Cannot locate a shared windows printer

You try to install the shared network printer locally on a computer that is running one of the following operating systems:. In this scenario, you experience the following symptoms if you try to install a shared network printer:. A policy is in effect on your computer which prevents you from connecting to this print queue.

Please contact your system administrator. If you use the Add Printer Wizard to try to install the printer on a Windows Server based client, you receive the following error message when you click Finish to complete the printer installation:.

Unable to Install Printer. The printer driver is not compatible with a policy enabled on your computer that blocks Windows NT 4. If you want to use this driver, contact your system administrator about disabling this policy.

This issue occurs if the printer driver that is installed on the print server is a third-party printer driver. You can't install a shared network printer that has a third-party printer driver locally on a Windows XP SP1-based computer if you're a regular user or a member of the Power Users group.

In Windows Server , you can't install a shared network printer locally if the printer driver that is installed on the print server uses third-party kernel-mode printer drivers. A policy setting in Windows Server prevents users from installing printers that use third-party kernel-mode print drivers. What you need to do to get such a result is click just one button — the tool will immediately examine all your drivers and walk you through the process of repairing or updating them if need be.

This is definitely the solution for those who have a high level of technical expertise and a good understanding of computer architecture. If that is your case, you are free to search for the necessary printer driver online.

To begin with, make sure you know all the required details — bear in mind that installing a wrong driver may lead to further problems. So, check things twice before opting for a particular piece of soft.

Besides, use only reputable and safe sources of software. With that said, we strongly advise you to use a dependable security tool to keep malware, spyware, and viruses at bay. And here is how you can scan a specific item, such as your new driver installer, with Windows Defender:. Another way to keep nefarious entities out is to use Auslogics Anti-Malware. You can employ this tool to trace and eliminate the latest and most cunning threats from the world of malware.

The best news is, Auslogics Anti-Malware can work in tandem with your main anti-virus solution, providing an extra layer of protection.

Enable or Disable Print Service Operational. I want to move a R2 Print Server to a or Server. Skip to main content. Find threads, tags, and users Hello, We have a Windows domain with about endpoints, all running Windows 10 version We are baffled and would appreciate any assistance.

Current Visibility: Visible to all users. Hope anyone can help please. Hello, I have, like many below, just spent three days uninstalling and reinstalling my printers trying to fixing this issue. Please - can someone at Microsoft please, please fix this? Regards Andy. Same for me , Still not working. Best regards. Hi, 1. Thanks, Jenny. Hello Jenny, 1. I believe the print job just goes into the local queue and sits there.

The printers show "Unable to Connect" and are greyed out for end users impacted by this issue. If we logon with local account, will the issue persist?

Kindly turn off firewall on the problematic computer and verify if issue will re-occur? Have you tried to use IP address to add the printer? Looking forward to your update. Best Regards, Jenny. Comment Show 0. Been trying to figure that one out for the last weeks Try the adding a user account the the shared printer PC and let me know the results. Sorry to be a bother.

Try uninstalling KB on the Win10 boxes. I removed that update from all pcs, no luck.. I wish this fixed my issues.. Select Add a network printer.

The wizard will walk you through the installation process — just follow the on-screen prompts. Now check if the shared printer is available on this PC. If the bit versions of your host and guest computers are different, use this guide: Turn on the host computer. Then open the Run app. To do that, simultaneously press the Windows logo key and the letter R key. Type sysdm. The System Properties window will open. In System Properties, navigate to the Computer Name tab.

Locate the Change Change name button and click on it. Go to the Computer Description field. Write this name down. Click Apply and OK to save your changes.

Then exit System Properties. Open the Run app again. DevicesAndPrinters into it. Click OK or press Enter on your keyboard. You will be taken to Devices and Printers. Go to the Printers section, locate your Printer, and right-click on it. From the drop-down menu, select Properties or Printer Properties. Locate the name of the printer you wish to share. Write it down. Close the window. Now move to the guest computer. Boot it up and invoke Run.

DevicesAndPrinters into the Run bar and hit Enter. Click Add a printer. Select Create a new port. Set Local Port as Type of port. Click on Next to proceed. Opt for Select a shared printer by name. Enter your printer and computer names. Keep in mind that you should use the suggested format.

Click Next and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the process. Restart your guest PC and see if the desirable printer is available now. Now you know how to fix Windows cannot locate a suitable print driver.