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Up to Discussions in Printers
4 Replies Last post: Jun 24, 2007 6:21 PM by smax013  
Click to view Caralannew's profile New Member
Caralannew
2 posts since
Jun 23, 2007
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Jun 23, 2007 6:22 AM

Network printing problems

I am going around in circles on this one. I have two HP laptops (both with built in wireless adaptors) and a HP Deskjet 6840 wireless Printer with duplex printing. The older laptop has a Vodafone 3G card and is therefore the hub for the home wireless network and internet connection. The older laptop operates with MS XP Home and the newer one with MS Vista. When the two computers and the printer are networked wirelessly, automatic duplexing is available from both computers. However, when I decided that I would prefer not to operate the wireless network all the time and networked the two laptops using an Ethernet Cable, the printer now being connected to the hub laptop through a USB port, the automatic duplex facility is not available from the
Vista machine although I can duplex print manually. I have downloaded and installed what HP say is the latest full version of the printer software for use with Vista but when I open the printing preferences, it says that duplex printing is not installed. If this is the case, how is it that it prints wirelessly in duplex fashion with no problem. Am I missing some fundamental difference here between wired
and wireless networking?

Caralan
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Click to view smax013's profile Old Hand
smax013
3,745 posts since
Jan 28, 2007
1. Jun 23, 2007 7:08 AM in response to: Caralannew
Re: Network printing problems
Caralannew wrote:I am going around in circles on this one. I have two HP laptops (both with built in wireless adaptors) and a HP Deskjet 6840 wireless Printer with duplex printing. The older laptop has a Vodafone 3G card and is therefore the hub for the home wireless network and internet connection. The older laptop operates with MS XP Home and the newer one with MS Vista. When the two computers and the printer are networked wirelessly, automatic duplexing is available from both computers. However, when I decided that I would prefer not to operate the wireless network all the time and networked the two laptops using an Ethernet Cable, the printer now being connected to the hub laptop through a USB port, the automatic duplex facility is not available from the

Vista machine although I can duplex print manually. I have downloaded and installed what HP say is the latest full version of the printer software for use with Vista but when I open the printing preferences, it says that duplex printing is not installed. If this is the case, how is it that it prints wirelessly in duplex fashion with no problem. Am I missing some fundamental difference here between wired

and wireless networking?


Caralan


Just to verify...when you print wirelessly, you are making use of the printer's wireless ability, correct? That is, you are not connecting it to one computer by USB and then sharing it using Windoze share option.

When you go to the wired version, it does appear that you are now connecting the printer to the one laptop by USB and then sharing it using Windoze.

If the above is correct, then the issue might be the way you are connecting things. In order for some function on some printers to work, they need a two-way connection with the computer that originally sent the print job. And I believe that you lose that two way connection when you make use of Windoze sharing.

If so, then you might need to actually set up a small network. That is get router with a network switch that you use as the main connection to the Net (i.e. your cable or DSL modem connects to the router, then your connect the computers and printer through the router).

[soapbox] Backup good...no backup bad!! [/soap box]
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Click to view rgreen4's profile Old Hand
rgreen4
3,702 posts since
Oct 22, 2006
2. Jun 24, 2007 8:25 AM in response to: Caralannew
Networking Printer
You had a functional ad-hoc wireless network working, I'm not sure why you changed. Regardless, to make sure that you have the lastest drivers for the Deskjet 6840, the HP website lists the Vista Drivers as version 080.001.237.000 and dated 3/16/2007. The drivers are described as full featured.

If that is the driver set that you are using you should have the latest. Are you trying to send the info to the printer directly wirelessly or through the host computer. Since the printer has wireless function, and it was working before, perhaps when you connected it to the host computer it disabled the wireless function.

The XP drivers for the other machine are dated 2004 and should not have changed.

When you look at the printers folder on the Vista laptop (Control Panel->Hardware & Sound->Printers. It should show the HP Deskjet 6800 Series on xxxx. Where xxxx is the other laptops network name and should show a little network wire connection.

If you still can't get it to work, simply disconnect the USB cable from the other printer, and go back to printing wirelessly.

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Click to view Caralannew's profile New Member
Caralannew
2 posts since
Jun 23, 2007
3. Jun 24, 2007 10:02 AM in response to: Caralannew
Network Printing problems
Thanks for the two helpful replies. Being a relatively inexperienced computer user, I have decided that the easiest thing to do would be to go back to using the network wirelessly. As a matter of interest, I decided to try out a wired network due to a certain amount of adverse publicity lately with regarding wireless networking of computers.
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Click to view smax013's profile Old Hand
smax013
3,745 posts since
Jan 28, 2007
4. Jun 24, 2007 6:21 PM in response to: Caralannew
Re: Network Printing problems
Caralannew wrote:Thanks for the two helpful replies. Being a relatively inexperienced computer user, I have decided that the easiest thing to do would be to go back to using the network wirelessly. As a matter of interest, I decided to try out a wired network due to a certain amount of adverse publicity lately with regarding wireless networking of computers.

I would suggest that if you are not running any encryption on your wireless network (i.e. WPA or at least WEP), then you should do so. In addition, it is usually a good idea to setup MAC filtering (that is not MAC as in Apple Macs, but the network hardware address...can offer help if you don't know how or what to do with that) and also to turn of SSID broadcasting.

If you are using a fully open WiFi network (i.e. not encryption), then DO NOT do any financial transations (i.e. web purchases or online banking) or permit file sharing on your computer. While in theory most purchase websites make use of encryption, I would still advise against doing online purchases or online banking with a WiFi connection. I don't even do it WITH my WPA encryption turned on.

[soapbox] Backup good...no backup bad!! [/soap box]
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