Virtual Bt in Windows 7

[Guest]

Hello,
Problem I am having is printing to an HP printer with Bluetooth enabled. It works, connects and prints with the USB cable but is only seen as a device from within bluetooth under "Devices and Printers". If I try to print to a different port from within printer properties and then "port" tab, I don't see a way to add a virtual port. The printer is a C5580 AIO and I understand that in most cases, settings for Vista could also apply to Windows 7. I would very much not have to be tethered to the printer to actually print. It would be nice to sit at my laptop in my home office and shoot off a document or email. Oh, yes I am running Windows 7 Ultimate and every driver has been verified as current/up to date and no other bluetooth devices work fine (headphone, keyboard). Please let me know if you have any suggestions or workarounds. Thanks in advance!

 

[hang-the-9]

That printer looks to have Win7 drivers, so no need to use Vista ones.
Here is the bluetooth setup for the device, geared towards XP it looks like, but the basic steps shold be the same for Win7.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01487549&tmp_task=setupCategory&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&os=4062&product=3575276&sw_lang=

 

[Juxtaposition]

Didn't work. Pretty much the same steps I took previously. It's almost as if the devise does not want to work off Bt and strictly wants to use USB. I don't want to be tethered to this thing when I want to print, I want to print from anywhere in the house. Another annoyance of HP drivers is every time their setup program is used, it forces the user to reboot regardless of the change made or lack there in! I am still trying different things anyway! Thank you . . . anything else you may think of let me know.

 

[hang-the-9]

Didn't work. Pretty much the same steps I took previously. It's almost as if the devise does not want to work off Bt and strictly wants to use USB. I don't want to be tethered to this thing when I want to print, I want to print from anywhere in the house. Another annoyance of HP drivers is every time their setup program is used, it forces the user to reboot regardless of the change made or lack there in! I am still trying different things anyway! Thank you . . . anything else you may think of let me know.

You can't print from anywhere in the house, bluetooth has a short range, I think around 30 feet max. And I'm betting that max is calculated without walls or doors in between.

 

[Juxtaposition]

Thanks for the help...Anyway I was

Thinking about giving up on HP altogether and just plugging the printer into a WiFi print server with a USB port and go directly into that. It would have been nice to have this thing work the way HP advertised all its conveniences for a change!

FYI, I tried using/setting up the Bt port with the printer on the same table. I was planning on walking around the house, laptop in hand to find out my limitations. Unfortunately, I couldn't even get that far! Make me feel great HP, dangle the carrot and then yank it away! I wonder if there are any other users feeling like a horses pittuty courtesy of HP?

 

[Randomacts]

Thanks for the help...Anyway I was

Thinking about giving up on HP altogether and just plugging the printer into a WiFi print server with a USB port and go directly into that. It would have been nice to have this thing work the way HP advertised all its conveniences for a change!

FYI, I tried using/setting up the Bt port with the printer on the same table. I was planning on walking around the house, laptop in hand to find out my limitations. Unfortunately, I couldn't even get that far! Make me feel great HP, dangle the carrot and then yank it away! I wonder if there are any other users feeling like a horses pittuty courtesy of HP?

For what you are looking for you should get a wifi printer. There are lots out there and they work great. As long as you have your local wifi you will be able to print.

 

[Juxtaposition]

Already have the printer and firewall router. All I need is the WiFi for the printer so I figured it would be cheaper just to get a print server, cascade them and I could use it for other printers down the road. Forty dollars is cheaper than two hundred! It would have been cheaper still if I could have used the Bt. Appreciate the thought.

 

[Juxtaposition]

Best answer selected by Juxtaposition.