Home network printing problem from Windows 8

The steps to correct this are pretty long. A short work around is to print to a PDF (I use DoPDF) and then drop that in a common folder and print it while on the other PC.
Bob

Yes, I know this workaround. I don't have to create a PDF, I can simply put the file from the laptop (Office doc, text file, picture or any other file) directly in a shared folder then print it from the desktop, but that's not what I'm looking for. I want my wife to be able to fully and freely work from the laptop, without having to trouble me with printouts from my desktop...

So I still need a solution for my problem!

Just yesterday, I got an e-mail from a friend who (miraculously) had managed to connect her new Windows 8 laptop wirelessly to an HP all-in-one printer. She wrote the program she needed to do it weren't on the CD that came with the printer but had to be downloaded ("and they call that plug and play ..."), but after many hours of sweating and cursing it worked, not only for printing, but she could scan again also.

Experiences like this are why (long ago already) when my Deskjet 400 died and I found a Xerox printer unable to handle normal printing paper, I swiched to my full satisfaction to Canon.

Kees

I asked my fellow moderators for ideas on a new printer and nodded to a Canon mx870. It's been great.

Back to you. If you can't find and install drivers for this printer then you may have to continue to work around this.
Bob

So maybe the best thing to do is go to HP forum and ask about the driver?

Are you telling us HP didn't issue Windows 8 drivers?
Or a procedure to install, setup?

Sounds like HP is going even further downhill.
Bob

I downloaded the Win8 HP Officejet 6500 driver and tried to install it on my laptop, and:
Installation went OK halfway, then it asked me how my printer is connected, I clicked "wireless connection" and even specified my router address (192.168.1.1), but stranglely the installation program could not find it....

I posted yesterday a question in HP forum, but so far no reply.

I can't see the screen where the choices are but it should have offered something like "A network share."

Select the type of connection of the device to this computer,
and the options are:
1. direct USB connection.
2. Ethernet connection
3. Wireless connection (802.11)

Al of them fail.

Some of their printers are not shareable over a Windows printer share.

Remember the workaround is widely discussed so I'll give you the quick version. Want the long version? Ask HP.

1. Follow HP's instructions for the direct USB connection install. Connect the printer as they tell you to during that install and later we'll try to move it.

2. OK, we're printing on our own USB connection. If this fails, back to HP. Either for support or refund.

3. See the Port Name Dialog Box at http://blogs.msdn.com/b/bhitney/archive/2012/09/17/windows-8-cannot-connect-to-printer.aspx ?

You'll have to know your network to know what to put there! I didn't setup your network so I can't answer what goes there.
Bob

Thanks!

Hallelujah! It finally works!

And this is what I did and what I should have done:

When I first installed the printer, I let Windows select the driver, WHICH WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO (I guess Windows uses some native driver embedded in Win8 installation kit).

However, in the installation process I didn't tell Windows to create a local port for the printer, WHICH WAS MY FIRST MISTAKE.

Then, when I couldn't print, I downloaded and installed a Win8 driver from HP site, which completely RUINED the driver (MY SECOND MISTAKE).

Only later I got the tip to specify a local port for the printer, which was a good advice, but since the driver was defective, I still couldn't print.

Finally, I reached the understanding that I need first to completely remove the defective driver. So I used the same HP printer installation program (from HP site) to totally REMOVE all HP components from my computer, then re-installed the printer, this time specifying a local port, let Windows select the driver, and voila - everything's OK.

To sum up, the actual steps were as follows:

Add Printer: Windows 'searches for available printers' and finds the networked printer. Ignore this misleading attempt, and click the big letters below "The printer that I want isn't listed".

Add a local printer.

Create a new port - select 'Local Port'.

Enter port name, something like: \\PCnetworkname\printername.

Select printer driver - I used the suggested HP driver, otherwise click 'Have Disk...', navigate to
your downloaded driver and select the .INF file.

More detailed instructions:
Here
and here

As you can imagine I can't know the exact detail of that entry but now you have been through the grinder you can see how it works.

Sorry about all the above. But now you have pudding.
Bob

In Win8 they hid the "local port" option so well and so deep inside that you need instructions to find it!