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How do i get my laptop to work wireless with a printer on a network?

My laptop is vista and my desktop is XP. Laptop is wireless and I have a wireless internet connection that is run through a router with the desktop...How can i get my laptop to share the printer? Do I need more equipment to do this? Can this be done with 2 different OS's? Please help!

Public Comments

1. What kind of printer is it? If it has a network connection then you can plug it into the wireless router and assign it an IP address and just print to it with both machines. To do this, you can get an HP jetDirect box. If it is a small printer on one machine, you can right-click on the printer and share it. The only downside to that is that you would have to leave that machine on all the time in order for both machines to use it. It will cost a little money, but I think the jetdirect path is the best, unless you already have a network connection on your printer.
2. You donot need any more gadgets... make sure the printer is connected to the network and have a valid ipaddress In the main computer where the printer is installed, just go to the Printer folder inside of Control Panel. Right click your All in one printer and then Click Sharing. Click on Share this printer in the window that opens and then hit OK. Get the IP address of your computer, go to Start, Run, type "cmd" enter, type "ipconfig" enter. Write down where it says "Local Area Connection" IP address: "numbers with dots". After this, move to the computer without a printer. In the other computer, go to Start, Run, type "\\ipaddress\" where ipaddress are the numbers of the 1st computer. When a windows opens asking for a user name and password input those credentials from your computer. If it doesn't ask it will be even better. Now with this command you will open a folder and the printer will be there. Double click the printer and now the 2nd computer will be able to use it. BTW, both computers have to be in the same WORKGROUP. to check this: Right click My Computer icon on the desktop, go to properties, Computer name tab. There you can see the WORKGROUP name and even change it.