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Macbook running Parallels and printer networking help

lindsayanng

lindsayanng

macrumors 68000
Original poster
May 4, 2008
1,515
1
East Haven, CT
Hi everyone.
I just recently got my mom to buy a macbook pro with parallels pre-installed from MacMall. So far, she and i are pretty happy with how easy it was to just plug and play..

ANYWAYS, i am trying to make this as easy as possible for her since she is not a mac person (but she is pretty computer literate)

So there is a little issue with the printer that i am trying to sort out.

Basically, it is clear that you can only use one printer for one machine, and if you have it set up to use XP, you have to switch to "computer" to print from the OSX part of the computer..

I was wondering if there was a way to network the printer instead, so the printer is attached to BOTH machines (virtual and real) so there will be no issues.

I tried turning printer sharing ON In the OSX side and it is obviously networked between parallels and osx - it came that way.. BUT i can not get windows to see the shared computer

If there is a tutorial somewhere that someone can link me to, that would be good.. If not, some tips to look at would be appreciated.

THANKS
 
Tomorrow

Tomorrow

macrumors 604
Mar 2, 2008
7,160
1,364
Always a day away
lindsayanng said:
Hi everyone.
I just recently got my mom to buy a macbook pro with parallels pre-installed from MacMall. So far, she and i are pretty happy with how easy it was to just plug and play..

ANYWAYS, i am trying to make this as easy as possible for her since she is not a mac person (but she is pretty computer literate)

So there is a little issue with the printer that i am trying to sort out.

Basically, it is clear that you can only use one printer for one machine, and if you have it set up to use XP, you have to switch to "computer" to print from the OSX part of the computer..

I was wondering if there was a way to network the printer instead, so the printer is attached to BOTH machines (virtual and real) so there will be no issues.

I tried turning printer sharing ON In the OSX side and it is obviously networked between parallels and osx - it came that way.. BUT i can not get windows to see the shared computer

If there is a tutorial somewhere that someone can link me to, that would be good.. If not, some tips to look at would be appreciated.

THANKS
Click to expand...

I've done this with Fusion, and I imagine the process is the same.

Connect the printer to the Mac and install the OS X drivers for the printer. You should then be able to print from OS X.

Go into Parallels and install the Windows drivers for the computer.

Here's where I think it gets tricky - I know in Fusion that many devices such as the Superdrive, iSight, USB devices, etc. are visible only to either the OS X side or the Windows side, but not both, at any given time. In Fusion, it's a simple matter to "turn off" (by going into OS X and going into the Fusion menu) a device, say the Superdrive, thereby making it available to OS X and not Windows. This is also reversible.

Your idea of networking the printer may also work. Do you have an existing network, and if so, what kind? And what kind of printer is it (USB, Ethernet, etc.)? There are many ways to accomplish this.
 
lindsayanng

lindsayanng

macrumors 68000
Original poster
May 4, 2008
1,515
1
East Haven, CT
the printer is a USB and we just have a basic workgroup wireless network.. I was thinking that if i can not network from XP to OSX within the same machine, i MIGHT be able to just keep OSX with using the printer that is attached ot the USB, and use XP to connect to our network and print on the server computer's printer which i can just add to SHARE. SO in order to print from XP, i can print remotely to the front office (which isnt bad because the front office does the filing anyway) and OSX will print to the the one that is at the desk because most the stuff printed off OSX comes from the internet and is usually personal stuff.
 
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