I am considering purchasing a DPR-1260 but need to know first if the installation software is compatible with Vista 64-bit. My current wireless print server will not install in Vista 64.
At work, we have a number of DLINK routers (all being replaced by Cisco and Linksys brand stuff - also owned by Cisco - but that's another matter) as well as lots (perhaps 160 or so) HP and Dell printers, some with built in Ethernet cards and others using print servers. We have a couple of DPR-1260 print servers and a (growing) number of Linksys WPS54G servers for use where there is no wired connection available.
We find that most of the time, the software that comes on the CD-ROM for setting up this kind of thing is utterly pointless
unless all you have is one or two PC's running Windows/XP (32bit) and nothing else, in which case, they can be a genuine help to those "technically unwashed". All the configuration can be done using the web interface and we just point our browsers at the device IP address... the manual for the DPR-1260 shows you the details for this as well as default password. In environments where you have DHCP (dynamic assignment of addresses), then the address can vary, but there are ways round this.
At least with Vista and Windows 7 MS copied the old Linux auto download of drivers feature, so you'll get needed drivers from the Windows update web site if they are not on the PC already. This is much easier than with XP, where you will have to get the drivers from the printer vendor first.
Then, you need to set up a TCP port on the PC - exact details will vary depending on the O/S and version, but bottom line is that you need to use the IP address of the print server and then use the port the print server has assigned for your printer in the dialog box that Windows presents when you add a TCP printer port. You'll have to add a remote printer manually, and use the name of the device you just created for the device port when you actually set up the printer in Windows.
This is what the stuff that the software the vendors ship on CD does for you, which as I said above, if you are "technically unwashed", can be a big help; but is not beyond the ability of anyone to actually do, if you are brave enough to dive in and try it. Of course, to do it confidently, requires that you can connect to the print server and know a little bit about how to manage TCP ports in the operating system you have. There are really no exceptions to this - it isn't plug and ply time if you can't use the CD software..
Bottom line here is that while I have Windows/XP and Windows/7 (64bit) working through print server just fine, I have had to ignore the supplied CD-ROM and software most - if not all - of the time.
I'll resist the temptation to point you at the Linksys forum for the print server where others have detailed the process in more depth than I have, but I am sure you can find it there if you look....
Hope all this helps and don't lose faith... these things do work, just remember that it's a little more complicated than it really needs to be.
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Topic: Vista 64 Compatibility (Read 6919 times)