Missing INF file for printer ?

I am having the same problem.  A Epson Stylus CX6400 printer is installed directly on my home networked desktop running Windows XP SP3 and connected through a USB port  When trying to install the printer on a new networked Netbook running Windows 7 64 bit Home Premium, Windows 7 asks for a driver file *.INF or *.IN_.  Can not find the file it wants on the Netbook so it goes to Window Update and can not find what it needs.  Then asks me to find it on the Netbook (*.INF, *IN_).  No clue where such a file might be.  Connected the printer directly to the Netbook through a USB port.  It again searched the Netbook for a driver then again to Window Update.  Return message said it did not find a driver BUT I printed a test page just fine so I guess it installed when connected directly.

Disconnected the printer from the Netbook leaving the local install on the Netbook (did not delete it) and reconnected the printer to the networked desktop and tried a new networked printer install again thinking it wonderfully somehow has the driver it needs stored on the Netbook.  Still looking for the same files (*.INF, *.IN_.  Annoyed and frustrated at this point.  I have been successful in installing a netwoked HP Laserjet 4P which is also connected directly to the desktop and it works great.

The Netbook has no Operating System Installation CD as suggested in one reply.  It ask you to make a backup DVD which maybe does the same thing but have not done yet since we have been using the desktop CD/DVD to load programs onto the Netbook.

I had the same and managed to solve this. Win 7 seems to install old printers OK, but renames the printers slightly differently. In my case the "Canon i560" on win XP became "Canon Inkjet i560" on win 7. So when i re-downloaded the i560 drivers, and searched for the i560.inf file. I needed to actually edit the .inf file in notepad, and change the printer name in 3 places, from "Canon i560" to "Canon Inkjet i560".

I then added the additional x86 driver on the win 7 machine by going to the printer, sharing tab, browsed for the newly edited .inf file and voila.

See this article: http://superuser.com/questions/23703/installing-additional-printer-drivers-x86-on-windows-7-x64 which walks you through it.

Hope that helps someone.

You will need a 64 bit driver which uses the exact name as the driver name shared from the XP machine.  The same names LaserJet 4P x64 driver is located on the Windows Update site.

If you cannot find the driver look for posts with SMB and Local Port to create a ports that basically copies the data the print share the same as the copy command.

Alan Morris Windows Printing Team; Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here: http://support.microsoft.com/search/Default.aspx?adv=1