Is there a way I can connect to a printer via a webpage?? I have a webpage built with all my organization's printers with links to their network address (\\printserver\printer), but when clicking this link within IE, i get a page cannot be displayed error. If the link is pointing to only \\printserver then it will open an explorer window to that printserver, but the full address to the actual printer will yield an error. If i take this same link and email it to myself (or others) in outlook, it works as expected and installs the printer. Also, if i copy this link out and put it in start>run, it works as well. Funny thing is, it tells me in the address bar the correct path too. Has there been a 'security enhancement to IE that causes this not to work? I remember using this method a few years back with XP (i'm assuming IE6, but not 100%), as my tests with XP and IE7 yielded the same results as Win7 and IE8/IE9 beta. Could there possibly be a GPO affecting this? Any help would be greatly appreciated Thanks.

it is somewhere in Internet Options advanced Tab. sorry i don't have IE to check it for you right now but i recall having this same problem before. Ceasar Free Tech

I have looked through those options and nothing stands out as an option to check/uncheck to make this work... If it is indeed just an option in the Advanced tab, that'd be wonderful, but i'd need to know exactly what it is AND then i'd need to be able to make this setting change to all machines in our network. Thanks

Anyone????

Hi Jeff, Does the printer name have any spaces in it? What happens when you use a Run... dialog box? Example: \\servername\ Does the printer show up? (Is it listed in the directory?)

You may need to turn off Protected Mode in IE. Disable Protected Mode - How to Disable Protected Mode in Internet Explorer 7 - IE7 Protected Mode Important Note: Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

no spaces... works fine (adds the printer) from a normal Explorer window and the run dialog box.. but not from within IE as a link. BUT it does work from within Outlook as a link.

Arthur - Turning off Protected Mode did nothing for me... The correct path shows in the address bar of IE, but i get an error saying 'Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage' There is nothing odd about the path to this printer.. as i said, it works fine in the RUN dialog box and in a normal Explorer window and in Outlook as a link... Just not in IE.....

Can you access the printers if you directly enter the address in IE? If it works, I suspect that the problem is in your webpage. In this case I suggest you discuss in our MSDN forum. However if it does not work either, I suggest you troubleshoot with No Add-ons Mode. Click the Start Button, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then click Internet Explorer (No Add-ons). If the issue does not reoccur, it may be caused by an IE Add-on. In that case, let’s continue to perform the following steps to narrow down the cause. Check Internet Explorer Add-Ons ========================= 1. Click Tools, and then click Internet Options. 2. Click the "Programs" tab, and then click Manage Add-ons. 3. Select an add-on in the Name list, and then click Disable. 4. Restart IE with Add-ons and check the issue again. If the issue is resolved, the disabled Add-on was the cause of the issue. If the issue reoccurs, continue to disable the next Add-on using the same method. By doing so, we could determine which Add-on contributed to the issue.Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

i'm sorry.. but this didn't work either... To answer your first question, I get the same result if i type in the address manually to the address bar (i'd post a pic if i could). Again, i type the same thing within the Run dialog box, it works fine. Tried your suggestions for running IE with no add-ons. This had no effect either. Same results as before. Can anyone else try to recreate this error on their end, then maybe you can see what i'm talking about? Someone out there has to have a shared printer they're connecting to. Just remove it and go to IE and type in the address to that printer to re-add it... I'm just curious if this is an issue specific to only me or to everyone. But then again i am working off a freshly imaged Windows 7 box, so i'm assuming it's an issue for everyone...but I am on a domain, so it's possible someone, at some point in time, setup a GPO that's jacking me up Thanks

just noticed that i can browse to network shares through IE.. just not printers.

Hi Jeff, I perfectly understand what did you mean. We have similar setup in the company and all the printers are identified by their UNC path, for example, \\1.1.1.1\printer1 etc. I don't think you can open UNC path from IE and that's why I always have to educate users to differentiate the Windows explorer and Internet explorer.. Is it your case?

How does it work if you run IE as administrator?Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.