I can't beleive I'm asking for help on how to install a printer

[StageLeft]

I have a canon ip4000 printer networked, works fine on computers but on this new one with Windows 7 I cannot for the life of me get a driver for it. I went to canon and got their W7 driver. It's just an exe file and spits out a bunch of useless rubbish, nothing of which looks like an application or an .inf file just dlls and other sh*t. When I find the ip4000 on the network windows 7 is freaking adamant about getting an inf file, but I didn't get one. Ideas? The .exe in an "add on module".

 

[StageLeft]

I got it. Apparently the printer had to be physically connected to the laptop and then it was able to pull an update off the net. So finally the OS has a driver for this printer. Useless. If there is a way to add a networked printer in this manner it's certainly not obvious.

EDIT: actually it's still doing the same crap. Despite it being perfect when plugged in, as soon as I try and use it over network it identifies the printer but cannot find drivers--not even over the internet like it did the first time, so it's unusable networked.

 

[de8212]

I have an ip4500 physically connected (USB) to my pc with W7. My wife got a dell for xmas an I was able to share it through the network and her W7 dell installed the driver fine.

I know that doesn't actually help you but I don't remember any issue at all getting it to work????


So, do you have the ip4000 connected usb to a machine and then you are trying to install it on another machine on the same network?

 

[de8212]

I think what I did was this (and I may be wasting your time, sorry). I went to my wifes PC and went to the network to my PC and saw the printer icon. I then opened her printer folder (in control panel). So, with both windows open, I right -click dragged my printer into her box, let off the mouse and chose install. It did it's thing and then asked to print a test page. I am pretty sure this is all I did.

 

[DarkForceRising]

I recently installed a networked printer on Windows 7. All of the instructions were for local printers, and were no help at all. I'm guessing what worked for you was the "add local printer" dialog? Is the printer shared over the network?

If so, you may be able to add the network printer as well almost the same way. In the "add printer" dialog, click "add a local printer." Create a new port (local port), and then manually type in the network address/name of the printer. So "\\nameofcomputeritsconnectedtoorjusttheip\nameofprinter".

Basically option 2 of the first comment here: http://techinch.com/2009/06/01/how-to-install-a-network-printer-on-windows-7-rc-x64/

 

[StageLeft]

I right -click dragged my printer into her box

I'm sorry. I know, I really, really need to grow up, but that just put my mind in the gutter.

I need to keep tinkering. Basically Desktop PC + ip4000 works fine when sharing to others on the network except for those others being this W7 machine. this W7 machine + Ip4000 via USB works fine, but when it tries to get at the networked IP4000 it has a problem with driver. I need to keep fiddling, but cannot for a short while, but I will return!

 

[QueBert]

I feel your struggles OP, why the hell can't MS just make printers work? I installed Ubuntu and my printer worked without me having to install a driver. Windows is like 90%+ of the OS market yet nothing ever works without installing a driver. ARGH

 

[MrChicken]

You're sharing the printer off of a non-W7 pc, right?
Try loading the W7 driver on that pc as an additional driver. You do that in the printer poperties under sharing.
When you connect to that pc from your w7 pc it will download the driver from the pc sharing the printer.

 

[notposting]

Semi similar situation for me--trying to share an old USB Epson off the WHS box to Win7 machines. Just a complete no-go so far. So frustrating.

 

[Arcanedeath]

W7 has alot of built in drivers for localy connected printers, but for some reason if you try and install them as a shared network printer it doesn't give you access to the same set of built in drivers and tanks in many cases, Its annoying, the fix was suggested above in that you need to add the driver to the machine thats sharing the printer if its not W7 and then it generally works like it should.