Accessing Printer Properties/Dialogue very slow?

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 18 May 2007, 18:19

I've asked this on suitable forums but have had little response from there so:

It's fine on my XP PC but connecting to a HP USB Printer via a Router plugged into that XP PC is painfully slow opening the printer properties and clicking on File, Print from applications on my Vista Laptop.

HP don't make Vista drivers for the printer but instead recommend you use the built in drivers. Oddly they look identical to the drivers on my XP PC which I didn't expect for built-in drivers, so to be sure I installed the same printer manually as a LTP1 Printer using the drivers from the printer list and they're the same.

To clarify it goes USB connection from the printer into the XP PC, out of the XP PC to a Router via Ethernet, to Vista Laptop via Ethernet. File & Printer sharing is enabled on the laptop. I know it's not the XP end as it also works fine to another XP PC connecting to the Master XP PC the same way. I am unable to install Printer Sharing on the laptop as it has no printer attached so Vista says it's not needed, fair enough (I presume it only refers to printers physically plugged in).

It does all work but is very slow opening dialogue boxes.

I've just noticed whenever I try to access my printer properties (even right click to get to the properties option) causes ALL the lights on my router to go ballistic, until the window appears. Huh?

It's perfectly fine through File Sharing.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Lourdes · Post by **Lourdes** » 18 May 2007, 19:29

Is it always slow or just slow the first time, how about browsing other network resources such as shared files or mapped drives?

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 18 May 2007, 19:37

@ Lourdes: "It's perfectly fine through File Sharing." but yes every time, even after the laptop has been on for a good while. The lights on my router (all of them) go ballistic until whatever I've clicked on appears on screen. I don't use mapped drives but accessing the UNC path for anywhere on the networked C drive is no problem at all.

It could be a Vista driver issue as it's fine on my XP PC, as after all file sharing is fine. I presume they're essentially the same at that level. Which connects to the exact same router, network cable and printer. The laptop hardware is obviously different (old PC AMD Athlon XP 2500+, new laptop Intel Core 2 Duo 1.66Ghz).

I'm having to use the drivers which came with Vista as there none from HP, they recommend you use the Vista ones.

Thankfully I don't print very often or it would really annoy me.

Thanks btw.

Lourdes · Post by **Lourdes** » 18 May 2007, 20:09

Create a new share for it, see if it's any different.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 19 May 2007, 16:03

No difference, thanks

, even browsing Printer drivers tabs (in the properties window) takes ages, with the router's lights going mad (not just the light which has my Ethernet connection plugged into it).

Thankfully it's just printing which I don't do very often of, of and it does work you just have to wait. Once the printer has it in it's memory it's fine.