Lesson 3:Connecting to Network Printers

After you have set up the print server with all required printer drivers for the shared printers, users on client computers running Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows 98 can easily make a connection and start printing. For most Windows-based client computers, if the appropriate printer drivers are on the print server, the client computer automatically downloads the drivers when the user makes a connection to the printer. For information on how you can install additional drivers on a print server, see Lesson 4 later in this chapter.

When you add and share a printer, by default, all users can connect to that printer and print documents. The method used to connect to a printer depends on the client computer. Client computers running Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows 98, or Windows 95 can use the Add Printer Wizard. Client computers running Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition, or Windows 2000 can also use a Web browser to connect to the printer.


After this lesson, you will be able to

  • Connect to a network printer by using the Add Printer Wizard or a Web browser

Estimated lesson time: 15 minutes


Using the Add Printer Wizard

The Add Printer Wizard is one method that client computers running Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows 98, or Windows 95 can use to connect to a printer. This is the same wizard that you use to add and share a printer. The options that are available in the Add Printer Wizard that allow you to locate and connect to a printer vary depending on the operating system that the client computer is running.

Client Computers Running Windows XP Professional or Windows 2000

By using the Add Printer Wizard on client computers running Windows XP Professional or Windows 2000, you can connect to a printer through the following methods:

  • Using the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) name. You can use the UNC name (\\print_server\printer_name) to make connections by selecting Type The Printer Name Or Click Next To Browse For A Printer on the Locate Your Printer page of the Add Printer Wizard. If you know the UNC name, this is a quick method.
  • Browsing the network. You can also browse the network for the printer by selecting Type The Printer Name Or Click Next To Browse For A Printer on the Locate Your Printer page of the Add Printer Wizard, leaving the Name text box blank and clicking Next.
  • Using the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) name. You can also connect to a printer on the Internet or your intranet by selecting Connect To A Printer On The Internet Or On Your Local Intranet on the Locate Your Printer page of the Add Printer Wizard.
  • Searching Active Directory. If your computer running Windows XP Professional or Windows 2000 is a member of a domain, you can find the printer by using Active Directory search capabilities. You can search either the entire Active Directory or just a portion of it. You can also narrow the search by providing features of the printer, such as color printing.

Client Computers Running Windows NT 4, Windows 95, or Windows 98

On client computers running Windows NT 4, Windows 95, or Windows 98, the Add Printer Wizard only allows you to enter a UNC name or to browse Network Neighborhood to locate the printer.

You can also make a connection to a printer using the Run command on the Start menu. Type the UNC name of the printer in the Open text box and click OK.

Client Computers Running Other Microsoft Operating Systems

Users at client computers running early versions of Windows such as Windows 3.1, Windows 3.5, and Windows for Workgroups use Print Manager instead of the Add Printer Wizard to make a connection to a printer.

Users of any Windows-based client computer can connect to a network printer using the following command:

 net use lptx: \\server_name\share_name 

where x is the number of the printer port.

The Net Use command is also the only method available for making a connection to a network printer from client computers running MS-DOS or IBM OS/2 with Microsoft LAN Manager client software installed.

Using a Web Browser

If you are using a client computer running Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition, or Windows 2000, you can connect to a printer through your corporate intranet. You can type a URL in your Web browser, and you don't have to use the Add Printer Wizard. In Windows XP Professional you can use Microsoft Internet Explorer, the Printers And Faxes folder, My Computer, or any other window or folder that has an address bar. After you make a connection, Windows XP Professional copies the correct printer drivers to the client computer automatically.

A Web designer can customize this Web page, for example, to display a floor plan that shows the location of print devices to which users can connect. There are two ways to connect to a printer using a Web browser:

  • If you don't know the printer's name, type http://server_name/printers.

    The Web page lists all of the shared printers on the print server that you have permission to use. The page provides information about the printers, including printer name, status of print jobs, location, model, and any comments that were entered when the printer was installed. This information helps you select the correct printer for your needs. Click the printer that you want to use.

  • If you know the printer's name, type http://server_name/printer_share_name.

    You provide the intranet path for a specific printer. You must have permission to use the printer.

Windows automatically copies the appropriate printer driver to your computer and the icon appears in Printers And Faxes. When you have connected to a shared printer from a Web browser, you can use the printer as if it were attached to your computer.

For Internet printing, you must have Internet Information Services (IIS) installed. You must use Internet Explorer version 4.0 or higher to connect to a printer. For information about installing Windows Components, see Chapter 10, "Configuring Windows XP Professional."

Using the Search Assistant

In the Search Assistant, the Find Printers feature allows you to search for printers in Active Directory when you are logged on to a Windows 2000 domain. To activate the Search Assistant, click Start and then click Search. When the Search Assistant has started, click Find Printers. When you have located a printer using Find Printers, you can double-click the printer or you can right-click it, and then click Connect to make a connection to the printer. The Find Printers dialog box has three tabs to help you locate a printer (see Figure 6.6).

Figure 6.6 The Find Printers dialog box

The following list describes the three tabs of the Find Printers dialog box:

  • Printers tab. Allows you to enter and search for specific information, such as the name, location, and model of the printer.
  • Features tab. Allows you to select from a prepared list of additional search options, such as whether the printer can print double-sided copies or at a specific resolution.
  • Advanced tab. Allows you to use custom fields and Boolean operators to define complex searches, such as whether the printer supports collation and a specific printer language, such as PostScript.

If you want to search for all available printers, you can leave all search criteria blank and click Find Now. All of the printers in the domain will be listed.

The Find Printers feature is not available in the Search Assistant unless you are logged on to a Windows 2000 domain. If you are using a stand-alone computer that is in a workgroup, the Find Printers feature is not available.

Lesson Review

Here are some questions to help you determine whether you have learned enough to move on to the next lesson. If you have difficulty answering these questions, review the material in this lesson before beginning the next lesson. The answers for these questions are in Appendix A, "Questions and Answers."

  1. When you add and share a printer, by default, who can connect to that printer?
  2. Which of the following operating systems running on a client computer allow you to use the Net Use command to connect to a network printer? (Choose all answers that are correct.)
    1. Windows 2000
    2. Windows Me
    3. Windows NT 4
    4. Windows XP Professional
  3. Which of the following operating systems running on a client computer allow you to connect to a network printer by using Active Directory search capabilities? (Choose all answers that are correct.)
    1. Windows 2000
    2. Windows Me
    3. Windows NT 4
    4. Windows XP Professional
  4. Which of the following operating systems running on a client computer allow you to use a Web browser to connect to a network printer? (Choose all answers that are correct.)
    1. Windows 2000
    2. Windows Me
    3. Windows NT 4
    4. Windows XP Professional
  5. You have a small workgroup consisting of five computers running Windows XP Professional at your house. You are giving your friend, who has never seen Windows XP Professional, a tour around the new operating system. You are demonstrating how the Search Assistant works, but the Find Printers feature is missing. Why?

Lesson Summary

  • Client computers running Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows 98, or Windows 95 can use the Add Printer Wizard to connect to a printer.
  • On client computers running Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition, or Windows 2000 that are part of a Windows 2000 domain, you can connect to a printer using Active Directory search capabilities.
  • On client computers running Windows NT 4, Windows 95, or Windows 98, the Add Printer Wizard only allows you to enter a UNC name or to browse Network Neighborhood to locate the printer.
  • Users on client computers running early versions of Windows (such as Windows 3.1, Windows 3.5, and Windows for Workgroups) use Print Manager to connect to a printer.
  • Users on any Windows-based client computer can connect to a network printer using the Net Use command.
  • The Find Printers feature of the Search Assistant allows you to search for printers in Active Directory when you are logged on to a Windows 2000 domain.


MCSE Training Kit(c) Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Exam 70-270 2001)
MCSE Training Kit(c) Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Exam 70-270 2001)
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2004
Pages: 128

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