I recently replaced a Dell 1200 Inspiron laptop running XP with a new 1500 Inspiron running Windows 7. Windows 7 recognized my home (wireless) network and I can access files between pc's/laptop, HOWEVER, I can no longer print to my Dell 720 Ink jet printer from the laptop. This was never a problem with XP. I believe the MS XPS printing feature (WHICH I DO NOT WANT) wants to believe the Dell 720 printer is an XPS printer, however, there are no drivers for the Dell that I can find that will allow me to print over the network . Also - I would like to REMOVE the XPS feature of Windows 7. I don't like the idea of having to save something just because I want to print it (for example a quick printing of a set of directions that I don't need beyond the one time). I don't want copies of everything I print. I know a variety of ways to create pdf's (including other MS applications) so what's up with the XPS crud anyway.So - I want XPS off my laptop and Windows 7 to recognize my little ol' Dell 720 injet printer. Any suggestions welcome!

Just need a little tweaking is all. I really wouldn't detect that XPS printing, it was the default when no printer was assigned, it'll change later following this little tutorial. It doesn't believe your 720 is XP (trust me). Once you get the sharing of the printer done, you'll be good to go. If you have a home network and are running Windows 7 and have XP on other PC(s) you might want to share files between them. Today we will look at the steps to share files and hardware devices like a printer. Sharing Files In Windows 7 and XP Sharing folders between two Windows 7 machines with the new HomeGroup feature is an easy process, but the HomeGroup feature is not compatible with Vista or XP. For this tutorial we are using Windows 7 x64 RC1 and XP Professional SP3 connected through a basic Linksys home wireless router. First make sure both machines are members of the same Workgroup which by default is named Workgroup. On the Windows 7 machine go into Control Panel \ All Control Panel Items \ Network and Sharing Center then click on Change advanced sharing settings. You will want to verify the following settings under Advanced Sharing Settings for the Home or Work and Public profile. If you want any user to have access the public shares turn off password protection. This is located in Advanced Sharing Settings toward the bottom of the list. If you want to keep it enabled make sure there is a log in account for the other XP machines and they have a password. Now if you go into Network in Windows 7 you should see your XP machine and the Windows 7 as well which in this case is Mysticgeek-PC. To share the printer on the Windows 7 machine go into Devices and Printers from the Start menu and double click on the printer icon. Next double click on “Customize your printer”. In the Properties screen click on the Sharing Tab and check the box to share the printer and type in its share name. If your XP machine is an x86 OS you can install Additional Drivers before setting up the XP machine. To find the shared folders and devices double click on the Windows 7 machine icon under Network. Here you can see the printer connected to my Windows 7 machine is shared and also the Users Folder. Continue into the Users folder and Public to see the shared folders, here I also created a folder called XP Share just to keep everything in central location. Over on your XP machine open up My Network Places to find the Windows 7 (mysticgeek-pc) shared folder. Double click on the Share folder to find a list of shared folders in the Public folder on Windows 7. If you have password protection enabled you will need to type in the username and password of the user account on the Windows 7 machine first. Setup XP With Shared Printer To set up the shared printer in XP you will need to go into Printers and Faxes from the Start menu and kick off the Add Printer Wizard. Now select “A network printer, or a printer attached to another computer” then hit Next. Next select “Connect to this printer…” and type in the path for the printer connected to the Windows 7 machine and click next. Now click Yes to the confirmation message. Then click Finish the printer to install and complete the Wizard. In some cases you will need to install the x86 XP drivers for the shared printer because the Windows 7 drivers are not compatible with XP. When everything is installed open up Printers and Faxes to find the shared printer. This should help you get started with sharing your files and other devices with your Windows 7 machine. When I first started I was able to see the printer on XP right away because I had a HomeGroup set up, but once I deleted it I needed to share the printer like you would for a workgroup. You might also have to do a couple restarts of the XP machine for it to see the shared resources on Windows 7.MCSE, MCSA, MCDST [If this post helps to resolve your issue, please click the "Mark as Answer" or "Helpful" button at the top of this message. By marking a post as Answered, or Helpful you help others find the answer faster.]

Oh and by the way, there are no Windows 7 printer drivers, so if Windows Update Catalog doesn't choose one for you, then you'll have to go Dell's Drivers 720here and get the Vista drivers and install them in Vista compatibility mode http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/w7itprohardware/thread/80cae5ee-dc98-4a2f-8284-a1ab826059b7MCSE, MCSA, MCDST [If this post helps to resolve your issue, please click the "Mark as Answer" or "Helpful" button at the top of this message. By marking a post as Answered, or Helpful you help others find the answer faster.]