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[Get Real!]

File & printer sharing on “mixed” networks…

With the release of Windows 7 and gradual introduction of W7 workstations in existing XP business networks, major file & printer sharing problems have surfaced!

For example, with XP machines accessing a network printer is as simple as double clicking on the sharable device to be found in your network neighborhood, but not so if that device is hanging off a W7 box!

To access a printer hanging off a W7 box from an XP box you’ll need to add and set user permissions to that share so imagine if you had 100s of workstations to setup… the only logical way would be to create individual printer access groups and grant batch permissions!

The other nightmare-ish workaround is in the printer’s properties > Add Port > Local port > \\THAT-W7-BOX\ThatPrinter ... you get the idea!

So what was once a five second job has now become a nightmare which suggests that introducing Windows 7 stations means we are upgrading in some aspects such as multimedia, and downgrading in others such as networking!

There are also complications with 64bit Vs 32bit printer driver support and issues with shareable folders which I won’t go through today, and as a further blow migrations from Outlook 2003 to Outlook 2007 are NOT hunky dory as Microsoft would like us to believe!

Overall, my advice is to not attempt a gradual introduction of Windows 7 stations into an XP network, but to do it all at once or don’t bother at all!


Regards, GR.

[CBBB]

The "Big Bang" approach is hard enough for a small company and a road to disaster for a large one!

[FragnaticDeath]

make a homegroup in windows 7

[Sotos]

Just get a printer that can connect directly on the network with Ethernet or WiFi. They are really cheap these days

[Get Real!]

Just get a printer that can connect directly on the network with Ethernet or WiFi. They are really cheap these days

Without a printer server that wouldn’t work on peer to peer networks!

But anyway, will you all stop posting your stupid “solutions”?

This thread is not about a specific network that requires a solution, but an overview of the incompatibility between different versions of Windows!