Networked printer offline after reboot of Win7 client

Here is the problem - when I reboot the the Win7 machine and go to 'devices and printer' I can see the printer but it is greyed out. The printer status is offline. If I reinstall the printer it will work until the next reboot on the Win7 machine. 

I don't have your exact setup, but I had your problem described above.

Go here.

The short version:

• Go to Control Panel -> Devices and Printers.
• Right-click on the greyed-out printer and select "See What's Printing."
• Click on the "Printer" menu and uncheck "Use Printer Offline.

If this worked, smile a little, and pass the solution on to some of the zillions who're having this problem. If not, sorry to take your time, and good luck!

Hi Alan,

I have a client that is experiencing a very similiar issue. Do you believe this to be just a driver issue then? I didn't see anything here that said it was resolved, so I thought it would be best to ask.

My clients network consists of 3 Windows 7 machines, 3 HP printers, and a Netgear router (ADSL based). This network is completely wireless with the exception of the printers. All 3 computers can ping and see each other on the network map. Two of the computers are HP towers (station1 & station2) and the other is an ASUS laptop (steve). The HP towers both have an HP 1320 printer locally attached (USB). The ASUS laptop is locally attached (USB) to the third HP printer, a color all-in-one (forgot model). That same all-in-one printer is setup for wireless connectivity and the HP towers both print to it without any issues. Both HP towers share their 1320 printers. I'm able to print to all printers on the network from either of the towers (station 1 & station 2). The laptop however, is another story. I can reboot both towers and the printer connections reappear and work fine. If I reboot the the laptop the printer attached to station 1 becomes greyed out and is no longer available unless I reinstall it. The laptop can see the same model of printer on station 2 (same drivers) after a reboot without any problems. The laptop also prints fine to the all-in-one, when I connect it through a wireless connection. I've verified the print drivers, i've tried reinstalling the printer and renaming it, i've tried Vista drivers PCL5 and PCL6.

Any other ideas?

I don't understand why something as simple as print sharing requires this much work. I thought Windows 7 was suppose to make life easier for all of us, including us consultants.

Haven't had any time this week. Will attend to it this weekend. I'll let you know what happens.

did you get any where with this

Look in the Credential Manager and see if everthing looks correct

Control Panel

All Control Panel Items

Credential Manager

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

Hi,

Have you tried temporarily turning your security softwares off and then printing?

I would also suggest you to remove the hardware, uninstall the software and drivers, then reboot the system and reinstall the latest drivers for the

printer from the manufacturer’s site.

Refer this link: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Update-a-driver-for-hardware-that-isnt-working-properly

a.  Reboot your computer.

b.  Turn on Network Discovery **.**c. Turn on File and printer sharing.

If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings might prevent you from completing these steps.

By default, Windows Firewall blocks network discovery (formerly called UPnP technology), but you can enable it.

1. Open Network and Sharing Center by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet, and then clicking Network and

     Sharing Center.

2. If network discovery is off, click the arrow button Picture of the arrow button‌ to expand the section.
3. Click Turn on network discovery, and then click Apply. Administrator permission required If you are prompted for an administrator password or

    confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/Troubleshoot-network-printer-problems

This link is for Windows Vista, but it also works for Windwos 7.

        Share a printer:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Share-a-printer

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/File-and-printer-sharing-frequently-asked-questions

Also run the printer troubleshooter:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Open-the-Printer-troubleshooter

Regards,

Afzal-Microsoft Support.

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