Printer Problems On A Network

Many people decide to have more than one computer. This could be for many reasons. If you are a part of a company you usually have more than one computer. In order to save money and resources hardware such as printers needs to be shared. These printers are normally not in the same room or at least are not close to you.

Please note that you may not be able to do this yourself if you are on a network. In larger companies this is controlled through a print server or can only be done by authorized individuals. You may need to contact your computer staff or network administrator.

What if you can’t print?

Here are some reasons:
1. The printer is out of paper. I have seen people try to print over and over again only to find out the printer is out of paper. Normally an error will appear on their screen. Most people are persistent that they can beat the system. They seem to think they are actually dealing with a living being.
2. It isn’t turned on. This is also a big one. Again! Yes again! People will constantly try to send to the printer with out ever checking it physically. Even though these printers are not supposed to be turned off, do not assume anything.
3. The power plug is disconnected. Maybe somebody moved it or just unplugged it for some reason.
4. The data cable is disconnected. Maybe somebody just bumped it or whatever.

The above reasons are approaching the problem as a physical one. The problem could also be that the driver is corrupt. This is the program the makes it work. The operating system could have something wrong with it.

How can I fix a software problem? If you are authorized to do this yourself do the following:
1. Start by uninstalling the printer program.
2. Reinstall the program.
3. Test it.
4. If it still doesn’t work try the printer on a different computer.
5. If the printer works you know something is wrong with the operating system.
6. If it doesn’t work your printer could actually be bad.

What could be wrong with the operating system?

Although many things could be wrong, check for viruses. Another possibility is that the driver you are using is not compatible to the operating system. As an example: if you are using Windows XP you must have an XP driver. A windows 98 driver may not work. If a current driver is not available you can try to use compatibility mode. If that doesn’t work, you may need to purchase a new printer.

You may need to contact the network administrator if you are on a network. It could be possible the printer you want to use is not shared on the network. Even if it shows up in the setup screen it may not really be connected due to this problem.

Another problem

If you are on a network the network cable may have become disconnected or went bad. However, if it did you will not be able to do anything associated with the network.

By: Dennis Levenhagen

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