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I have a Canon MP620 series (all in one) printer that was previously connected via USB to my old desktop PC running WinXP. All of our laptops (now 4) could previously print to the printer (have for years too). 2 run XP, another runs Vista, another runs Win7.
Never had any problems connecting a laptop to do a wireless print to it.

Now that my desktop is new, running Win7, none of the laptops can locate the printer. The printer is physically connected the exact same way as is the network cables. Yes, I've rebooted the modem, router too.

The printer prints fine from the new PC, which is physically connected to it via USB cable.

When I try browsing to it from a laptop, it finds at least 2 other printers that I don't have and are not shown in my desktops printer list either.


Google has found me all sorts of network printer problems with this printer but before spending alot more time with this, might anyone here have any ideas?

Did you share it out already? Another reason I don't like WinVista or higher's simple networking.. ;\

Printer's shared, not C drive of desktop but it wasn't before.

I looked it up and that printer IS a network printer (nice printer BTW). You'd be so much better off connecting it to the network switch via the CAT5 connector on the printer and installing it as a network printer on all the XP machines.

You can leaving it connected via USB on the Win7 PC since you already have that setup, and you usually get more scanner functionality that way (yes you can have it connect as both a network and USB printer usually). Download the latest FULL WinXP driver from the website while you're at it.

If you DO want or need to connect share it through your new PC, Win7 has some extra security features and printer sharing is usually not enabled by default.

First off, when you first booted into Win7 it should have detected the network and you should have been asked if this was a Public, Home or Work network. You should have selected Home or Work (either one is fine). Public blocks all sharing and you generally only use public for wireless hotspots which lcoks down the firewall.

If you haven't done it yet, right click on the printer in the Devices and Printers window and share it.

RIGHT click on the networking icon by the clock in the taskbar and select "Open Network and Sharing Center"

Click on "Change advanced sharing settings"

Under "Home or Work (current Profile)":

- Enable "Turn on file and printer sharing"

- Enable "Turn off password protected sharing" (unless you want to get fancy and setup user restrictions).

- (optional) enable "Use user groups and passwords to connect to other computers". I don't like using the new Homegroup connections system, and it's not compatible with XP anyway. This forces Win7 to use the old network sharing model exclusively.

- If you are using an Anti-Virus suite that includes a firewall, disable the firewall for now. Most of those firewalls are configured to block printer and file sharing by default. Once you get it all working you can turn the firewall on and see if it's smart enough to allow the printer share, otherwise you'll have to adjust it. If you're just using a basic AV app with no firewall, then you're fine. The settings above will permit printer sharing through the Windows Firewall.

If your XP computers are configured to regularly browse the network for shared assets, they should see the printer now, but it may take time for all the NetBIOS queries to propagate. I never bother with that nonsense and prefer to force the issue. On each XP machine, press the Windows Key + R to bring up the Run dialog, and type the network path to your new Win7 workstation. For instance if the network name of your Win7 workstation is WORKSTATION then type \\WORKSTATION
That should force the XP PC to open an explorer view of the shares on your Win7 PC, and the printer icon should be visible. Double clicking on the printer will install it.

Be aware that the WinXP PCs may not be able to pull a driver from the Win7 PC. It's possible that the existing drivers they already have installed will just be re-loaded, but if not, you'll need to go to the Canon website and download the WinXP BASIC print driver. This usually has no installer and just unzips into a folder, and then when you're prompted for the location of the drivers, you point to it. Don't install the FULL driver.

Hope this helps...

OK, thanks FP! I've made progress. Of the 3 laptops presently here (one's at work), 2 now print.

The Win7 and XP laptops now print but not the one in the kitchen running Vista.
The Win7 laptop found the printer after I joined the Win7 homegroup (using password).

When I look at the network sharing from the Vista laptop, they all show up so it see's the new desktop, just still unable to find its printer.
It was previously printing to the old desktop so it has drivers for my printer too.

I'd get away from the Homegroup thing a use old school as I mentioned above.

If you browse to the new desktop from the laptop (by typing it's network address into the Run dialog) does it open the network share window for the new desktop, or just give you an error message about permissions?

If it does open it, do you see the printer and can you click on it?

Needed a name and password to get in, my desktop PW and then it worked.

Thanks once again.

Make sure you saved those login credentials on the XP PC (you should have been prompted with a checkbox to remember them) otherwise next time you reboot, it will forget them.

OK, I'll check.

I need to run a Cat5 cable between the printer and router so that the wireless laptops can print when the desktop's sleeping.

I assume the printer is next to the new PC? You can drop a 5 port switch in there instead of running a cable to the router if it's not in the same room.

Also, remember that when you do connect the printer to the network, you'll need to run the printer install CD on each laptop. They won't just find the printer.

So far I'm thinking of just leaving it as is. It's really not that often when either of us needs to print from one of the laptops and I've discovered that even if the desktop's sleeping, all that one needs to do is press the power, reset button on it and it'll then print w/o using the PW to log on so not really a big deal.