2 computers 1 printer.

[DiGiTaL bOOsT]

i was wondering whats the easiest and cheapest way to do this.

i have 3 computers, one upstairs and 2 downstairs, i have a router downstairs connecting the one upstairs wirelessly connected and one downstairs wired connected.

what i want to do is have the one computer downstairs thats not connected to the internet and the one downstairs that is connected to the internet to share the printer.

how would i do this? the printer DOES have an ethernet (<---or whatever it is) port. i was thinking of getting a hub and connecting the 2 computers downstairs together. but how would i keep only one on the internet?

btw i wouldnt want to connect the printer to the one comptuer because wouldnt i have to keep the computer that is connected to the printer on?

Thanks for your help.

[doctorgonzo]

Cheapest way is to connect the printer to a computer and share it. As you pointed out, however, the computer would have to be left on for the printer to be shared. It would probably be the easiest way too.

Otherwise, if the printer does have a network interface, then you can connect it to the router and share it that way, although you will have to do some configuration of it. Trying to add a hub into the mix will definitely make it more complicated; I would stick to the router if at all possible.

From your setup, though, it sounds like one downstairs computer isn't connected to the router. Is there any reason why you want it to not be able to access the internet?

[DiGiTaL bOOsT]

well actually this isnt for me, but this is for a friend and they dont want that computer on the internet because it has all his business information on it. (financial stuff)

[doctorgonzo]

Are the two downstairs computers close to each other? If they are, it may make a lot more sense to get a parallel cable A/B switch.

Otherwise, the two computers will have to be networked. To do the hub thing, the computer that is also connected to the router will have to have two NIC to start with, and then you will have to bridge the connections. It's a pain.

Another possibility is to use NetBEUI for the printer sharing. You would connect the financial computer to the router but remove the TCP/IP protocol and install NetBEUI instead. NetBEUI would also have to be on the other computer. Since the financial computer wouldn't have TCP/IP, it couldn't connect to the net.

What I would do, though, is not worry about it. Make sure the router's firewall is on, and install a software firewall on the financial computer, as well as AV stuff. That would provide more than enough protection if he is worried about somebody hacking into his computer.

[DiGiTaL bOOsT]

ok...umm.... haha

the comptuers would be withing 10-15 feet of each other.

i think im going to do the router idea. connecting all computers to router along with the printer. and disable tcp/ip.

my only question is what is netbeui? and how would i go about installing that on both computers?

btw thanks for your help.

[doctorgonzo]

If the computer are that close, then do the A/B switch thing. They are extremely cheap, and you won't have to worry about configuring the printer or the network. The only downside is that you will have to get up a switch it, and both computers can't print at the same time. If that's not an issue, that's what I would do.

NetBEUI is a networking protocol. It was designed for small networks and is not routable, which is why it can't get past the router to the internet. One thing you are going to have to check on if you go this route is whether your printer supports it; if it just supports TCP/IP, then this isn't going to work. Also, Windows XP doesn't come with it pre-installed because Windows XP no longer "supports" it, you have to install it yourself: http://support.microsoft.com/default...301041&sd=tech

[DiGiTaL bOOsT]

ok im liking this a/b switch thing...where could i buy this at?

[doctorgonzo]

A computer store should have one, otherwise you can just do a search online, I found this: http://tinyurl.com/8bx6g

[DiGiTaL bOOsT]

ok ill use that idea thank you very much for your help.