By default, Vista will try to use a driver from the machine hosting the printer. Many older drivers will not work in Vista because they were optimized to use Kernel mode, and Vista does not support Kernel mode drivers.
- First, make sure the printer is installed properly on the network and that printer sharing is enabled for it.
- Then install the printer on your Vista computer as if it is a local printer. Do not attempt to run a test print.
- Then open the Printers applet in the Control Panel.
- Right-click on the new printer and choose Properties.
- Click on the Ports tab. Then select Add Port, highlight Local Port, and finally click New Port.
- For the port name, enter the network name and share name of your printer (e.g. \\Computer1\HPLaser). You can also use an IP address here for a network name as long as you are using fixed IP addressing.
- Click OK, and make sure this new port is selected with the checkbox.
- Next try printing a test page and you're done.
Vista is pretty good at finding a driver for a local printer, but sometimes a driver will work locally but will not support network printing. This is especially true for ink jet printers that push some of the work back to the host for further processing. Sometimes you can use a different driver. For example, I am using a Dell Laser printer. Dell tells me that this printer is not networkable (and maybe it isn't using Dell drivers), but I know that it is a standard PCL5 printer, and the HP LaserJet II driver is a good no nonsense PCL5 compatible driver. So I use it instead and it works like a charm.
J.A. Coutts
