Printer Sharing Between XP and Windows 7

Printer sharing between Windows XP and Windows 7 is not so easy as it used to be between Windows XP computers. After spending two hours trying all kinds of solutions, I found using Windows XP as printer server and connect Windows 7 to it using a local LAN port is the easiest.

http://helpdeskgeek.com/windows-7/xp-to-windows-7-printer-sharing/

It is funny that such a supposedly straightforward job got so messed up by Microsoft. Below are the facts I found:

When sharing a printer on Windows XP, adding the network printer on Windows 7 using Add Network Printer button will not get the driver installed, causing a 0x0000007e error, due to 32bit/64bit driver file location issue. There are various fixes for it, including a registry hack, a persistent net use hack and even a Microsoft Hotfix. But none of them are guaranteed to work.

If you choose to share printer on Windows 7 and had hard time finding the sharing tab, go into Printer Manager and look for Sharing in Menu. I hate Microsoft moving things around.