A computer components & hardware forum. HardwareBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » HardwareBanter forum » General Hardware & Peripherals » Printers
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

How to Share (network) a Hewlett Packard HP Photosmart 8250 acrossa network



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old April 7th 09, 01:29 AM posted to comp.periphs.printers
Barry Watzman
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,148
Default 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.
 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Not getting speed USB2 speed with my Hewlett Packard Photosmart 8450printer? Ant Printers 17 June 2nd 07 09:47 AM
Can't share files on new network Luis ORTEGA General 13 September 4th 05 11:01 PM
share HP officjet 5510 in network ? Hans Pesata Printers 0 January 26th 05 05:02 PM
how to setup network to share resources smita General Hardware 0 February 25th 04 03:39 AM
Hewlett Packard photosmart 7550 Printer. mickcant Printers 1 August 20th 03 12:47 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 10:09 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 HardwareBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.