# Printer sharing issue loses connection when machine restarted or loged off



## soundbase (Dec 4, 2008)

I am having a problems with printer sharing. I have two machines:
1. A desktop with Windows XP Pro service pack 2
2. And a laptop with Windows XP Home service pack 2

There is an HP1020 USB printer connected to the desktop. This printer is shared.

Both machines are connected to a 4-port ADSL router and are both on the same workgroup, and both have their firewalls turned off.

The problem is that the laptop keeps losing connection with the shared printer that is setup on the desktop.

Then you need to reset up the shared printer for it to have access to it again.

Sometimes when it loses connection, when you try set up the shared printer, for some reason you cannot see the shared printer on the network anymore. After awhile it comes back, but at random intervals.

And when you do set up the shared printer again, it seems to lose connection with the printer when you restart or logoff from the laptop

I have tried rebooting the printer to see if this helps at all. And I have tried another router and other network cables to the router.

What could be causing this?

Your help will be much appreciated.


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## SkyDive (Mar 25, 2009)

I have the exact same problem.

I am running an HP Pavilion Laptop Running XP Media Center Edition SP 2, and a Vision Computer running XP Pro sharing an HP printer.

I can connect to the printer, and a share on the XP Pro computer, access files, print files and everything works great.

If I reboot the Laptop I can no longer connect to the printer. I have to delete it and readd it.

For the shares, I have to reconnect them.


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## SkyDive (Mar 25, 2009)

One more thing regarding my situation, if I just close the laptop, sending it into hibernate mode, when I restart I can connect to the printer on the XP Pro computer.

At one point this setup worked, however over time, a few reinstalls of the OS on the XP Pro computer, a few dozen Microsoft updates, and I am stuck. 

If anyone has any thoughts regarding this, I would really appreciate hearing from you.


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## soundbase (Dec 4, 2008)

I had the machines connected to a 4-port ADSL router. The only other I could think was the problem, was the swicth on the router. So I connected a new switch to the router. Connected the machines to the switch and all seems to be fine now. So I take it that the router's switch was messing up with the setup.


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## johnwill (Sep 26, 2002)

I can't imagine how the router's switch did that, but if it works now... :smile:


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