Vista - USB print server for Vista x64 ?

Does anyone know of a print server that works properly with Vista x64 ?

I have a couple of USB printers that I would like to share between multiple computers. One of them runs Vista x64, another Vista x86 (32 bit).

The printers run fine when attached directly with USB to either computer.

I tried a couple different print server models last year, but none of them worked with the Vista x64 machine. I don't remember the exact details now, but it was clearly a print server compatibility problem with Vista x64. It worked OK on the 32-bit machine.

I haven't been able to find any USB print server that even claims to support Vista x64 so far. Any pointers would be appreciated.

Hi
3rd party Printer servers are problematic devices. Even if you find one that
has Vista 64 drivers it might or might not work with your specific printers.
Best is to get a Network ready Printer (or AIO),
http://www.ezlan.net/prtserver.html
HP might a printer server that works with x64 but it would cost more than
buying one or two new Network printers.
Jack (MS, MVP-Networking)

"madbrain" <guest@xxxxxx-email.com> wrote in message
news:8229060c5bbda8d5bf8aa0224b96a5ac@xxxxxx-gateway.com...

Jack,

Thanks for your response. Unfortunately, it was not at all helpful.
I know many printers won't work with some print servers. But that isn't the case with the printers I have. None of them were all in ones. Just straight printers. They all worked with the various models of print servers I tried. At least they did work in 32-bit XP, and 32-bit vista also as I recall. But I had no luck whatsoever with the print servers under 64-bit Vista . I believe those were issues between the print servers and Vista, not between the printers and the print servers.

There are several good reasons that I'm not looking to buy networked printers.

First is that I already have printers and don't know want to replace them all with networked models at the moment.

Second is that some classes of printers, such as compact photo printers, aren't available as networked printers. I still want to network them.

Third is that networked printers typically cost a lot more - they basically have built-in print servers. When you have several printers as I do, that adds up in cost.

Fourth, I replace some of the printers I have fairly frequently, because typically it costs less to do so than to buy new ink for them. Several of the printers I have bought that I want to share were free after rebates. But of course none were networkable.

I can make my own decision about cost of the print server, and find out about its compatibility with particular printers, but I really do need one that has a prayer's chance of working with Vista x64, with any printer at all. That's why I posted here.

Here is some info that I hope will be helpful to others running Vista x64 , given how much time I have spent. The printer I was trying to network is the Canon Selphy ES2 compact photo printer. Even though it's not an all-in-one the Selphy doesn't work with any print server as an LPR device or standard TCP/IP port (port 9100).

The 2 models that I tried last year were Trendnet TE-100-P1U, and another from Airlink 101, the AMPS230. Both worked fine with the Selphy under 32-bit, under XP for sure, and I believe under Vista 32-bit as well, though I don't recall 100% on this point for sure, but both failed during the software installation under Vista 64-bit. Both used similar software with virtual USB ports, that couldn't be added under 64-bits.

On friday after work I decided to buy a bunch of other servers and try them all.

Zonet ZPS1002. This was a complete failure with the Selphy, even under XP . The software is garbage. I kept getting DEP error in the spooler . Even after turning it off for that app, it kept reporting errors. Zonet's web site is listed by Firefox as hosting malware. I didn't even try it under Vista. I put it back in the back and it will be going back to Microcenter.

Linksys PSUS4. Again I couldn't get it to work with the Selphy even under XP. It seems to be using similar software as the Zonet as the problems with the spooler were the same. I tried it under Vista 32 as well - similar issues. Back in the box it went, and to Fry's soon. This one doesn't explicitly list Vista support. I supposed I shouldn't have bothered picking it up.

Netgear PSU121 : this one worked, on XP Vista 32, and also Vista x64 ! The software is also explicitly listed as supporting x64 on the Linksys web site. The installer is unbearably slow though, even on my quad core machine with 8 GB RAM . And the job serialization is very poor - if you try to print at the same time from two systems, the second job will get errors, and ends up being deleted. And the printer object goes into "paused" state after each print job. This would be unusable for office use, but for home use, and for the purpose of not having to move the printer physically from one machine to the other, and for $29.99, I deem it acceptable.

I have one more print server still in the box that I haven't tried. The Netgear WGPS506 . That's a print server with 2 USB ports, and wireless capability - which I don't really need - I have gigabit ethernet in all rooms where I would want to have printers, I only have a wireless N router because of one laptop. I may try it to see if the software is any better with that unit than the PS121's. It is more expensive than two PS121, since it costs $79.99, and the only extra is the wireless, but you also are limited to having both USB printers in the same location with it.

I also happen to have 2 other printers to network - the Canon Pixma iP3500, and the Epson R280. I may try that Canon tomorrow. The Epson R280 printer is still in the box. I do want to set it up to print CDs. Setting it up networked from the start would be nice. I'll report if I succeed.