Need help networking a photosmart 7960 to a windows 7 64 bit system from an XP Home 32 bit

Question

I'm trying to network an HP photosmart 7960 to a wireless notebook with Win 7 64 bit where the printer is connected via usb to a windows home 32 bit computer. Have downloaded vista 64 bit drivers for the printer but can't install them on the windows 32 bit system. Have installed the drivers on the win 7 system but can't locate the inf file when trying to add a network printer. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

I sympathize with your dilemma.  I have the same situation.  I have a Media Center 2002XP SP3 desktop with 3 printers connected.  Photosmart 7960, PSC 750xi all in one, and a Deskjet 870cse(a vintage 1996).  I just purchased a HP dv7-3188cl notbook WIN7 64bit.  My home network has worked flawlessly for years, with at least 4 wired and 3 wireless computers connected, networking 6 printers. 
I have resolved my network problems with the printers.  They are connected to the host machine running MC2002 XP SP3.  I tried to install the printers through the network wizard by adding the  printers through WIN7.  Only the 14 year old printer installed successfully.  The photosmart 7960 and PSC 750xi did NOT.  Windows Update could not find the drivers for the install.  None are available on HP website either. 
After some web research, I have solved my problems. At first, I followed the add printer protocol from the WIN7 laptop.  Error messages resulted and the USB printers would not install   error0x00000214.  The USB printers failed to install while connected to the host XP machine.  The 870cse is on LPT1 and it did network successfully when attached to the host  XPcomputer.
The drivers needed for the 7960 and 750xi (and probably many other HP printers) will install if you connect the printer to the WIN7 machine and follow the setup.  Windows update will load the needed drivers if they are available.  I sucessfully installed both printers on the WIN7 notebook, printed a test page on each, and printed other docs from the WIN7 notebook while they were connected to the WIN7 notebook.  These drivers are 64bit.  Both printers worked well when connected via USB to the WIN7 machine.
I then disconnected the printers from the WIN7 notebook and reconnected them to the original host XP desktop.
With the host desktop running, and the notebook running wirelessly, I went to (on WIN7)  START--Devices and Printers.
Click ADD A PRINTER at the top of the window, then click LOCAL PRINTER ( NOT network!!!)
Then in the following Printer port window choose  'CREATE A NEW PORT--SELECT LOCAL PORT amd click next.
In the Port name box, enter the name of the port, ie the path.  For example if the host machine with the printers attached is named WINXPMACHINE (as named on the network), enter \\WINXPMACHINE\    Then add immediately after that the Printer's name as it is on the XP machine( right click the printer in the Printer and Fax folder on the XP machine, select sharing and find the network share name for the printer).  It may look like \\WINXPMACHINE\Printerx where x is a number corresponding to the printer.  Then click next and OK
The next box asks to choose the printer from a list.  Select the printer you want to network( I have only done this with HP printers) and click next
The next dialogue box asks to use the driver currently installed(recommended)--click next -- do NOT replace the driver( it was installed when the printer was directly connected to your WIN7 machine)  Type in the name you want to use to identify the printer on your WIN7 machine.  The printer will install.  Print a test page to confirm installation.
Original web post I discovered ishttp://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7hardware/thread/bd43f9f6-e231-484f-a3b8-e06afeee7...
 Hope it helps.