b1513

I did a search on this but couldn't find this exact problem.

Yesterday I got a new HP Laptop with Vista Ultimate. My HP all-in-one
(5510) printer works fine if connected directly to the laptop, but the laptop can't see it when it's back on my network. Lynksys wireless router connects to the printer. All other computers on the network see the printer and use it well, but the new laptop can't find it. The laptop sees the network because Internet access is fine. I don't think it's a driver problem since the printer works when connected directly to the USB.

Spent 3 hours with HP techsupport and no help there.

Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this problem?

Bobette

LadyPhoenix

My co-worker has the same problem; it's a "Vista issue" supposedly.

Hunki

I just got a new Dell desktop with Vista Business to replace my old business laptop which had been retired from the road when I got a new one with wireless. Everytime I tried to connect to the network printers, the Explorer window would crash the system.
Like you, after 3 or more hours of screwing around, and also checking with the Microsoft site for help, I just gave up and took the Vista off and installed XP Pro.
BTW, it was really tiresome to keep having to click through the approval process everytime that I wanted to open a file too.

During a phone call with one of my clients who had just bought a new laptop with Vista Ultimate, he described the same problem. His company IT guy spent a day trying to make it connect to their network printers and never succeeded either.

Guess that we'll have to wait until Microsoft comes out with a service pack, whenever, to fix these bugs.

ProvRIGuy

Not sure how much this will help, but Vista has settings for what type of network you're on - home, work, or public. These have an effect on discovery and sharing of printers, files, etc. I don't know what you have set, or remember exactly how to change them without being at work on my Vista test machine, but it might be worth poking around those settings...

You could also try printing directly to the printer's IP address on your internal network, but I don't know if you'd have full functionality.

Good luck!

b1513

Thanks so much for these suggestions. Sometime this week I will give them a shot. Since I brought the new laptop home, my old laptop hasn't had one single glitch (which is why I bought a new one).

Bobette

mikem132

go into your Vista firewall and make sure you check "network discovery" . Can your Vista computer see other computers on your network? Can they see your Vista computer? Vista has new security layers, which seem complicated but are really simple---just a little different. Too involved to go into here. Also, I dumped Norton which often comes with HP and got MS Live OneCare. Not the best virus, not the best firewall and not the best spyware scanner but it DOES work really easily with Windows (especially Vista). None of the hang-ups you get with Norton. It costs 50.00 list for 3 computes a year (less online--I paid 34.00 for 3 PC license). MUCH cheaper than Norton or McAfee. I like it. Never got a virus (yet).

b1513

My HP also came with Norton, but I dumped it and got PC-Cillin. At first I downloaded McAfee and then learned it isn't compatible with Vista so had to dump it.

Thanks for the suggestion about the printer. Hopefully I'll get to it one of these days. I'm so computered out after last week's printer debacle that I'm taking a break.

Bobette

windwalker

pay a visit to Hotfix share

I've been patching some V64 issues and saw several KB articles about printer issues(among others)

so far none of the Hotfixes has broken anything and have actually fixed a few new "product enhancements"