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Laptop suddenly stopped printing on network RRS feed

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    I am subscribed to Live onecare using 3 pc's. A main desktop set as the hub and two other laptops connected wirelessly. Printing stopped a week ago on laptop 2.

     

     I am using a Dell Dual Core dimension 9200, (2.4GHz, 1066MHz, 4 MB) as the hub, purchased 2006

    Both Laptops are Dell Inspiron 6400 Core2Duo 1.73GHz, 533MHz)

    All running windows XP

     

    The main desktop/hub and laptop 1 print fine, no problems on either with printing. If i click printers and faxes then properties then ports  both the hub and laptop 1 show the same. 

      This is as follows;

    PORT= USB001

    DESCRIPTION=Virtual printer port for USB

    PRINTER=Epson Stylus DX 4000 Series.

     

    On the laptop that does not print (laptop2), if i view the same print properties, the above printer port is missing, the add port feature is greyed out.

     

    The printer is set as the default printer on the hub pc and if i right click the printer icon the blue 1 care sign = stop sharing printer.

     

    On laptop 1 & 2 if i right click on the printer icon the blue 1 care sign = More information

     

    If i view the print status through the hub pc using onecare circle it shows laptop(1)&(2) with

     = No available printers, it does not show the hub pc, is this because i am viewing it from the hub pc?

     

    If i view printer status through onecare on laptop 2 it shows the main hub pc with

     = Onecare failed to install this printer, onecare will keep trying to install this printer.

     Laptop 1 = no available printers. (although i can print from the hub pc and laptop 1) It is only laptop 2 that i cannot print from.

     

    All other areas of OneCare work fine on all 3 pc's. Backups to external drive, updates etc.

    All 3 pcs are shown with a green status i.e. GOOD

    i have not changed or installed any software that may have interfered with the print status. OneCare is the only antivirus/firewall software i am using.

    I have had no problems with any virus's.

    Absolutley nothing has changed  which may have caused printing to stop.

     

    I have tried to get phone support but this has been unavailable for over a week now.

    I have gone through the help section and written the above several times now only to be told; once submitted, that there was as error with processing, please try again....AGHHHHH tearing my hair out!

     

    I have no idea why printing has suddenly stopped on laptop 2, or why the print port is not showing under print properties on laptop 2, but it is the main laptop that is used for business and is so, very important tht i get it back to printing ASAP.

    I have gone through all other diagnostics and although i see an area which sugggest adding another port, i am very wary of doing this incase i mess up other settings. Plus why would i need to change any ports when it worked fine before. Please help ASAP.

     

    P.S what happened to the free phone number i used a while ago to get help? I was very impressed with the prompt service i received which was the main reason i subscribed.

     

    Thursday, January 31, 2008 12:19 PM

Answers

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    I'll answer the easy part first - phone support is still available for subscribers, though the process for accessing it has changed and it can be painful. See - 

    How to reach support (FAQ) - http://forums.microsoft.com/WindowsOneCare/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=2421771&SiteID=2

     

    From your description, the hub is the host for the printer used by all 3 PCs in your Circle, but Laptop#2 has lost the ability to "see" the shared printer.

    I'm not sure why this would happen, but I can tell you that all of the settings *should* happen automatically without you adding or configuring ports. The way the printer is shared in OneCare is through the virtual port - you can't add it, but OneCare does.

     

    Here is the current troubleshooting topic for Printer Sharing in OneCare where a shared printer can't be used by a computer in the Circle, which sounds like your problem. I suggest going through these steps. If it works, please report back what the solution was. If you still can't print to that printer, please contact support per the above link (if the support form fails again, email me at sboots@mvps.org with OneCare Printer in the subject line and a link to this thread in the body of the message - also tell me what country you are in...)

    -steve

     

    Can't connect to a printer in your OneCare circle

    When you attach and install a printer to one computer in your OneCare circle, Windows Live OneCare automatically configures the printer settings so that other computers in your circle can also use the printer. If your computer can't connect to a printer that's attached to another computer in your circle, there may be a problem with the printer or with the other computer in your OneCare circle.

    To troubleshoot this issue:
    1. Verify that OneCare supports the printer that you're using. To determine whether OneCare supports your printer, see the OneCare unsupported printers list.

    2. If OneCare supports the printer, generate a list of computers and printers that OneCare recognizes as part of your circle.

      Thursday, January 31, 2008 1:49 PM
      Moderator
       
      OneCare unsupported printers list.

    3. If OneCare supports the printer, generate a list of computers and printers that OneCare recognizes as part of your circle.

       
      1. On the computer that you want to connect the printer to, open OneCare.
      2. Under Quick links, click Change settings.

      3. On the Printer sharing tab, click Refresh.

        This generates a list of computers and printers that OneCare recognizes as part of your circle.

      4. If you receive an error message, verify that your OneCare subscription is still active and that you used the same Windows Live ID when you installed OneCare on the computers in your circle.

         

    4. Try one of the solutions that best describes the problem that you're experiencing:

        1.  The computer that the printer is attached to is not listed in the printer list
         The computer that the printer is attached to is listed in the printer list, but you can't use the printer
         The computer that the printer is attached to is listed but the printer isn't
         The printer appears as "Previously rejected" in the list of printers on the computer that you want to connect the printer to
         The printer is listed in the printer list, but OneCare couldn't install it
         The printer is listed in the printer list, but not all users can use it or when you try to use it, printing fails

        Notes
        • The OneCare icon precedes OneCare options on the printer menu. If you don't see a menu option together with the OneCare icon, restart the computer, and then try again.
        • By default, file and printer sharing is turned off in networks that are configured as a public place. File and printer sharing must be turned on for computers and printers to be recognized correctly in your circle.
        • OneCare doesn't support printer sharing between computers that run 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows and computers that run 32-bit versions of Windows.