How do I connect a laptop running XP to a wireless HP printer?

HP printer offline network install driver issues?

• I have a Deskjet 3745 printer I want to install on a desktop computer (running xp), which will then share it with the other computers on the network (including a windows 7 laptop). I think I have the sharing working correctly but getting the drivers for the laptop is proving difficult... HP has decided not to make driver downloads available for this printer for windows 7 systems because windows update has compatible drivers, and sure enough when the laptop is online and the printer is plugged in it finds drivers, but my home network is not connected to the internet. I have the printer installed locally, and it should work when plugged directly into the laptop, but when I plug it back into the xp desktop and use the add a printer wizard on the windows 7 laptop (64 bit) it goes straight to windows update, fails to find a driver, as expected with no internet service, and asks me to manually find it. It apparently doesn't seem to check installed printers for compatible drivers and the driver I need is not available for download anywhere I can find. The question is how do I install the drivers for my printer, located on a networked computer, to a windows 7 machine that cannot connect to windows update. Picking up the entire network and carrying it to the library is not an acceptable solution, nor is providing internet service to the network where it is now (at least for the time being). I tried using double driver to do a backup of the printer's local install's drivers and point the add a printer wizard to the backup, but it doesn't find compatible drivers, I suspect the .inf file it is looking for wasn't included in the backup.

• Answer:

  Your printer may not be compatible with windows 7 but their is a workaround that will work. Install the printer to the other computer with Windows XP. Then, you can share it with windows 7. Go in windows 7 and select "ADD printer" and it should find the printer on Windows XP. That's it.