Help - can't install driver for network printer (Win XP)

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Trying to connect the kids' PC (running XP) to the printer on my Win 7 PC.

The network side of things seems fine - on the XP machine I can go into 'add a printer', browse, and find the printer I want.

The problem is from that point. When I select the printer I get a message about automatically installing a driver from the server, then a message about a suitable driver not being available. So I carry on to browse for a driver manually ... and that's what I can't get past!

It's looking for a .inf file. I've got the installation CD for the printer, and can navigate to the file on that ... but it then says "Windows cannot locate a suitable printer driver".

I downloaded and successfully installed the latest driver directly onto the XP machine. Tried pointing the 'add a printer' dialog to the .inf now on the C: drive, but same message about not being able to locate a suitable driver.

I'd have thought I should be able to point the locally installed driver to the printer on the network (as you pick a port, for a local printer), but I couldn't see any obvious way to do that.

So I'm a bit stuck - any help/suggestions would be much appreciated!
 
Here's a possible workaround: Try selecting an existing Windows XP driver - Windows XP will not have an exact match for the model of your new printer, but for basic printing you should be fine by choosing a similar/older model from the same manufacturer. You may need to try a couple of choices before finding the best one. Once you have this working you can try updating the driver on the XP machine 'in situ' , or just keep using the older model driver.
 
My guess is your Windows 7 is 64bit and you XP is 32bit.

The driver you need will probably be on the software CD so when XP prompts for the driver, browse to the software CD. If you do this, you should avoid the crapware you will get.

When you browse, it shows you the file name you are looking for so you could just search the disc for that file (I don't think XP browses the whole disc - just the immediate folder) - and then browse to that folder when installing the printer.

If not, or you want an easier way, just install the software on the XP machine first as GOG suggests and then try installing the printer again.
 
Have you installed the printer software with the CD?

Yes, I tried installing the driver on the XP machine from the CD. Then re-did it using the latest driver downloaded from the Canon website.

In both cases the driver installed successfully. But it doesn't seem to check for drivers that are already installed when you try to attach a network printer. It assumes that you are going to install a driver at that point - and if you don't do this successfully the printer isn't attached.
 
Here's a possible workaround: Try selecting an existing Windows XP driver - Windows XP will not have an exact match for the model of your new printer, but for basic printing you should be fine by choosing a similar/older model from the same manufacturer. You may need to try a couple of choices before finding the best one. Once you have this working you can try updating the driver on the XP machine 'in situ' , or just keep using the older model driver.

Unless I'm missing something you can't do that for a network printer (as you can for a local printer). As mentioned, it insists on installing a driver as soon as you select the printer and try to attach it.
 
My guess is your Windows 7 is 64bit and you XP is 32bit.

The driver you need will probably be on the software CD so when XP prompts for the driver, browse to the software CD. If you do this, you should avoid the crapware you will get.

When you browse, it shows you the file name you are looking for so you could just search the disc for that file (I don't think XP browses the whole disc - just the immediate folder) - and then browse to that folder when installing the printer.

If not, or you want an easier way, just install the software on the XP machine first as GOG suggests and then try installing the printer again.

Yup, the printer is attached to a Win7 64 bit PC and the XP machine is 32 bit.

I can browse to the .inf file on the printer install disc, but I still get the same error ("Windows cannot locate a suitable printer driver"). I get exactly the same message after installing the driver to C: and browsing to the .inf file there :dk:
 
I know it’s not what you want but could the XP computer email the material to be printed to you on your Win 7 PC so you can then print it.

Dec
 
I could set up a file share so the files could be picked up on either PC. But I would prefer to get the printer working, if possible.

Printers are cheap enough but there's simply no room for one upstairs where the XP machine is. That PC is nailed down fairly tight with parental controls etc. so I'm not that keen on Mrs BTB letting them use the downstairs PC whenever they claim they have to print something. For starters I have password-protected my ID on that machine, and removed her admin rights :D
 
Is the printer wired or wireless connection to your PC.

I used to have a desktop running XP and a laptop running Vista with a wireless printer.
I installed the full printer software on both PC's and both worked ok.

I no longer have the XP machine and have replaced it with one running windows 8, 64bit, again I installed the printer software on the new machine using wireless connection and it's working perfectly. I have just had to replace the hard drive in the laptop and still have to re-install the printer software, but don't envisage any problems. (I realise this isn't of much help to you, but think there must be a way using the driver in the original CD. Maybe installing the full software onto the XP machine would help. You can always un-install later).

Hope I'm properly understanding what you're saying.
 
Many thanks for the advice/suggestions so far.

The printer is on a simple USB cable to the Win7 PC. Ironically, it used to be connected directly to the XP machine (when that was my 'main' one) and worked fine that way!

The problem with doing a full install off the CD (as opposed to just installing the driver) is that it wants to connect to the printer as part of the process. Which of course isn't there at that point!
 
Can you confirm the model you are installing does have a driver for windows 64 bit. If so download it and put it on your desktop. Decompress it and then when you go to add the printer manually point it to this location i.e. Say you have the driver and select this location - assuming a driver is available :)
 
OK am making some progress.

Reinstalled the printer driver as a local printer on the XP machine ... picked LPT1.

Then manually added a port (under properties, ports) with the printer share's name on the network. Was then able to print a test page!

But ... printing from another (non-admin) ID on the XP machine doesn't work ... comes up with "error" on the print queue. Presumably some kind of permissioning issue.
 
I was starting to wonder if perhaps that disc didn't have the 32bit driver but I would be surprised if not.

Given you've had the printer running locally, you do indeed have the driver already.

You could try just browsing to C:\Windows\INF on the XP PC to see if it will pick up the driver from there.

Printer security in 7 by default is Everyone can print so I'm not sure it is permissions.

I wonder if the firewall you are running in Windows 7 is blocking traffic.

You could try disabling the Windows firewall temporarily to see, or whichever firewall you are running if not.

The only other thing I am aware of is when I first setup a Windows 2008 R2 domain at work in 2010, I had to install something called 'Canon DIAS' as our Canon MFD wasn't functioning properly - what a pig to work out that was!

However, I think this comes as part of the installer these days.
 
Actually it wont be the firewall because you've printed as an Administrator-level user.

It is also shared if you can browse to it.

So just to confirm, it works for an Administrator-level user but none of the standard user accounts on XP?
 
OK got there in the end :bannana:

On the Win7 machine - homegroup, advanced sharing settings, public.

By default only users with a password protected account on the server machine can remotely access file shares and printers there. I did, which is why it worked on my account on the XP machine.

Turned off that option and all worked ok from the kids' ids on the XP box :)
 

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