Networking with XP Operating systems
Windows XP is a stable home and network operating system. XP is still widely used even though Microsoft has released two major upgrades since it came out early this decade. A computer user can set up a network easily in XP. He can even integrate printer use into the network. He can use a network printer set up to deal with multiple computers or he can have a printer hooked up to a single computer serve as a network printer. Some printers make the process easier by having a networking card installed. Network printers do not need drives installed on the host computer.
Laser printers usually come with their own networking cards. When a Windows computer detects a printer on the network, it will list that printer in the options. The operating system can do this automatically. A network administrator may have to grant a specific user rights to use the printer, but the setup is minimal. An XP Wizard takes care of most network printer setup issues. A determined administrator may add the network printer manually if he really wants to do so.
Not every printer comes with a networking card. Printers sold for individual use can be set up as a network printer as well. The difference is that the computer the printer gets attached to needs to be setup to handle printing requests from the other computers on the network. This takes time and effort. The average computer user may not know how to do this. He needs to find a tutorial that can walk him through the process step by step. If the person setting up the printer needs a guide, he can find many instruction videos on Youtube. This video can help the reader set up his printer for network access quickly.