Connecting to a printer on an XP box

[raggit]

I have just set up my first linux box running Mandrake 9 at the weekend and am finding it excellent. However, I need to access my HP 5550 which is on my XP box so that I can print but I do not know how to do this:confused:

The printer is already shared and can be accessed from my other windows computers without any problems.

I know that the linux box can "talk" to the XP one okay as it shares its internet access and I use VNC to use it as I don't have any more room for any more monitors

So can someone tell me what I need to do.

Thanx in advance

[orangedi]

I did it once using samba and cups. i'm not sure if you can do it without samba, though. it is fairly easy to set up, just download cups, if you don't have it already, and configure it through your browser.

[raggit]

The more I look inot it the it seems that it would be easier to connect the printer direct to the linux box when I want to use it.

[orangedi]

aahhhh you give up too easily... alot of us don't sleep unless we have our box just he way we want it, meaning we will work on it for 6 hours one night just so we don't have to spend 4 minutes moving a printer.

might have something to do with a fear of finally being outsmarted by silicon and plastic

well, do what you must. good luck

[raggit]

Originally posted by orangedi
aahhhh you give up too easily... alot of us don't sleep unless we have our box just he way we want it, meaning we will work on it for 6 hours one night just so we don't have to spend 4 minutes moving a printer.

might have something to do with a fear of finally being outsmarted by silicon and plastic.

I don't give up to easily at all. In total I have now spent 7 hours trying to setup something that I could do in Windows in 10 minutes.

I also do not have a fear of being outsmarted by silicon and plastic becuse I am the Administrator of a 130 machine Windows based network where I work and have done this for the last several years.

[cavy]

I am a newbie and I know what oranedi means about spending alot of time to get smoething setup. This was a frustrating problem i had . I have just recently got my Mandrake 9 box to print to a printer that is connected to an XP comp. I installed the cups program and also samba i then went to the Mandake control center and went to the Hardware icon then to the printer icon then i setup my printer there. Every thing is working great and I am so happy.

[orangedi]

Originally posted by raggit

I also do not have a fear of being outsmarted by silicon and plastic becuse I am the Administrator of a 130 machine Windows based network where I work and have done this for the last several years.

WOW... sounds like you are overworked, underpaid and in need of a new job!

sorry, i didn't know you would take offence at the comment, i don't really think silicon is smarter than you... it is more a personal fear, and i am not as sure as you are!

[hlrguy]

In Redaht 8.0, there is an option to set up a remote printer and Windows is a selectable option (of the ~12). I can virtually guarantee that cups will provide the same option. Simply try adding a printer, select remote and see what happens. When I tried it, it asked me to set up the SMB share, then select the printer from the list. I can't test cause no Windows exits.

hlrguy

[raggit]

Originally posted by orangedi
WOW... sounds like you are overworked, underpaid and in need of a new job!

sorry, i didn't know you would take offence at the comment, i don't really think silicon is smarter than you... it is more a personal fear, and i am not as sure as you are!

I didn't take offence but I have encountered some Linux users who think that I am thick because I do not understand it all that well. I wanted to look at Linux because it means that I do have to line Bill Gate's pockets with my hard earned cash and therefore I'm having to start at the beginning just agin just like I did when I first started using Windows several years ago.

[raggit]

Well I can now print because I set the printer up as a local printer on my linux box as that and the winows box are next door to each other. I'll sort out the network printing in the future, once I have got the hang of Linux.

[klnyc]

Very true, I also having problem printing on my linksys print server 3 ports type. I googled and serach on this forum, it take me 6-8hrs to finally got it work. Whereas in Windows it take 3-5min.
I guess this is a truly,truly Nix thing. Once you master it, it should be a breeze. I just started with Nix a month half ago. I almost gave up one time thou.