How to fix error 0x00000040 (Recieve shared Printer) / Window 11 Home

Question

I have just purchased a new MS Surface Laptop with Windows Home on. I have printers connected to another PC on my LAN and they are shared. I can browse to the printers through explorer but once I click on them and say connect in order to install them locally. (I have done this on numerous devices on my network). I get this error. operation could not be completed error 0x00000040. The specified network name is no longer available.

I have tried the fixes people have suggested in the post "How to fix error 0x00000040 (Recieve shared Printer) / Window 11 Home"

My system has all updates applied.

How do I fix this or should I send the Laptop back to Microsoft as OS is corrupted.

Regards

[Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]

Answer 1

Hi Scott Winters,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Please note that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your question to hide your personal information in the description. Kindly ensure that you hide any personal or organizational information the next time you post an error or other details to protect personal data.

I understand how frustrating it is to see the printer show up on the network but then fail to connect, especially after trying it on multiple devices.

To get this working reliably, please try the steps below. They’re a bit more manual, but they usually help resolve the issue and keep the printer stable going forward:

Step 1 – Install the shared printer using manual settings

On the Surface Laptop, open Control Panel > Devices and Printers and click Add printer. If the printer doesn’t install automatically, choose The printer that I want isn’t listed, then select Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings. When prompted, choose Create a new port, set the port type to Local Port, and enter the shared printer path in this format:

\ComputerName\PrinterShareName

(for example: \OFFICE-PC\HP_LaserJet).

When asked for a driver, select the printer model from the list, or click Have Disk and install the driver downloaded from the printer manufacturer’s website. Complete the remaining prompts to finish the installation.

Step 2 – Enable the network client component (if needed)

On some systems, an additional network client component may be required. Press Win + R, type optionalfeatures, and press Enter. Enable SMB 1.0 / CIFS Client (client only, not server), then restart the laptop. After rebooting, try printing again.

Step 3 – Check the computer sharing the printer

On the PC that is sharing the printer, confirm the latest supported printer driver is installed: Open Print Management > Print Servers > Drivers. Confirm that a current, supported driver is installed (Type 4 preferred if available). If needed, reinstall the printer on that PC using the latest driver from the printer manufacturer.

Restarting the Print Spooler service can also help ensure the connection refreshes correctly: Open services.msc > Print Spooler > Restart.

Step 4 – Alternative option

If the issue continues, installing the printer driver on the Surface Laptop first (with no printer connected) and then adding the shared printer using Step 1 often helps avoid connection problems.

I know this isn’t as straightforward as clicking “Connect,” but once installed this way, the printer should remain stable and continue working normally.

Please keep me posted on how it goes, and feel free to reach out if you need any further assistance.

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Answer 2

To resolve the error 0x00000040 when trying to connect to a shared printer on your Windows 11 Home device, you can try the following steps:

1. Check Network Connection: Ensure that your Surface Laptop is properly connected to the same network as the PC that is sharing the printer.
2. Restart Devices: Sometimes, simply restarting both the PC sharing the printer and your Surface Laptop can resolve connectivity issues.
3. Update Printer Drivers: Make sure that the printer drivers on your Surface Laptop are up to date. You can do this by going to the manufacturer's website and downloading the latest drivers.
4. Modify Group Policy Settings: If you have access to Group Policy settings, ensure that the following policies are configured:
   • Disable the Point and Print Restrictions policy.
   • Allow the Load and unload device drivers for the Power Users group.
5. Registry Fix: As a last resort, you can modify the registry settings. However, be cautious when editing the registry. You can add the following registry values:
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print and set DnsOnWire to 1.
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters and set DisableStrictNameChecking to 1.
6. Use IP Address: Instead of connecting through the shared name, try connecting to the printer using its IP address. You can add a printer by selecting "Add a printer using a TCP/IP address or hostname" in the printer setup.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, you may want to consider reaching out to Microsoft support for further assistance before deciding to return the laptop.

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References:

• Error message when you try to install a shared network printer
• Printing issue troubleshooting guidance