I have Mac Parallels running with virtual Win XP on it in one of our remote offices. I have a network HP Photsmart 3900 printer attached via a network cable. I setup the Parallels Ethernet to bridge mode. I made sure that the virtual Win XP is getting an IP address from the same sub-net as the Mac & the HP printer. The Mac prints just fine (no problems). Under the virtual Win XP, I setup the HP printer with local IP port It printers fine until I leave the office. Two days after I setup the above, i get a call from the remote office users saying they can't print from the Virtual Win XP. I had them double check that the printer is listed under the Win XP Ctrl Panel printers, but the HP IP printer just mysteriously disappeared. Even the local IP port I created has gone also. So I go back to the remote office and setup the printer again the same way above. Again, two days later the HP IP printer mysteriously disappears and users call to let me know that they can't printer from the virtual Win XP. I suspect that one of the remote office users is deleting the HP IP printer. But no one is saying anything. My question is there something wrong am I doing that could be causing the HP IP printer to vanish? Or is there a "state snapshot" before I setup the HP IP printer of the virtual Win Xp that users keep accidentally going back to resulting of losing the HP IP printer? Or do I have disgruntled employees at the remote office that keep removing the HP ip Printer and the local IP port? Thank you!
Does local IP port refer to the ports listed in the Ports tab of the printer's Properties window? I have an HP Officejet 6310 on the network. The port is called "Officejet6300series" and the description is "HP Standard TCP/IP Port". The ports tab has the same list of ports for all printers but usually each printer has a different port selected. The LPT1 port that the "HP Color LaserJet 8500 PS" printer (installed by Parallels Tools) uses is taken over by Parallels and goes through the Printer Port in the virtual machine configuration. I don't think Printers are supposed to disappear from the Printers and Faxes window even when you turn them off or disconnect them from the network. Do you see any snapshots in the Virtual Machine -> Manage Snapshots window? Windows itself has restore points and system checkpoints. http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial56.html
