Here's how I got a USB printer to work with Parallels 4 and Windows XP when all else failed: I'm running Windows XP Professional with Parallels 4.0 on a 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro with Leopard Version 10.5.6. In trying to set up and use an HP Color LaserJet 2605 printer, I found that while Parallels recognizes the printer regardless of which USB port I connect it to on the MacBook Pro, the HP setup program and Windows XP are very picky about which port they recognize. I use a Dell USB keyboard and a Logitech USB mouse with the MacBook Pro, both for Apple programs and in Parallels for Windows programs. The keyboard and mouse are connected to the MacBook Pro through an unpowered 4-port USB1 adapter. When I connect the printer directly to one of the USB ports on the MacBook Pro, neither the HP setup program nor Windows XP can find it. But if I connect the printer to one of the four ports on the USB1 adapter, everything works just fine. It may be that Mac OS X is preventing Windows XP from seeing the USB ports directly, but since OS X already has made the USB1 adapter available to Windows for purposes of the keyboard and mouse, the printer sneaks through the back door on the adapter along with the other two devices. Who knows! The same printer also is set up with a LAN connection. After a bunch of tries, I found it best to set up the USB connection first, and then the LAN connection. Kudos to the folks who wrote the exquisitely clear explanation of how to set up a LAN printer with Parallels 4! - PixelTrickster -
