Locally connected Printer shows as offline on Windows 7 network after initially working

Anonymous

Ok, have checked similar threads wihich got no successful answers.

I have a PC with Epson printer connect directly via USB. Print driver installed correctly. Works fine.

Windows 7 Ultimate (32 bit) no security other than windows firewall and microsoft security essentials.

Laptop connected wirelessly to PC. On same network and homegroup, file and media sharing all working fine.

Laptop running Windows 7 Ultimate (32 bit) same security as PC.

When I add a network printer it finds printer on PC and correctly installs driver etc. Printer appears in devices and will print the first couple of times.

However, by the next day the network printer shows up as "offline" in the print spooler on the laptop. Documents simply stack up.

The PC does not go to sleep and is left on all of the time except for the monitor which is switched off. Printer works fine on PC, indeed with docs stuck on the laptop I can still print directly from the PC - even this does not show the printer as online on the laptop.

Have checked that the printer spooler on laptop is running and set to automatic.

Epson unable/unwilling to help - have found a similar thread with no answer - anybody any guesses as to what to try?

Many thanks

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Anonymous

I had a similar problem and for me the Problem is with the EPSON driver.

My printer was connected wirelessly to my network, I had IP address and could ping it but WIN 7 showed it as OFFLINE.

I then went and had a look at the printer driver, (start, Devices and printer, selected the epson printer then under printer management, customise printer, ports then configure port)

And noticed that for Standard TCP/IP Port it was pointing to a different IP than that what my printer currently had. I edited it to match what the printer was and it came ONLINE.

When you turn your printer off, its IP address goes back in your routers pool to be reassigned.

The Epson windows driver still has the old IP. You turn your printer on and your router happens to give it a different IP from last time. It now doesn't match with what the Epson driver stored before and tells you it is OFFLINE.

For me, rather than changing the IP in the driver each time this happend I assigned a static IP (fixed host ) address in my router to match my printers MAC address. This way it always gives my printer the same address everytime and no more fake OFFLINE messages appear in Windows.

This is an Epson driver problem, not a windows problem.

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Anonymous

Set the IP address of the printer to a static address as stated earlier in this thread. If you add the printer again by browsing the network, the Standard TCP/IP port will only work as long ast the printer retains the same IP. If the print device support DNS or WNS name registration you can add a Standard TCP/IP Port using the hostname rather than a transient IP address for DHCP enabled print devices.

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

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88 additional answers

Anonymous

2012-11-12T21:44:06+00:00

Thank you, Umesh! Such a simple fix: uncheck "use printer offline". I have been through the wringer trying to set up my HP Photosmart 8450 to USB and could NEVER get it to work. I connected it to my router via RJ-45 and, now that I know how to bring it back online, it works perfectly.
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Anonymous

2012-11-04T02:09:27+00:00

But what if your printer is directly connected via USB port? That is my issue and that of the original question. This printer has worked for years directly connected but with earlier operating systems. It is not responding using Windows Professional 7.

Any thoughts are welcome.

Thank you.
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Anonymous

2012-08-09T08:23:36+00:00

IMO This problem is clearly a driver problem. A problem with Microsoft's drivers for Windows 7!

I have a HP 2600n that is connected to my network. Windows 7 would regularly tell my the printer was offline. The printer is statically configured to an IP, as is my computer (and every other permanent part of the network). I've read all the "blame someone/something else" forums where the setup or some other user problem is blamed. I blame the drivers Windows 7 downloaded from Windows Updates!

Here's the kicker...I installed WinXP Mode on the exact same PC that could not print to the 2600n. I installed HP's drivers for WinXP. The next time Windows 7 reported the printer being offline, I fired up WinXP Mode...guess what...IT PRINTED! How in the world could there be some faulty setup issue that causes Windows 7 to not print to print, when a virtual PC running from within that exact PC can print to it?!? I certainly can't think of any. I tried restarting the printer win Windows 7 as well, still Windows 7 thought it was offline.

A few months ago, HP finally issued Windows 7 driver programmed by their people (who seem to know what they are doing). I have NOT had a repeat of that problem with the 2600n since HP released drivers, and I stopped using Microsoft's crappy Windows Update Drivers.

I've seen this repeated with a number of printers, who's manufacturer was slow to release their own drivers for Windows 7. It seems that the people who make the hardware know far more about it than Microsoft's people! Who would have thought of that?!?

Moral of the story, try the manufacturers drivers (if available) and DO NOT rely on MS drivers if you can help it. You may have to force feed Windows 7 the drivers from Vista to make the device to work properly. At least until MS stops blaming everyone/everything else and looks internally. Ya sure their drivers worked for 5 min. but maybe they should try running a more extensive diagnostics of them.
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