Enable remote printing when XP pro machine connects to Windows 7 computer on Windows server 2008 domain

This will not be the answer you want to hear but I use LogMeIn Pro2. This gives my drag and drop file sharing as well as print sharing among many other features.

Try this.
http://printershare.com/ 

Did you install the printer drivers on the windows 7 through the print server properties? Not just adding the printer...

Does the RDP console have  Printers checkbox checked? Edit the RDP, local resources and check the printers box.

for ethernet printers be sure that it's using similar drivers (PCL 5 or PCL6)

Hi Thethical,

Yes, the printers check box is checked in the local resources.  However, how exactly are you proposing to "install the printer drivers on the windows 7 through the print server properties"  How do I do that?

JRA

Any comment on  my suggestion?

When sharing a printer, there is a button for adding additional printer drivers for other operating systems that might be trying to print to the shared printer.  I'm not sure if this is being indicated here, http:#a33121639.  As, when you add a printer in the Server Properties, you're just adding a driver without adding a printer.  This would be done on the printer connecting to the shared printer such as the XP workstation.  This can be found by going to the Control Panel > Printer > File > Server Properties.

Centerv,

Your solution is  not what I need.  I need for the remote user to be able to print to the printer at the remote users computer.  Your solution is for the remote user to be able to print at the site where the server is located.  Different problem.
JRA

Digitap,
I did add the printer in the Server properties.  That is, I am adding a driver without the printer and the printer does show up in the list of printers on the Windows 7 machine.  I did enable the X86 in the additional drivers.  

JRA

just to review:

- Even after all the steps suggested and executed, you still can't print?
- The printer shows connected, but print jobs don't successfully print and eventually error out?
- If you move the computer local to the Windows 7 computer (not through the VPN), it will print successfully?

Thanks for your patience.

Digitap,

Here is the story.  The Win 7 machine shows all the printers I need.  I have installed them on the Win 7 machine so we can be sure the drivers are there.  What I want to to have the printing occur on the remote users printer, the one where they are, on their machine.  I have set this up many times with users logging on remotely to a Win XP machine.  In that scenario, they users see a printer such as "Laserjet 2015 in session 5" for example and that is their Laerjet 2015 on their desk.  When they hit the print button in the remote session, the printer next to them prints.  

Yes, if the remote computer with its printer was on the same network as the Win 7 machine, it would print.  I know that because I have Win XP pro machines on the network and they can print to a networked Laserjet.   So, yikes!  I don't know what to do and it is becoming a thorny problem.

JRA

OK...I was confused.  I thought perhaps you were trying to print to a shared printer over a VPN....Sigh, I'm not sure where I got that idea, so at lease our situation is a little simpler.

Now, you've replaced the Windows XP with it's shared printers with a Windows 7 workstation and shared printing has failed.  So, do you get an error or does the print job report it printed but nothing comes out.

Sorry for the xtra clarification questions.

Digitap,
I would not really call it "shared printing".   It's printing to a local printer at the remote desktop client while connected to a terminal server.  When printing, nothing prints at the printer at the server, of course, how could it, the printer doesn't  exist there at the server. The printer at the remote computer doesn't print anything either (that is the  problem).   The server does tell me that the print  job failed.  I then have to delete the job from the printer so the little yellow exclamation point on the printer will disappear.

So it goes.

JRA

Thanks for the xtra clarification.  How many users are we talking about here?  What printers are you trying to print to?

One direction I'm think of is installing a USB to ethernet print server.  I remember when these first came out.  They didn't work very well.  That's quite different now and I've not had problems with them.  As you know, once you can give a printer an IP address, the rest is cake.  They're fairly inexpensive too.  Thoughts?

Digitap
Honestly, that is not the issue.  The printer that we want to print to at the remote site is a printer with a ethernet card in it and it is on the remote network with an IP address.

JRA

HI Centerv
Here is what that web site says in the first few words of the description of the product::


With PrinterShare® you can print documents and photos on other people's printers as easily as on the one connected to your machine.

I don't want to print on other peoples computer.  I want to print on my printer at my desk when connected to other peoples computer.  I don't want to print on theirs.  So, your solution isn't really what I am looking for.

JRA

that's great...i was running out of ideas and don't think i would have discovered that.  good job!