HP 950C network printer and windows 8.1

Question

I have an HP950C printer that is usb connected to my desktop which runs XP. This printer was used on my network by my old laptop which was also XP. I now have a new laptop with Win 8.1 and the printer will not work unless I hook it up via USB. The error message is that there is no driver installled. I downloaded a driver and nothing changed. My HP disk isn't recognized by my laptop with Win 8.1. Is there a problem with getting it to work on the network because I have two different operating systems?
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Answer 1

Hi 080842,
Since your printer is USB only, one of the computers on your network will have to be connected to it by USB and then share it over the network.  So the issue really is how to get Windows XP and 8.1 to share resources over a network.
The drivers for the 950c are in Windows already so no disks are needed.
These instructions are written for Windows 7 and XP, but they should work for Windows 8.1 and XP.
You will not need the step 5 as the driver for this model is built into Windows.
Step one: Windows 7 Homegroup must be setup
Printer sharing must be setup in the Homegroup settings, if one of the computers in the network is using Windows 7.
1. Click Start
2. Click Control Panel
3. In the upper right corner ensure that View by has Large icons or Small icons selected.
4. Click Network and Sharing Center.
5. Click Choose homegroup and sharing options
6. If the Homegroup is not setup, you need to set up your homegroup before continuing.
Step two: Set the Workgroup on each computer
Each computer on the network must be set to the same Workgroup.  The workgroup name needs to be changed from the default to a new name.
Windows XP:
1. Click Start.
2. Right click Computer and then left click Properties.
3. The default Workgroup is WORKGROUP. 
4. The name of the Workgroup should be changed from the default.
5. In System Properties, click the Computer Name tab.
6. Click the Change button.
7. Enter the Workgroup name that is used by your entire network.  If you are changing the Workgroup name, use the same name used in Windows 7.
8. Click OK.
9. You must restart your computer for the change to take effect.
Windows 7:
1. Click Start.
2. Right click Computer and then left click Properties.
3. The Workgroup is listed in System Properties.
4. The default Workgroup is WORKGROUP. 
5. The name of the Workgroup should be changed from the default.
6. Change your Workgroup in Windows 7 by clicking Change settings.
7. Click the Change button.
8. Enter a new Workgroup name that will be used by your entire network.
9. Click OK.
10. You must restart your computer for the change to take effect.
Step three: Setup a share account on each computer in the network
Create a common share account on each of the computers, including the computer that is sharing the printer to the rest of the network.  This share account must have the same name and password on each computer.
If you decide to use an existing account that appears on each computer all ready, this existing account must be password protected. If you do not want to password protect your default login, create a new share login as described in the following steps.
Windows XP
1. Click Start
2. Click Control Panel
3. Click User Accounts
4. Click Create a new account.
5. Enter the same user account name created as the share account on the Windows 7 computer.
6. Click Next.
7. Under “Pick an account type”, select ‘Computer Administrator’.
Note: In Windows XP you must select Computer Administrator in order setup a printer.
8. After you new account is created, select it under ‘pick an account to change’.
9. Click Create a password
10. Enter the same password used when creating the share account on the Windows 7 computer, following the directions on the screen.
11. Click Create Password button.
12. Log off your current user account and log into the new share account to activate it.
13. Once the computer is ready after logging into the share account, you can log off the share account and back into your regular user account.
Windows 7
1. Click Start
2. Click Control Panel
3. In the upper right corner ensure that View by has Large icons or Small icons selected.
4. Click User Accounts
5. Click Manage another account
6. Click Create a new account
7. Select Standard User
Note:  The account created should be created with the lowest security setting necessary.  Creating the share account as an administrator is discouraged.
8. Enter a new user account name.  Use a name that is easy to remember as the account used for sharing resources across your network.  For example: ‘ShareAccount’
9. After your new account is created, select it under “Choose the account you would like to change”.
10. Click Create a Password
11. Enter a new password, following the directions on the screen.
12. Click Create Password button.
13. Close any remaining opened windows, making a note of the new account name and password as you will need to create identical accounts and passwords on the other computers on your network.
14. Log off your current user account and log into the new share account to activate it.
15. Once the computer is ready after logging into the share account, you can log off the share account and back into your regular user account.
Step Four: Share the printer to the network
The computer that has the printer attached and installed by USB must have the printer shared to the network.
Windows XP
1. Open the printers and faxes folder in Windows XP.
Note: A hand symbol under the icon for the printer indicates it is all ready shared to the network.
2. Right click on the printer to be shared to the network.
3. Left click on Sharing.
4. Click “If you understand the security risks but want to share printers without running the wizard, click here”.
5. Select “Just enable printer sharing”.
6. Click OK.
7. Select “Share this printer”.
8. If the Share name is acceptable, click OK.
9. If you want to change the Share name, enter a new name. Click OK.
Note: If the Share name entered is longer than 8 characters, you will get a warning that the printer will not be accessible from MS-Dos computers.
Step five: Install the appropriate software for your printer
Install the printer software on the other computers on the network that will need to access the shared printer.  Install the correct driver for the printer model for each computer on the network.
1. Check for available drivers – visit the HP website and download available drivers.
Note: Even if you have an install CD for your older HP product, there may be an updated driver for your printer.
2. Launch the driver setup by double-clicking on the downloaded driver.
3. If the driver install process requires you to attach the printer USB cable to continue, click cancel instead.  This will roll back the install, but it will leave the driver files installed. 
4. Select the USB connection type. Look for the checkbox labeled “Connect later – Do not connect to the printer now.  I will connect it later”. 
Note: You might have to select USB connection type before the checkbox is visible.
5. Complete the install without attaching the USB cable.
6. After the software is installed, delete any icons created on the desktop.  They will not be linked to the shared printer and will only result in errors if used.
Step six: Install the shared printer.
Note: Computers that are not sharing a resource to the network may not show up by name when viewing the entire network.
Windows 7
1. Click Start.
2. Click on Computer.
3. In the lower left pane, click on Network.
4. Double click on the computer that is sharing the printer.
5. Enter the name of your share account as the “User name”.
6. Enter the same password created for the share account.
7. Check the box labeled Remember my credentials.
8. Click OK.
9. Right click on the printer, left click Open.
10. Windows will find the previously loaded driver for the printer and complete the install.
I was an HP employee.
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