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How to Share (network) a Hewlett Packard HP Photosmart 8250 acrossa network
It turns out that the answer is that with the HP software, it's impossible. HP intended the Photosmart 8250 as a non-networkable printer for local use only. But there is a way .... Here is a writeup I created on how to do this [I stumbled onto this by accident. In my post yesterday, I noted that until I replaced my hard drive, the 8250 had been working across the network. After a LOT of investigation and head scratching, it turns out that it HAD been working ONLY because (and, I might add, entirely by lucky accident) the systems I was using, both the host and the client, had previously had an HP Deskjet 7350 installed on them that had also been shared over the network. The Photosmart 8250 had worked (until I replaced the hard drive in the host) only because the Desktjet 7350 software (networkable) was being [accidentally] used to print on the 8250. But that raised the [perfectly good] idea of sharing the non-networkable 8250 by using networkable drivers from another printer model. Which led to the writeup below.] *********************** The HP Photosmart 8250 printer is not networkable. This was a marketing decision made by HP, there is no technical reason why it can't be networked, indeed this writeup describes how to network it, but HP apparently wants to keep networking a feature of the "Deskjet" products only, and therefore most if not all "Photosmart" products are not currently networkable. BUT, it can be done. Here's how. First, you will need a driver CD from a late model networkable Deskjet printer that is compatible with the target Photosmart printer; in my case, I used a CD from an HP Deskjet 7350 to share the Photosmart 8250 across a network, and it works fine. Now, on the HOST computer (the one to which the 8250 is physically connected and normally and fully installed by USB cable), open Control Panel / Printers and Faxes. Click on "Add Printer"; Welcome to the Add Printer Wizard; next select "local printer attached to this computer". DO NOT check the "automatically detect" box. Under "use the following port", select "Virtual Port for USB"; this is a virtual port that is created when the HP 8250 was installed and connected to the host computer. [On my computer, it is also listed as USB001; presumably, in some instances, it might be USB002, USB003 or whatever]. Click Next, you will be at the "Install Printer Software" page (the driver installation page). Select "Have Disk", and browse to the folder of the installation CD for the Photosmart compatible Deskjet printer that you will be using. Again, in my case, I used the driver CD for an HP Deskjet 7350 printer. Finding the right folder to use here is tricky, and may take some trial and error (ok, in some cases it may take many hours of trial and error). On the Deskjet 7350 CD that I used, the folder was enu\drivers\win2k_xp. Note that "enu" is a language selector (English, USA). I know that on some other CDs the order may be reversed (drivers\enu), and on some CDs all of this stuff will be in a "setup" folder (setup\drivers\enu, or some permutation of language, setup, drivers, operating system). This is done a zillion different ways, and every product's install CD is different, so all I can tell you is to look around. Note1: Again, you must be using an install CD or driver set for a NETWORKABLE printer that is driver level compatible with the target non-networkable printer you are trying to share (in my case, where the target printer is a Photosmart 8250, the CD for a Deskjet 7350 works perfectly). Note2: As an aid to assist in finding the driver, put the CD in your drive and do a Windows search for all *.inf files. ONE of these will be the one you want (not of much help, since there may be dozens to perhaps even a hundred of them on a typical product CD). But looking at where they are located (what folders they are in on the CD) may give you a clue as to where the right driver is located. Note3: If you don't have a driver CD for a suitable target printer, you may be able to order one for a nominal fee, or you may be able to download the driver setup package from the HP web site, and that package may contain the same files that are on the CD, in a suitably useable format (or it may not .....). On the next screen you will select the printer model being installed (most installation CDs (or at least their driver sets) cover many actual models of printers). Select a compatible model (it should be feature compatible as well as driver compatible; so, other things being equal, try to match the features (duplexing, number of paper trays, supported paper sizes, etc.) as closely as you can). Click "next", the driver will be installed, click "next" and give the printer you are creating a name ("Virtual 7350 on 8250"; or whatever (the computer doesn't care, this is for you)). Click next, select "Share name" and give the printer a network share name (best to keep this short, for maximum compatibility it should be 8 characters or less). Click next, and enter location and comment (these are not required and can be left blank); click next, and select yes or no for "Do you want to print a test page?" (it's probably a good idea; this SHOULD work). Click Next and Finish. ***REMEMBER, all of this was done on the HOST computer (the one to which the target printer (8250) is physically connected).*** Now that the target computer has this NETWORKABLE "virtual" printer on it, the virtual printer can be shared across the network in the usual manner. |
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