Trouble Connecting to Wireless Printer

I have a Dell 948 wireless printer and a Dell Inspiron 1505 laptop running Vista. Occasionally I have lost my connection to my wireless printer. Usually I pull the power cord of the printer from the electrically outlet, wait a minute or two, and then put the power cord back into the outlet. I can then reconnect wirelessly to the printer. I moved last Saturday, and now I cannot connect to this printer in my new location. I have tried all my tricks to restore my connection to this printer including the power cord trick and restarting my laptop, to no avail. This problem did not occur when I moved earlier this year. (I am on a different home network in my new location) I do not know what else to try, and I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!

wireless printer no_connection

asked Oct 06 '12 at 17:33

bradto
116●21●25●32

3 Answers:

oldest newest most voted

check to see if the IP address of the printer has changed, you should set up the router so that IP address is always used for that printer. that way all computers can know exactly where the printer is on the network

so check the ip address of the printer on the printer, then check the IP address that your computer is looking for.

answered Oct 06 '12 at 18:10

trueb
15.4k●53●104●260

Go to "printers" & remove the printer. Then, plug it in & let Windows re-detect it & it will install it again. Assigning an IP isn't a bad idea- though what you're experiencing shouldn't need that.

As an aside, if your Inspiron wireless is Atheros, it's garbage. Mine constantly lost connection. I had to search the net to find the only driver for mine that actually functioned (the Toshiba one- which worked for a little while, no longer worked- even after a complete reinstall of Vista?). I even used it on a customer's laptop- same thing. His factory one stopped working & this one worked perfectly. Anyhow, if you need it, let me know?

Cheers! :)

answered Oct 07 '12 at 05:51

geekomatic
1.8k●11●13●36

I removed (deleted) the printer after disconnecting the power cord, but the printer icon for the Dell 948 printer remains highlighted and it says "deleting" next to the icon. It does not look like to me that that printer has been completely removed. I reinserted the printer's power cord into the outlet, but it does not seem that Windows has re-detected it. I am now trying to add that printer, but the driver for the Dell 948 is not listed as one of the available drivers. What is the driver that "actually functioned", and where can I get it?

Thanks for your help!

(Oct 07 '12 at 08:13) bradto

I have partially solved my printer problem by attaching the printer to my laptop via cable. I can now print my documents, but scanning still does not work. The scanning function on the printer still wants to send the scan wirelessly instead of through the cable. So I only have a partial solution.

answered Oct 30 '12 at 20:10

bradto
116●21●25●32

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