Home network printing troubles !!!

I have a small network at home. running thru a linksys 4 port cable router. I had to refromat my main computer, that has a Lexmark Z 52 printer connected thru USB to it. The problem is now the other computers on the network now cannot use this printer. Locally it's fine. I have put it on the parallel port and to no avail. I have removed and reinstalled all items in network neighborhood hood. reinstalled the drivers on all machines, had to on the reformatted one. The printer is seen thru the network but get a comunication error and then of course it won't print. I really am I my whits end on this. Any ideas would be helpful. <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

did u say ur sharing trhe printer over the next work or that u have it connected to both pc via usb & parallel?????

if so, that might be your problem, can u print ok from the main machine? if so you have
remember to share the printer.. (i dont mean to sound off, just things off the top of my head :D )

too early in the morning to be troubleshooting.. i'll post another reply if i can think of something else :D
Good Luck

No I tried it on both port thru my main pc.

Yes I can capture the port and get the corect network path but the printer drivers seems to change on the client pc's. It will see the printer but state that it can't connect.

I have done this so many times I can do it with my eyes closed. Networking Printers that is.

I am beyond the point of the normal troubleshooting network printer stuff.

I have removed all net work components on all machines and then reinstalled. Reinstalled the drivers numerous times on all systems.

This is why I'm here.

Any help is appreciated.

anyone?

Well a small update...

I installed a new port on the clients and setup the correct path. It now says that it prints fine but nothing actually comes out from the printer.

I'm still stumped here. :eek:

1st ?... Are they all the same OS?

If you reloaded another OS on the main computer it's possible that you are running into issues there. i.e. Are all the machines 9x and the main computer with the printer now a Win 2000 machine. It is possible to load drivers on the main computer but you have to run Win 2000 Server. This is not an option in Win 2000 Pro. Because of this you would most likely need to send the file to the 2K machine and print it from there, go back to 9x, or upgrade to 2K server and install the 9x drivers.

If this is not the problem. Try going to Start... Settings.... Printers. Delete the printer from the computers that cannot print and reinstall the printer. This should correct any security issues that could be causing the problem. I know this fixes alot of problems.

Let us know if it worked or there is something else causing it.

Both pc's are running ME ( same as before I had to reformart). The printer works just fine from the main system. The problem exists solely on the other systems.

I have deleted the printer and set up the correct network path so many times it's not funny.

The closet I came was when a setup a new port on the pc's that aren't printing and the cancel print and print test buttons were both active.

The printer software showed the print job as completing but yet nothing came out from the printer.

I have deleted all registry entries and tried reinstalling the drivers several different ways.

But alas.... not working

Any further ideas would be appreciated. :eek:

If your not already using it you might try the drivers located <a href="http://drivers.lexmark.com/drivers.nsf/printer+driver/B51D753C49172319852568D900421482?OpenDocument" target="_blank">here</a>.

I've had several issues with that model printer under Win Me that required removing the Inf file, uninstalling the printer, (make sure you shut down the print monitor, and use Ctrl+Alt+Del to end the print tray as well) before attempting the uninstall. Also had to run regedit to remove the lexmark references.

Usually after all that a fresh install then worked ok.

Yeah I have removed all lexmark references in registry and all files found on the hard drive.

The printer has no problems printing from the local machine. The problem only exists when trying to print from one of the other pc's on the network.

I am really starting to pull my hair out over this.

Does anyone have a clue on this?

Have you also removed the printer from all the other computers on the network? I would use the same procedure as above then reinstall them as a network printer. When prompted for drivers point the other computers to the machine that is local to the printer. Also select the LPT driver instead of usb for those systems. Something about using usb print driver for a netwoke printer that just dosen't work well with lexmark.

Keep me updated as to your progress. I'll give it all I can.

In my experience, lexmark printers don't like to be shared. But I have done it. Instead of capturing the printer port, just print right to the device. I've had lots of trouble when using the capture port. print right to it--example \\CNCS_SERVER\lexmark instead of assigning it to a port. I've found the z52 to share Ok. Z31's and Z11's are a real big pain.

I have removed the printer from all the other pc's reinstalled it numerous times from choosing either local or networked version. Installed as an LPT one and not an LPT one.

I am truly wondering why I can't get this blasted thing to work....

I had this all setup and working before I had to reformat my HD on the machine that has the printer physically attached to it.

It was reinstalled with the same OS....so that has long eliminated that thought.

This should be so simple that it's not even funny, and that's why I'm batty over this.

Keep the suggestions coming , one of them (short of reformattiing all the pc's)has gor to work.

Thanks.

Sounds like some left over munge in the registry. Do the uninstall thing again and then search and scrub the registry of any remnants of the printer then reinstall.

Try accessing the printer below at the NetBIOS level below the win drivers level....
c:\dir > \\computer\printer share name

Update!!!

I renamed the main pc to a different name that what I had used in the past. This caused the other systems on the network to make new paths to the printer and all is well again.
Something about having the same name as before made sharing the printer unuseable, even though I had been into the reg and deleted the entries referring to the printer on those systems.
Oh well!!!

Thx for those you tried to help.