I have an HP PSC 1210 printer attached to my Windows 2000 machine. I would like to know how to share this printer with my Windows XP Home laptop. Thanks

Right-click on the Printer Sharing Shared AS Name the Shared printer OK That's it. Life's more painless for the brainless.

If that works, the XP computer will find the shared printer automatically. If that doesn't work, I have had experience with that particular printer model regasrding sharing over a network - it is one of the HP all-in-ones that cannot be shared over a network unless the operating systems on the computers are in the same operating system family - at least, I know for sure you can't share it if one computer has XP and another has Win ME or 98 or 98SE.

Reference: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...

Thanks for your help, but nothing seems to be working. When I try to add a network printer on my XP laptop, it won't recognize the HP printer connected to my Windows 2000 desktop. I've made sure all my shared settings are correct on both PCs. Maybe it's just one of those XP/2000 incompatibilities.

"When I try to add a network printer on my XP laptop, it won't recognize the HP printer connected to my Windows 2000 desktop" - BOTH computers must have file and printer sharing enabled. - You may need to reboot BOTH computers if you have changed settings - As I said, "If that works, the XP computer will find the shared printer automatically." XP will auto recognize a shared printer on the network if settings are right, but it has to automatically load drivers for the printer found on the computer that is directly connected to it - that takes a short time when the printer is first shared. The XP computer will show the shared printer in My Network Places first - it will probably take a short while for it to show up the first time you look; it will eventually automatically show the shared printer as a network printer in Printers and Faxes. You DO NOT have to add a printer in XP, as network printer or otherwise, and XP will automatically get the necessary drivers from another XP computer (however, I don't know if it will automatically get the necessary drivers from a Win 2000 computer - it may, but you may have to have Win 2000 SP4 or later updates installed.) If you can see the shared printer in My Network Places but you can't access it one way, or it says you don't have permission to access it or similar, that is a different problem. "Maybe it's just one of those XP/2000 incompatibilities." If it doesn't work yet all settings are right, it's likely to be because of what I pointed to as Reference. Most printers can be shared bewtween 2000 and any other operating system Win 95 and up on the same network if you follow the correct procedure, but that doesn't apply to this printer unless the operating system family is the same - e.g. between XP Home, XP Pro, XP MCE, XP 2003. I'm not sure if 2000 can be included as in the same family.