Unable to access SMB shared printer

[twrock]

I decided that I preferred Kubuntu to Ubuntu, so I made the switch. But, I ran into a problem trying to install a shared printer that installed and worked just fine in Ubuntu.

My wife's machine is running Windows XP and has a HP5L attached that is shared. So I went into System Settings and attempted to add that printer. Although the dialogs are slightly different in KDE, I thought everything "under the hood" would be the same. Apparently not.

After choosing System Settings>Printers>Add>Add Printer/Class, I get the Add Printer Wizard. I click on "SMB shared printer (Windows)" then "Anonymous (no login/password)" and do a Scan at the next dialog box. Up comes MSHOME and expanding that, gives me the name of her computer. But when I click on that to try to see what printers are the, up pops an error window, "Error returning browse list: NT_STATUS_ACCESS_DENIED".

If I enter the information (Workgroup/Server/Printer) manually and go on, I can then choose the manufacturer and model. Then I am given a list of drivers, and I choose the "recommended" one after which I get a longer error message: "Unable to load the requested driver: Unable to created the Foomatic driver [HP-LaserJet_5L,ljet4]. Either that driver does not exist, or you don't have the required permissions to perform that operation."

Interestingly, after clicking "OK", I was able to go on. However, attempting to print a test page on the newly "installed" printer did nothing more that five lines of "code" on the first sheet and then many, many blank pages (until I just shut the printer down).

Any thought for me? How come did it work so smoothly in Ubuntu but not Kubuntu? I guess there is more than just "cosmetic" differences.

Thanks for any help.

Edit: Turns out I can't install any printers. I attached the HP5L directly to the parallel port and got the same results. With all of the other posts about the Kubuntu print system, seems I'm not alone with this kind of problem. Hmm..., you'd think they would have something as critical as the print system "worked out" in a seven month old "LTS" OS.

[lingenfr]

Re: Unable to access SMB shared printer

It is a bit fiddly. Anonymous didn't work for me and I couldn't browse to the printer. I entered the info. I set up one account on all of the windows boxen in the house and that is what I used. It does work.

[twrock]

Re: Unable to access SMB shared printer

Well, from my standpoint this has been "resolved". I gave up! I was doing some other things and got some strange messages about how there was an error in the previous system update. That sounded pretty major to me. So I dumped the whole thing and reinstalled Ubuntu (GNOME). I think I'll work on resolving my other "issues" that I have with GNOME instead of these new ones with KDE. Seems I'm going to have some problems either way, but the ones I'm having with GNOME don't seem as "critical" to me.

[javierrivera]

Re: Unable to access SMB shared printer

I have run on this.

It's quite confusing.

You must hit "Administrator mode" before adding a printer that needs a new driver.

I mean, you can add printers as a normal user, but only root can "install" new printer drivers.

But it's not said nowhere on the wizard.

The solution is simple, delete the printer, add it again, but this time add it as root.

Javier.

[Batpuppy]

Re: Unable to access SMB shared printer

For people that might still be running into this problem.
I had this same problem with the lastest version of kubuntu and found a work around for it by way of google at this site.
http://www.mepis.org/node/3458
I am also quoting the work around below.

Submitted by mepiswala on Thu, 09/16/2004 - 19:36.
Posts: 37

Here's what worked for me.

- Log into the Printer wizard as Administrator.

- When you launch the Add printer wizard, choose SMB shared printer.

- In the next screen(user identification), choose Anonymous(no login/no password)

- Proceed to the next screen, and SCAN your network.(This is where you will get the NT_ACCESS_DENIED message if you try to access your Windows network)

- Now Don't touch anything, and go BACK one step to the previous screen (User identification).

- In the user identification screen, choose guest(login = "guest").

- Proceed to the next screen. DO NOT repeat a scan. Just try to access your Windows network in the displayed tree. You should magically see your Windows printer appear without any whining about access.

Hope this helps someone else, I know I messed with it for a long time before I found this on google.