virtualbox.org

Hi, I've been using VirtualBox for a while, but am having trouble installing a new printer. I was able to somehow install my previous printer using instructions from threads I found in this forum, but apparently those methods don't work for the new wireless network printer I have, or else I am just doing something wrong. I just can't get my XP Pro system on VirtualBox to recognize/communicate with the printer - it won't appear under USB settings as the previous one did. I am running Windows 10 on my desktop, and XP Pro in VirtualBox. This is a new HP All-in-one Officejet 8720. Could someone tell me the best method to try? I've tried everything I could find in previous threads in this forum. Thank you!

The first thing is to make sure the vm is in the same network as the printer. How is the vm networked?

This is what I guess I'm confused about. Both machines have an Internet connection to the same server/IP address, that's all I know. I don't know what network settings to use in VB. I think I've tried them all. Then there's a Local Network in VB that I created to share documents. I guess I'm looking for a step by step approach to setting up the network, the best way, for the printer - for example, bridged adapter, NAT, etc. Usually I'm pretty good with computers, but this VB stuff confuses me.

Well, where is the printer? What wifi network is it connected to? How does the host connect to it? A wifi printer is usually running in a wifi network so that it can be accessed by all devices using the network.

If your printer is connected to a home network, you would set the networking in the vm to bridged so that it was also in the home network. If your vm is set to the default setting (NAT) it will probably not see a network printer.

Yes, the printer is on the wifi network. I have the network set to bridged adapter, and then in the drop down box below that, I have two choices:

1) @%systemroot%\system32\drivers\ndisimplatform.sys,-530

and

2) Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller

I don't know what #1 is, and I assume #2 is my computer adapter, so I have it set to #2. But the printer still doesn't show up as an option when I go to print. Do I have to install the printer software on the vm first for it to recognize the printer? If so, can I just share the printer software folder? I did try to install the printer from disk on vm but received this error: "The procedure entry point EncodePrinter could not be located in the dynamic link library KERNEL32.dll." I think this means I needed to download the service pack 2 or 3 for XP Pro.

Also, under Network settings, I am using Adapter 1. Do I have to change anything under Advanced Settings for Adapter 1?

Sorry if these questions seem stupid...thanks for your help.

No idea. Mine is a Canon. It will be just the same as on a physical machine once you are in the same network as the printer. If instructions for that are not in or on the box, you should be able to get them from the Internet.

You report that the printer is connected to the Wi-Fi network. For the guest to see the printer the host PC has to be able to see the printer. Can the host PC print to this printer, or at least ping the printer's IP address?

JefD wrote:Do I have to install the printer software on the vm first for it to recognize the printer? If so, can I just share the printer software folder?

You will certainly have to install the appropriate printer driver in the VM. (It is available, at least for 32-bit Windows XP, on the HP website). It is quite possible that it needs SP2 & SP3 to be installed first. (This is quite a new printer, and XP is getting a bit long-in-the-tooth.) The installation procedure ought to give a Network Connection option, probably after most of the rest of the software has been installed.

Thank you very much! I will try that this evening. Hopefully, SP2 and/or SP3 are available on the web.

Okay, reinstalling VirtualBox seemed to be the only way to get the network to recognize my adapter, so I tried it, and it worked. Now I have Internet in my XP system on VB.

But I can't download the driver anywhere for my printer. HP says the 8720 is compatible with XP, but I can't download the driver on the Internet - none of the pages with the driver will open. And the driver still won't install from the disk.

So I tried to download XP service pack 2. But I have the same problem: none of the pages with the download will open.

I don't know if it is a setting on my computer or the browser I'm using - Explorer - so I tried to download Opera or Chrome - but those download pages won't open either.

So I am stuck. I can't figure out how to install the driver, and I can't download anything over the Internet. Can anybody help me at this point?

I was finally able to update Windows XP to service pack 3 and that allowed me to download the printer driver. But I still can't find the printer on the network.

You often have to run the manufacturer's install program to connect a machine to a wireless network printer. How did you connect your host machine to it? Do you have any other machines on the wireless network?

Did you look at the HP installation guide?

There was no way to find the printer on the network through the Add Printer Wizard. I tried every setting possible. This was with the HP driver only on my system, as was suggested. So finally I installed the whole HP software download, by sharing the folder from my host system, and that connected my printer to the HP print server. Now, I can print. I still don't know why I couldn't detect the printer through my network settings. I wish I did. I searched every thread I could find on the Internet about this issue - setting up a network printer in Virtual Box - and nothing worked, but there really wasn't much there in the first place, and hardly anything recent. So I hope this thread might serve to help somebody else. What ultimately worked for me was to make sure my guest OS had the most recent updates (service packs), then share the folder containing the printer driver AND software from my host OS, then install that printer from the guest OS. It's rather simple, in the end, but almost impossible to figure out along the way without some guidance. Thanks everybody for the help.

Why would there be special instructions for doing the install in a vm when the correct procedure is to follow the printer manufacturer's instructions, just as you would on a physical machine?

To install your wireless network printer on your vm, u take the following steps:
1. Install the printer on your host computer wirelessly (make sure your HOST PC and printer are on same network)
2. Go to your network and sharing center on you host pc. Make sure to grant access for print and file sharing and deactivate any password prompt
3 Do the same thing (in 2 above) on you VM
4. Go to you vm setting and change your Network adapter to bridge, leave other settings here on the default as they are.
5. Now on your VM go to printer and devices setting and search for your printer to be able to add it.
It should pop up for you to add/install.
Hope this helps you