I am running Windows 7 Enterprise on my work laptop. The laptop is joined to the domain at my workplace. When I use it at home, it is configured to recognize and connect to my home network. While on my home network I can connect to other computers, map to shared drives, etc. However I cannot print to my networked printers (physically attached to a desktop computer on my network) UNTIL I connect to my work VPN. As soon as the VPN connection is established I can print to them and they remain accessible until I shut down, even after disconnecting from the VPN. Although I am currently on Win 7 I had this same issue when I was running XP SP2. I don't recall the steps I used to add these printers to my Win 7 configuration. When I print from an application they appear as "\\<LocalComputerName>\<PrinterName>" but they show as being on USB001 and USB002 "Virtual printer port for USB" in the printer configuration dialog. What I would like is to be able to configure my laptop so I can print to these printers any time I am connected to my home network whether or not I have VPN'ed into work. Any explanation of what is going on and/or how to fix it is much appreciated.

Hello Bob, Thanks for your post here. When you mentioned the network printer, do you mean the printer is connected to the computer in your work place or home network? If the printer is physically connected to the work place network and it won’t work unless VPN is connected, it is a normal behavior because the printer is not published for Internet access. If it is not the case, please let us know more details, including: · The model of the problematic printer; · The version operating system installed on the computer that serves as print server. · The Error and Event Logs when the printer fails to print. Thanks. Regards, MiyaThis posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights. | 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.