I am trying to hook multiple printers up on one system. If they are both usb then I can hook them up and then share them and it won't be a problem when another system uses either printer. Is this correct. Also if I have to use a switch is there one that will do the switching automatically or will someone have to switch it. Or is there a print server that can have multiple printers hooked to it. The cheapest answer will be the one used but I am wanting to know all the answers. Thank you for any help that you can give. thetachi464

Oh sorry these printers are not network printers they are no different than what most people have at home. So they can not be hooked into a router/switch/hub directly. Sorry about for getting to add this into the first part.

Howdy:

Are the computers networked?

If so and all are visible on the network, then just install the printers on whatever system you want (make sure file and print sharing is enabled)..

You will have to allow sharing on each printer as well..

Next, install the operating programs on all the other systems.. For the necessary port, you will have to point it to the address/path to where they are installed.. Most newer printers have a "Networked Printer" option during setup.. use that..

Murray

Just to add, you can connect up to 128 USB devices to one PC. So no problem adding multiple printers. As Murray said you will need to share the printers on the computer they are connected to. When you do you will be asked to name them. To add them to the other PCs, use \\computername\printername to identify the printer.

Hi,
Just to add, to answer your question, you can hook them up and then share them and it won't be a problem when another system uses either printer.
You don't need any switches.
Best wishes,
fredg

Hi,
Just to add...

But, you DIDN'T add, Fred. You just rehashed the same info that Murray and I had posted. Murray didn't deal directly with the issue about connecting multiple USB printers, which is why I responded to clarify that point. But your response doesn't add anything. All you did was steal my line.

Fred:

"Does Polly want a cracker??".. Seeing as though you "parrot" so bad, I just figured that would be your snack of choice!

Murray

One of the three systems is XP home and the others are XP Pro. The pro systems can see each other but the home system can't see the others. Also I have put a folder on the systems and shared it and I can only access the folder on one systems. The problem is it is the system that has the printers on it but the others can't see the folder on that system. Is there any reason that the XP Home system can not see or connect to the other systems. Also I can not see the printer that is shared. I know how to share printers and files as I have done it many times, but for some reason this is not working. When I try to access the systems I get an error that the system is not able to access it something about the admin. I have tried to create another user on the system but that did not help.

We would need more info like how are they connected, how they are assigned IPs etc to help more.

They are all networked with a linksys router and are using the router for dhcp. And the only difference in all the systems is that one is running xp home and the rest are running xp pro. I have turned off the firewall on all of the systems so that is not standing in the way. All of the systems have the same amount of users on them the people have setup the admin and then turned off the guest account. Even with the guest acount on I still can't connect to the other systems.

Are you sure you have turned on file and print sharing on all machines? Are they all in the same workgroup? Can you ping each machine from the other?

They all have file and print shareing on. They are not able to ping each other but they can still see each other and only one of the systems can access the others but that system is the one that I need the others to access so it needs to be the other way around. They are all in the workgroup called "office". I need some help on this I can't think of what can be wrong on this I know it is going to be something small and stupid that is wrong with it that is how it always is but what that little thing is I can't think of. By the way I can access the internet on all of the systems.

I don't understand how they can't ping each other but still see each other. There is definitely something wrong with your setup, but its hard to tell what. I would be inclined to start from scratch. Disconnect all the PCs. Remove any network setups then plug them in one by one and set them up.

That is what I was scared of doing. I did not set these up I was just asked to help get them to print. But is there any reason that XP home can't see the XP Pro system? The two systems with pro on them can see each other but the one that does not have pro on it can not see them. This is super confusing for me and I can't think of what in the world is going on here.

Check the Ping, check the workgroup, check the subnet masking.

Have you tried mapping the printer using IP address rather than NAME as this maybe the issue.
Also try this for you shared folders as well.

You never know it just might work.

Good luck