computer and select from the drop-down list Properties. A window of the same name will open Properties .

Note

The same window can be opened in another way. Start – Settings – Control Panel – System .

Go to the tab Computer name , and if necessary, change the name Working group .

Now open the window Network connections .

To do this, go to the menu Start – Settings – Panel Controls - Network Connections .

Go to the left half of the window and click on the link network .

Now on the right we display all the computers on our network that are currently turned on. We find a computer on which we have Windows 7 and a printer installed.

If you have home network, then you won’t have to search for long. Click on the computer icon with a printer installed.

Our printer should be displayed there on the right.

Double-click on it with your mouse. A request window will appear.

You are trying to connect to a printer, the appropriate drivers will be automatically installed on this computer. Printer drivers may contain viruses or scripts that can damage your computer. You need to make sure that the computer sharing the printer can be trusted. Continue?

Feel free to press the button Yes. The following prompt will appear.

The printer server does not have the required installed driver printer. To find the correct driver, click the " OK" Otherwise, click Cancel and contact network administrator or the hardware manufacturer with the required driver.

Press the button again Yes .

We insert into the drive a disk with drivers for the printer installed on Windows 7. Usually the file is found automatically, but you can specify its location yourself.

To do this, in the next window, specify the drive letter and find the file using the button Review .

This is where the problems begin.

With a new printer you won't have this problem. Since new printers and drivers are new specifically for Windows 7.

I don’t have Windows 7 drivers on the disk, so I’ll have to find them on the Internet first.

In the window that opens Printers and faxes We find our new printer. Right-click on it and select from the drop-down list Use as default .

A white check mark in a green circle should appear next to the printer.

Now you can print your documents.

You can read everything related to local networks in the articles from the section.

In Windows, you can share more than just folders or drives. It is very convenient to share access over the network for printer connected to one of the computers local network. As a result, to print documents from several different computers you can use one printer. This will not only save significant money, but will also save staff from running around with flash drives or disks when office employees need to print something.

To share the printer, sit at your computer, to which the printer is connected , and do the following:

1) Go to “Start” – “Control Panel” – “Printers and Faxes”.
2) Right-click on the name of the printer that you want to share with network users - select “Properties” - go to the “Access” tab:

3) Place a checkmark next to the “Share this printer” item.
4) In the Network Name field, enter a name or description for the printer that will be visible to network users. It is not advisable to use spaces in the printer name: 5) Click the “Apply” – “OK” button. After this, the printer will be shared and a hand symbol will appear on it:

In order for a user of a local network computer to be able to print on a given network printer, it is necessary to install this printer on his computer over the network. If all computers on the network need to be able to print to this printer, then on each of these computers we take the following steps:

1) Sit down at the computer of the user who needs a network printer. Go to “Start” – “Control Panel” – “Printers and Faxes”.
2) In the menu bar, click “File” - “Install Printer”. The “Add Printer Wizard” will launch. Click “Next”:

3) In the next window, set the marker to “ Network printer or a printer connected to another computer” and click “Next”:

4) Then set the marker to the “Browse Printers” position and click the “Next” button:

5) In the next window you will see a list with the names of computers and printers connected to them. Double-click the computer and then the printer you want to connect to. The name of the selected printer will appear in the “Printer” field. Click “Next”:

6) You will see a warning that printer drivers will be installed on your computer from the network. Click “Yes”:

7) The next window will ask you to use the default printer to install. If you agree with this, leave the checkbox in the “Yes” position and click “Next”:

This completes the installation of the network printer. After you click the “Finish” button, the icon for this printer should appear in the “Printers and Faxes” folder.

Printing to a network printer is no different from printing to a local printer. It will also show network users warnings about out of paper and other messages. You can also cancel or pause print jobs.

Do not forget that in order for other computers on the network to use the printer, the computer to which the printer is physically connected must be turned on, not frozen, and connected to the local network. If you experience errors when printing to a network printer, check these conditions.

Installing a network printer is very useful feature in Windows 7, because if you have several computers connected via a local network and one printer, you can significantly increase the efficiency of using this equipment. With this option, users will be able to print documents without leaving their desk, and there will no longer be a need to transfer files from computer to computer.

It is necessary to take into account that it is not the printer itself that must be connected to the network, but the computer on which it is installed; in addition, during installation you may need them; you can download them from the official websites of the equipment manufacturer, or install them from the disk supplied with the printer. There are two ways to find a printer on the network: the first is simple, fully automatic. The second is more difficult, requiring minimal knowledge and participation. Usually they resort to the second when the first does not work.

Method 1. Automatic

1. Go to Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Devices and Printers. Here, in fact, all the action will take place.

2. Click on “ Installing the Printer" The installation window will appear. Local printer is a device that you connect directly via USB. But we are interested in the second option - “Network Printer” - a printer, access to which is usually shared between several computers at home or in the office.

3. An automatic search for devices on the network will begin. In the best case, you will see several devices and select the one you need. All you need to know is the exact name of the printer, for example CanonLBP6000.

In the example, in the “Printer name” column you see a name like “CanonLBP on LARISA”. The first is the network name of the device, the second is the network name of the computer to which the printer is directly connected.

5. If everything is good, you will see “You have successfully installed [Printer Name]” at the end.

6. A new device will appear in the Devices and Printers window. All that remains is to put it out default printer. When you right-click on it, you will see the desired item.

Now all documents when printed will be automatically sent to the newly installed network printer.

Method 2. Find the printer by network name

Let's say method 1 did not help find the device. Step No. 3 was interrupted, a notification appeared that no printers were found. This usually happens when the system is just installed.

1. Step No. 3 is interrupted, the line “The required printer is not in the list” appears in the window below. Click on it or “Next”.

2. You will see a window where you must enter the name of the printer manually, for example “\\computer_network_name\printer_network_name”.

Both the first and second are located on the “main” computer, to which the printer is connected directly. In the properties of “My Computer”, look for the line “Network name”. In the printer properties in “Devices and Printers” - network name printer.