IBM Computer, Laptops and Servers

Installing a Local Printer

Installing a Local Printer

The Server module (Radmin Server) The Server module needs to be installed on the remote computer (for example your office PC) that you want to access from your own one (for example your home PC or notebook). The Client module (Radmin Viewer) The Client module (also called the Viewer) needs to be installed on the local computer (for example your home PC or notebook) which you want to use to access your remote PC.

Laptop Computers For installation purposes, Windows 98 distinguishes between local and network printers. A local printer is one that is physically connected to your computer via a cable, whereas a network printer is physically attached to another computer but is available for use by your computer through your network connection.

Radmin 3. Radmin Server 3.0 (which needs to be installed on the remote computer) and Radmin Viewer 3.0 (which needs to be installed on the local computer). Only Radmin Server 3.0 is licensed. Radmin Viewer 3.0 is free of charge and can be used on any number of computers.

Laptop Computer Before you attempt to set up a local printer on your computer, you first must make sure that you can connect to that printer from your computer. Some of the things you must check are

• Which port the printer needs to be plugged in to

• Whether the printer is physically connected to the computer properly

• Whether the printer is turned on; Windows 98 can't detect a printer that's not turned on

• The exact make and model of that printer, for example, HP DeskJet 500

Plug and Play

Very compact and lightweight, this adapter, about half the size of your finger, images wirelessly to your PDAs, mobile phones, printers, laptop computers and other emerging electronic devices.

Desktop Computer In an effort to make it easier for you to install printers and other hardware on your computer, Microsoft has worked with hardware manufacturers to develop the Plug and Play (page 430) standard. Through the use of Plug and Play support, Windows 98 can automatically detect hardware attached to your computer and install the appropriate drivers without any intervention on your part.

Notebooks Assuming that your printer is Plug-and-Play compliant, installing it is as easy as turning on your attached printer and booting into Windows 98. Plug and Play can install your printer either during the Windows 98 installation process or at any time thereafter when you want to add a printer.

Lenovo In either event, when Windows 98 loads, it should automatically detect that the printer has been added to your computer. It then brings up a dialog box that informs you of this fact. After identifying the printer, Windows 98 attempts to install the correct driver for that printer. At this point, Windows might prompt you to insert the Windows 98 CD-ROM and begin to look for the driver on that disc. If the driver did not come with Windows 98 or if you have an updated driver that you want to install instead, simply insert the driver disk from your hardware manufacturer into a disk drive and direct Windows 98 to that drive.

Hard Drive For this process to work properly, you have to make sure that the printer you want to add complies with the Plug-and-Play standard. If you are purchasing the printer in a store, look for the Designed for Windows 98 logo on the printer box. This logo indicates that the printer has undergone hardware-compatibility testing to make sure that it is fully compatible with Windows 98, including Plug and Play. Because Plug and Play was also supported in Windows 95, the printer should also be fully compatible with Windows 98 if the logo indicates that the printer was designed for Windows 95. One more thing to be aware of is that you need a bidirectional printer cable, which most printer cables are these days.

Travelstar If your printer is an older model or if it came packaged with your computer, you might not be able to tell whether it supports Plug and Play. If Windows 98 does not automatically recognize your printer, you must manually add it to your computer configuration through the Add Printer Wizard.

Using the Add Printer Wizard

Gateway If your printer does not support Plug and Play, you can manually install the printer on your computer by using the Add Printer Wizard. Open the Printers folder and double-click on the Add Printer icon. After the Add Printer Wizard window appears, click on the Next button to begin using the wizard.

Laptop Parts Select the radio button for Local Printer and click the Next button (see Figure 13.3). You are then asked to choose the manufacturer and printer model for your printer. First select the manufacturer by scrolling down to the name (or abbreviation) for your printer's manufacturer in the left pane of this page of the wizard. Select that name by clicking on it, and a list of all available printers from that manufacturer appears in the right pane. Select your printer's model by clicking on its name in the right pane.

Software Figure 13.3 The Add Printer Wizard helps you set up a printer on your computer.

Electronics Unless your printer is a very recent model, Windows 98 probably already has the correct driver. In fact, Windows 98 includes drivers for more than 1,000 printers. However, if your printer does not appear on the list, you must click on the Have Disk button and insert a disk containing your printer's drivers into the floppy disk or CD-ROM drive. These drivers should have been supplied to you on disk when you bought your computer. After you indicate the drive on which Windows 98 should look, it then reads the disk you have inserted and lists any available printer drivers found on that disk. Note that the driver might be in a subdirectory on the disk, so you should check the documentation that came with your printer if you are unable to locate the driver. If you are still unable to locate the driver, you must contact the printer's manufacturer to obtain a Windows 98 driver for your printer (a Windows 95 driver should also work).

Canon After you have selected the correct manufacturer and printer model for your printer, click on the Next button. You are then asked to choose the port on which you want to install the printer (see Figure 13.4). This entry is the hardware port to which you have attached the printer to your computer. In most cases the correct port is LPT1, although you might need to check with your computer's manufacturer or the documentation that came with your computer to determine which port you should select.

Desktop Pc Figure 13.4 To install the printer correctly, you must select the port to which your printer is attached.

Desktop Computers As part of the process of selecting a port, you can also configure the port, such as by having Windows 98 check the status of the port each time before it prints. If you want to change these settings, click on the Configure Port button found on this page of the Add Printer Wizard.

Think Pad After selecting a port for your printer, you are asked to choose a name for the printer (see Figure 13.5). In most cases, the default, which is usually the brand and model number, will suffice. However, if you plan to share this computer with other people on a network, you might want a more descriptive name, such as "7th Floor Laser Printer."

Repair Figure 13.5 You must provide a name for your printer that distinguishes it from other printers on your computer or the network.

Data Recovery You then come to the last page of the Add Printer Wizard, where you are asked if you want to print a test page. Microsoft recommends that you print a test page when you install a printer. If you have not installed this printer on your computer before, take this opportunity to make sure that everything is working correctly. Simply choose the Yes radio button, which is selected by default, and a test page prints as soon as your printer has been installed.

Cisco After you click on the Finish button, Windows 98 installs and configures the printer for use on your computer. Unless the drivers for this printer have previously been added to your computer, perhaps, for example, you previously installed this type of printer, a dialog box appears asking you to insert the Windows 98 CD-ROM. After you put the CD-ROM into the drive and click on the OK button, the printer driver and any other necessary files are copied to your computer. After this process has ended, an icon for your printer appears in the Printers folder. If this printer is the only one installed on your computer, the printer is automatically selected as the default printer.

Keyboard If you made it through all of these steps without incident, you are finished. Congratulations! You have just successfully installed your printer in Windows 98. If you must install a network printer, you will find that the steps needed to make that installation are virtually the same as installing a local printer.