Simple Home Network

I have a network with three computers running windows 10.  Computer A uses Ethernet to the router.  A printer is cabled to Compute A..  Computers B and C could print files via WiFI.  File sharing worked although I don't used it often and can live with out it.  Everything was fine up until two weeks ago. Computers B and C now get a message (Windows cannot access \\steve-desktop  You do not have permission to access.)

I have tried many suggestions on the Microsoft and HP web sites without success.  I would like to simplify the network just so the printer will work with each computer. 

Can I eliminate credentials and permission and other impediments?  Perhaps should undo all the stuff I tried and start over with a new network.

What have I tried?

For each PC, I have been through the network setup procedures several times, reset permissions and credentials, and  reset the network and the router.  I stop short of touching the registry as that is beyond my capabilities.

Really what you need is a network capable printer not a printer that uses a computer workstation as its print server.

You currently have a setup where your printer is not set up as an actual network printer -- it is not actually going to be detected by all your other PCs. It's a printer that's local only to computer A, and it's only the Windows integral printer sharing utility that's allowing it be detected and accessible to your computers B and C.

What you need to do is have the printer setup to be real network printer, so it's connected to your home network as its own device (with its own IP address) that will result in all your PCs to see and use it on their own.

What printer model is it?

Without knowing actual details about the model it's hard to make relevant suggestions.

-- Some printers have no networking capabilities, and some that do have only Ethernet ports and some have both Ethernet and WiFi capability. So that's all conditional on which model.

-- If you have a printer with no networking (only the USB port that's used to connect directly to a PC), there are little WiFi adapters that have a USP port for the printer and essentially allow the printer to be a network printer.

-- Some consumer routers have a USB port that can be used as a network printer. But that's a conditional aspect with limitations on the necessary driver support for some printer models.

Windows 10 private network

Help me to simply use the printer from all the computers.  The network worked fine with Home Group and its early replacement but each update makes things more complicated. 

i have three computers. They can all see each other on Windows Explorer. Computer A is connected to the router via ethernet.  The others use WiFi.

Computers A and B can access each other. 

Computers B and C can access each other. 

Computer A can access Computer C but C can't access computer A.

I have tried all the Microsoft instructions as well as many on-line help videos and can't get the network to work properly. I cleared the credentials issue but not the permission problem.   I now have a new problem  - disconnected media.  It's supposed to be easy to fix but I haven't been able.  Probably the best course would be to undo the present network and start over.

Ideally, I would connect the printer to the router but the Brother 1440 and the TP-Link Archer C50 are not compatible.

Windows 10 private network

Help me to simply use the printer from all the computers.  The network worked fine with Home Group and its early replacement but each update makes things more complicated. 

 

i have three computers. They can all see each other on Windows Explorer. Computer A is connected to the router via ethernet.  The others use WiFi.

Computers A and B can access each other. 

Computers B and C can access each other. 

Computer A can access Computer C but C can't access computer A.

 

 

I have tried all the Microsoft instructions as well as many on-line help videos and can't get the network to work properly. I cleared the credentials issue but not the permission problem.   I now have a new problem  - disconnected media.  It's supposed to be easy to fix but I haven't been able.  Probably the best course would be to undo the present network and start over.

 

 

Ideally, I would connect the printer to the router but the Brother 1440 and the TP-Link Archer C50 are not compatible.

https://support.brother.com/g/b/manualtop.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=hl1440_all

You do not necessarily have a compatibility problem between your printer and your router but rather a connectivity problem. Again, with your printer currently connected to computer A with a USB cable, the printer isn't an actual network printer. It's only detectable because the Windows software, Printer sharing, is enabling B and C to connect to it. But that connection can only take place when A is on and awake. Instead, you need to change your HL-1440 so it is an actual network printer. Once that's done, all your computers will be able to see it as a shared printer on your local network. You'll need to switch the HL-1440 driver on computer A from its local, USB driver to its network driver too.
 

If I understand, I should connect the printer to the router.  I like the sound of that and I will try that this afternoon. I am sure I'll be back for more advice

If I understand, I should connect the printer to the router.  I like the sound of that and I will try that this afternoon. I am sure I'll be back for more advice

That depends on the router. Some models do have USB port(s) and some don't.

-- If it does than try connecting your printer to the router instead of the PC; then go into your router's setup menu to configure it accordingly; and then redo the HL1440 driver in computers A, B, and C (your printer will at that point change from a Windows-shared printer to a generic network printer so you also need to alter its driver to correspond to that change).

Also, there's an issue if your particular HL-1440 printer does or does not have that optional networking port. If it does you might want to just take a typical Ethernet cable and plug the printer into one of the open LAN ports on your router, negating the need to use USB connectivity. That results in your printer being an actual network printer.

But if your router does not have a USB port and your printer does not have a networking port, you still have other options available to you. One is to buy something like this print server adapter:

https://www.newegg.com/wavlink-nu516u1/p/1A4-001N-00010

This will enable you to change a USB-only printer to be a network printer. You plug the USB cable into the adapter, and then you have the option to connect the adapter to your router using either WiFi or an Ethernet cable to put it on your local network.