Printing on host network printer

[sleveille]

Hi,

I'm using Vmware player 2.0.3 to run a virtual Windows XP on top of a Windows XP host. XP host has several printers attached to it. One is USB attached printer and others are network printers (attached to Windows printer servers). Printing to USB attached printer is working fine but I'm unable to select or attach to host's network printers.

I wish I could use host's network printers. Is this possible?

Thank

[asatoran]

They're network printers...so configure the XP guest to connect to them directly the same way that the host XP connects to those network printers directly. (Assumuing you have Bridged or NAT networking.)

[sleveille]

Can't do this, host is a Windows domain attached computer, VM isn't so local users (VM users not host users) has no credentials to attach those network printers. VM will be used in labs with multiple users and accountable prints. I can't attached network printers with a common domain username.

Any other suggestions?

[asatoran]

Are they they true network printers or are they printers shared by another computer? A true network printer doesn't necessarily need authentication unless you configure them that way. For example, HP Jetdirects you add a "local" printer, then create a new "port" specifying a HP JetDirect or Standard TCP/IP port.

If they are just shared printers, then from a command prompt:

NET USE

This will prompt for username and password. Username should be in the form "domain\username" (without the quotes.) You can also use:

NET USE /user:domain\username password.

These commands can be put in a batch file. Since you wanted to share the host printer, then the network credentials would have been whatever was used to login the host computer as far as the domain is concerned. So you'd use the same username & password for the NET USE statements.

[sleveille]

Thanks Asatoran, your idea works.

Here's complete informations:

1) Create un new printer using LPT1 port (you won't be able to use detection)

2) Redirect LPT1 port to the network printer with the following dos command: "net use ltp1: "

Answer net use command with the following: "Enter username = ", "Enter password : password"