HELP! Trying to get my printer switch to work

[Over The Hill]

I have two desktop comuters. One on vista, other on xp. And one all in one printer/scanner HP Colo(u)r laserjet 2820.
They both print out of usb ports and work when the printer is directly plugged into them.

All I want to do is run the same printer from both computers without having to move the wire accross the room each time!

I started with a Belkin Peripheral switch. This came with a disc and it set up a little button on the bottom of the screen to swich the swich to the computer.
It did not work and Belkin support says it will not work with an all in one printer.

So I moved down a grade to a simple push button manual switch this one is by Konig. It has no driver and no installation details so I guess it is just a simple switch. My thought is that if I am switched to the right computer, it should not even know the switch is there and should work as normal.

Problem I seem to have is that the computers do not now recognise the printer (when set up via the switch). I tried re installing the drivers with the switch in place but it would not let me do that.
All I get is a print error and a message that is does not recognise the printer.

It will not fix itself or recognise the switch.

Has anyone else had this sort of problem? Any ideas on how I can get over it?

 

[rh100]

Never used a switch for USB. I leave mine connected to one PC which stays on all the time and I then 'share' the printer so any other printer can connect to it over the network.

See http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/142985/how_to_share_a_printer_over_a_network.html

You can also get wifi printer servers, but I have found these a bit unreliable and frequently need restarting. You may get issues with the scanner or printer information feedback to the PC.

Also see: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...=18972&prodSeriesId=445194&objectID=c00541809

 

[Carwash]

Never used a switch for USB. I leave mine connected to one PC which stays on all the time and I then 'share' the printer so any other printer can connect to it over the network.

Yep, that's what I'd do.

 

[ian turner]

Apparently it has 10/100 ethernet capability.
Have you considered locating it near the router and connecting to that by ethernet cable and following
the instructions for setting it up on a network ?

 

[fossyant]

Either share it, by connecting it to one PC, or do the same via the network.

One point to note

We have a new fancy dancy (wireless/network/bluetooth) HP inkjet that does all sorts - but connected to the network hub, but it needs you to run the HP software on each pc that is going to use it..... awkward...........even via wireless, which we don't as it's sat hard wired to the wireless hub.

The old laserjet 5 is happy sat on one PC but shared....

 

[Over The Hill]

Thanks guys!

I was trying to avoid doing that as I do not tend to leave either one of the two desktops on all the time.

I am sort of pleased with the answer as I have now bought two switches that both say "share your printer with two computers" and I have not been able to do that. It seems such a simple thing!

It is so frustrating as all I really want to do is tell it that my computer is on the end of this bit of wire despite what it thinks.

Just as a thought - what if I run each printer out through the printer port and get a converter (printer port to female usb) to use that to share?

 

[ian turner]

Printer port ?
You don't have antique pcs with parallel ports ?
Anyway what about connecting to the router since that should be on all the time ?

 

[Over The Hill]

Printer port ?
You don't have antique pcs with parallel ports ?
Anyway what about connecting to the router since that should be on all the time ?

I think they both have 25 pin ports - I looked on ebay and there does not seem to be such thing as a converter to go from the 25 pin out to a female usb so I think that maybe a non starter.

I did not propery look at the idea of connecting to the router as I dont think I understand it ! Also router does not have any spare sockets to plug into. 1 in and 4 out - to desktop 1 Desktop 2 Phone and wireless access point.

I assume that I am somehow using my existing connection between the router and the desktop to send a signal via the router to the printer. Is that then going in through the alternative phone type socket on the printer.

Life can be so difficult sometimes! If I hit the computer enough with the yellow pages will it get to know that there is a switch and a printer on the end of it?

 

[rh100]

It would be better using the network port (looks like a squarer plug than a telephone socket type), you could get another port spare by daisy chaining another hub/switch to your existing router, but this could all be headache inducing if you dont have any knowledge of networks already and no real inclination to experiment (networking can be a dull thing sometimes )

I hate to say it, but it may be worth buying a wireless all in one printer, assuming you have wifi at home? It will involve setting up the printer to work with your wifi network which may be tricky, but potentially easier and simpler than trying to hardwire your existing printer.

 

[ian turner]

Forget the parallel ports. You can get usb to printer cable adapters and they won't necessarily work. parrallel to usb really wouldn't work.
Network is your only choice.
You say 4 out but only list 2 desktops and a wireless adapter connected to it so whatabout the 4th port ?
Note that is actually 1 WAN port (I assume you're on cable internet) and 4 LAN ports which are bidirectional.
Buying a wireless printer would be excessive as a 4 port switch can be had for around £15 which can add 4 or 5 ports to your network
But first whatabout that 4th LAN port ?
According to the instructions you should uninstall the printer drivers and reinstall and when you get to the connections bit select networked and allow the software to find it

 

[fossyant]

Computers can be a right pain, especially when you are the only one in a big family that knows a little......

Have you got a wireless router for your t'interweb ? Any network ports on that printer ?

 

[ian turner]

You didn't read beyond the first post did you ?

 

[Over The Hill]

Forget the parallel ports. You can get usb to printer cable adapters and they won't necessarily work. parrallel to usb really wouldn't work.
Network is your only choice.
You say 4 out but only list 2 desktops and a wireless adapter connected to it so whatabout the 4th port ?
Note that is actually 1 WAN port (I assume you're on cable internet) and 4 LAN ports which are bidirectional.
Buying a wireless printer would be excessive as a 4 port switch can be had for around £15 which can add 4 or 5 ports to your network
But first whatabout that 4th LAN port ?
According to the instructions you should uninstall the printer drivers and reinstall and when you get to the connections bit select networked and allow the software to find it

Work Phone is on the 4th socket.

I dont really understand what "network" is all about or how it works. My limit of knowlege is that you have a main computer which has the printer attached and the other computers send printing to the first computer and on to the printer. Yes? I was trying to avoid that as it needed the second computer to be on and it is not always. But thinking about it I probably have one computer on 90% of the time so I could sort that out.
That all starts getting a bit beyond me ( I can put plug A into socket B) so I will not bother you lot with that further as I probably will not understand any instructions.
So I will chuck back the switches I have bought and look at a network.
Thanks for your help on this. Not got to the answer but at least not going up a blind ally now.

 

[ian turner]

Just buy a switch such as this and plug it in to one of the sockets on your router and it adds 4 ports to your network.Plug the device you unplugged from the router to free up a socket into the switch.
with no configuration as it's just a simple splitter. You don't need to plug the printer into a pc at all as that would defeat
the point of having a network connection as USB2 would be faster than a 100mb network connection anyway though
not relevant to a slow device such as a printer

 

[Over The Hill]

Just buy a switch such as this and plug it in to one of the sockets on your router and it adds 4 ports to your network.Plug the device you unplugged from the router to free up a socket into the switch.
with no configuration as it's just a simple splitter. You don't need to plug the printer into a pc at all as that would defeat
the point of having a network connection as USB2 would be faster than a 100mb network connection anyway though
not relevant to a slow device such as a printer

Sorry but I am not completely following this.
I think you mean-
1. take away my printer cable (usb) and throw it out.
2. plug in the netgear switch thing (seems to be like an extension lead type thing).
3. I am guessing that I then plug my printer into the netgear socket with a new wire which goes into the other socket on the printer.

so I end up with one wire from printer to the netgear switch.

I am a bit vague from there on-
I think I then re set up one computer to be the host of the printer (or what ever word geeks have invented to say host) and I re set the second computer to send the printing to the first computer (which then sends it back to the modem and off to the printer.
Is that about where i am aiming?