a couple of network questions that puzzle me :/

so i have a few questions about networking that i cant figure out
first of all, i just got a western digital external drive for xmas, and
by the way merry xmas to you all, but i was wondering if i could
share it on my network as i have all my music stored on it,
and secondly, i havent been able to figure out why i cant print
off my windows computer connected to the network, is this even
possible? i know i am able to print from other XP computers
on the network, and i have the printer set up as an option to
print from here, but it just never actually prints when i try.

any help would be so greatly appreciated
THANKS!

bumpzors plzzz!!!!!

not trying to be a smartacre here but,
first - yes
second - maybe

With the info you have given these are about all the answers you will be able to get on any forum. You will have to provide the people you are hoping will help you some info they can use, such as:

What computers do you have - you are only mentioning windows machines - you do realize this is a Mac forum? What operating systems are you using?
How are your computers connected to each other? Can all of the computers connected to the network currently see each other?
The new hard drive, is it connected to a Mac or an XP machine?
How is the printer connected - directly to one of the computers, what is the OS on the computer it is connected to, or is it a network printer connected to a router? The computer that will not print, can it see the computer the printer is connected to? What kind of printer is it? Canon i960, HP 5100, etc.

hm fair enough, alright, both of my computers are macs, i have an intel mini and an old ibook. the external harddrive is connected to my mini and the printer is connected to a sony vaio, but i have been able to print off it from our compaq from the basement before so i dont understand why im not able to from either of my macs. and im not sure if this is useful, but i can get files from the vaio and the compaq from my macs but i cant get to the files on my macs fromo the vaio or the compaq. also the printer is some kind of hp laserjet. i will look at what model is and post later. thanks!

Am not really a network guy, but this should get you started in the right direction.

To allow access to your Macs from the windows PC's - In OS X - go to System Preferences - Sharing, on the Services tab, put a check in Windows Sharing; underneath will be a message - Windows users can access your computer at ......... just put his address in the browser on your windows machines, and bookmark it.

For printing to the windows printer, make sure the printer is shared on the sony.
First - Many HP printers support Mac OS X - would look on their site for downloads and manual for your specific printer


Or can try this
Open a document to print, and choose File > Print.
Choose Print & Fax Preferences from the Printer pop-up menu.
If the printer already appears in the Printer List, select the In Menu checkbox to add it to your list of available printers. You'll see it in the Printer pop-up menu the next time you print.

If not - Choose Printers > Add Printer, and click More Printers.
Choose Windows Printing from the top pop-up menu, choose a network workgroup from the pop-up menu that appears directly below it, select a workgroup from the list, and click Choose.
Any Windows printers in the network you've chosen appear in the Printer List.

Select the printer in the Printer List.
To use printer-specific features, choose the item appropriate for your printer from the Printer Model pop-up menu, then select your printer in the Model Name list.
IMPORTANT: Be sure to choose the correct printer model for the printer you're using. For more information, see the documentation that came with the printer. If you have an HP PCL compatible printer that is not listed in the Printer Model pop-up menu, choose the printer model that most closely matches your printer. For a list of compatible printer models you can choose if your printer isn't listed, go to the website for gimp-print supported printers.

Click Choose.
The printer appears in the Printer List as the default printer (in bold type). It also appears in the Printer pop-up menu when you print a document.

ok cool thanks alot, ill have to try printing 2maro and hopefully itll work.
but also is there any way to share the contents of my external harddrive
which is connected to my mini over the network? if so thatd be awesome
beyond words. thanks a ton again.

Don't have a clue, sorry. Have never had an external drive, and as of yet havn't even tried to share my mac with my windows machines yet.
Only networking I've done so far is to access all my windows machines from the mac.

Here's a couple of links I found though -
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.4/en/mh1161.html

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31050&highlight=share+external+drive