Microsoft → can't see the network printer

I have given up on getting my domain server back setup and my email and IE setup as they were before the domain server crashed. I am going to use WORKGROUPs moving forward. I can't seem to see the network printer on my laptop which is part of the workgroup. I have already removed and added it back from the mediaserver, where it is locally attached. When I go to add it on the laptop I choses "network printer", and when I browse for a printer, I do see the two machines that the network printers are on, yet I can't "expand +" the mediaserver computer. So I can't set it up. Can someone tell me what to do?

Did you try placing \\192.168.1.0\printershare_name rather than browsing for it. Obviously change the ip address and share to much your config..
Cudni

Yes. Just tried it and no luck.

Is the printer shared?

Yes. Of course. That is how I have a shared name to use.

no one else has any ideas?

Perhaps go back in and 'add a printer'.......Just a thought, might have to be re-done if you crashed.....

Yes. I have tried this over and over. The PC's that have network printers on them appear, but the printer's names themselves don't.

Can you access a shared file on the PCs with the printers?
Is guest account on? Did you enable sharing under the printer properties?

Ed

I did enable sharing. I need to check if I can see the harddrive's of the printer owning machines. I am not sure about thre guest account. Is this imprtant?

If you don't use the built in guest account then you would need to make sure you put the same user name on the pc your trying to access. Also make sure file and print sharing is check in the network connection properties.

Ed

I don't understand this. I login to my printer owning machine1 with userid=A and my other workgroup client machine2 with userid=B. Where does the guest account come in? A and B are not the same. But the printer on machine1 has been set up with a shared name "HPLaserJ". When I "add a printer" on machine2 and I browse for printers I can see "+machine1" int he list of available printers. When I click on it I expected it to expand to show me HPLaserj, but it won't expand!

Check and see if Netbios is checked in the network connection properties for your NIC. Will be located under TCP/IP.

Ed

yes. It is enabled on both the printer owning machine and the client.

I believe that without the domain controller and domain-wide accounts, you might be having permission problems as there is no account in common between the two PCs. On the machine with the printer connected, create an account locally on that machine with the same user ID and password as on your laptop.

Are there any software firewalls on these machines?