A few weeks ago, we bought a Lexmark X4580 wireless printer/scanner/photocopier/thing, and we've had rather some difficulty setting it up. After installing the CD, my dad tried to print a test page via USB cable but we got an error message (none of the suggested solutions worked). Any suggestions?

The second question I want to ask is, what's a simpler solution, setting it up to connect directly to our machines, or getting it to go through our Orange/Wanadoo Livebox?

Feel free to ask for extra info.

wireless [..] USB cable
Huh?

BTW, is that "wireless" connection WIFI compatible or just the printers own wireless thing?
The second question I want to ask is, what's a simpler solution, setting it up to connect directly to our machines, or getting it to go through our Orange/Wanadoo Livebox?
If my info is correct, that Livebox is your modem/WIFI router/switch combo thingie.
Yes, if your printer supports networks, I'd connect it there.
It'll have its own IP address and can be accessed from all machines on the network.

Okay, I've got it to work on my machine, but it still draws a blank with Dad's.

Huh?

The printer is wireless, but in order to get it and the computer to recognise each other in the first place, they need to be attached by USB.

The USB cable is also used to get the printer and the router/livebox to start talking to each other - you use the computer as a "user interface" for the printer's internal software, i.e. the dialogue box where you type in the router/livebox's security key.

If a printer connected via cable works with one computer and not the other, the problem is down to configuration on the affected machine. Compare all settings dealing with and surrounding the printer on both machines. Also compare hardware and software differences, E.G. operating system, other software, USB version.

The best solution is to network the printer. The simplest solution is to plug your printer in to the computer you want to use it with.

USB version.Hmm. I wonder...

Although Dad says he's given up and he's just going to use the old printer (although I can use the new one)

Really, hook the printer up with the network.

Sounds like a bad idea to me. Network printers are a pain at the best of times. Stick to USB.

My USB printer is shared over the network (I call it Harold because I like obscure puns) and that never works. We jsut email stuff across the network. Much faster to send things via California, obviously.

(I call it Harold because I like obscure puns)

*thinks*

...

*mad, cackling laughter*

My USB printer is shared over the network (I call it Harold because I like obscure puns) and that never works. We jsut email stuff across the network. Much faster to send things via California, obviously.Mine works fine. Even my old COM printer worked fine in a network. Maybe you have inherently slow air.

I don't use cables. I have a BT HOME HUB, you luddite.

Fixed .

You're suggesting perhaps that I've filled my flat with caesium at 3 Kelvin in order to slow down my wi-fi?