Click Next. The Add Printer Wizard displays its second dialog box see Figure 15-11.

Part III ✦ Working with Networked Computers

12. Click Add. The larger Printer List dialog box disappears and the smaller Printer List dia-

log box remains, with the added printer see Figure 15-24. Figure 15-24: The installed printer Printing between Windows and Linux You can print between Windows and Linux using the Samba application with your Linux dis- tribution. You can use the smbprint script in Samba to do the printing. The script itself con- sists of at least 50 lines of code, depending on the distribution you’re using. You can locate help on the Internet for creating or even copying the smbprint script for Samba and your dis- tribution of Linux. You can also use commands using straightforward lpr, if your printer knows how to talk LPD for line printer daemon; LPD is defined at the end of this section. lpr is a command that enables printing using an IP address. You can use lpr in Linux, Unix, Windows, or any operat- ing system using TCPIP; however, the command is most useful in Linux because Windows has utilities that automatically configure the command for you. Again, find these commands for your distribution on the Internet. If you want, you can use software to help with printing from Linux to Windows and back again. A program by NeTraverse called Win4Lin is available that enables you to install Windows 98 as an application that runs on Linux. Installation is difficult; but if it works, you start Windows and it appears in a window on your desktop. You can then print, and use Windows applications, from the Linux machine to any networked Windows printer. One of the easiest methods of printing is using a print server, as described previously in this chapter. Remote Print Manager RPM offers complete LPD printing software that is designed for Windows platforms over a TCPIP network. RPM enables users to customize print jobs from host systems including Linux, UNIX, mainframes, and other Windows systems. LPD is a protocol that is used on the Internet, in Linux, and in Unix for communicating between clients and servers. When you use LPD in a command or you use the LPD printing software, you make communication between the computer and a printer possible. You can also find other solutions on the Internet. Check www.justlinux.com and www.experts-exchange.com. Troubleshooting Printing As you know, many things can go wrong with printing, especially printing on a network. Sometimes the answer is a simple one, and often it is complex. You should always consider the most basic printing problems and solutions before delving into the more complex ones. Chapter 15 ✦ Printing on a Network Give everyone with a printer a list of basics to check in case the printer has a problem so that you don’t have to do simple troubleshooting. Checking basics first You’re probably familiar with all the common problems and solutions. Just to review, how- ever, make sure that you check the following first when you have a printer problem: ✦ The printer is turned on and is online. ✦ The printer has paper, toner, or ink, and no printer doors are open or ajar. ✦ The paper tray is in the appropriate position. ✦ All plugs and cables are firmly and securely attached to both the printer and the com- puter. Make sure that all cables are connected to the appropriate ports. ✦ The printer cable is not nicked or damaged in some way. ✦ You have at least 3MB of free disk space on the computer attached to the printer. The spooler can’t work without the free disk space. ✦ The appropriate printer is selected in the program’s Print dialog box. ✦ The printer driver is installed and working. If any of the printer’s software configuration has changed or might be corrupted, delete and then reinstall the driver in the Printers folder. ✦ Have you installed new hardware that could be conflicting with the addressing or interrupts? ✦ Have you installed new software that might have changed the printer’s configuration files? ✦ Has anyone on the network made changes to the printer’s configuration? Windows 98 includes a Print Troubleshooter in Online Help that you might try. Choose Start ➪ Help. On the Contents tab, choose Troubleshooting. Windows XP also has a Print Troubleshooter in the Help feature. Locating the problem You can perform several tests to see if the problem is in your printer, in your cable, in your computer, or with the network. Locating the problem is the first step toward solving it. Before continuing with the following suggestions, you should switch printer cables to see if the prob- lem is the cable. ✦ Turn the printer off and then back on, and try printing again. You might even want to turn the computer and the printer off, count to five slowly, and then turn it back on, just in case something is corrupted in memory. ✦ Next, run the printer’s self test. If the test fails, the problem is inside the printer. It could be a bad part, an open door, an askew cartridge, or some other problem. ✦ Try printing locally instead of over the network. Try printing from both Windows and MS-DOS to see if the problem is related to the operating system. If you can print from MS-DOS but not Windows, it’s a Windows problem. Note Small Business Tip