How To Set Up A Windows Printer Running VMWARE Fusion On A Mac

I have seen several articles on the internet dealing with issues of getting a printer to work when running Windows XP as a virtual machine using VMWARE Fusion for Mac OS/X. This procedure is probably the most easy to follow and will have you up and running in just a few minutes. This tutorial explains how I set up a Brother HL-2170W wireless laser printer. Your printer may vary.

 

ENABLING THE PRINTER IN THE VM SETTINGS

First, make sure your printer is installed, powered on and working under Mac OS/X and that it is functionioning properly. Remember to keep your printer powered on. Second, start VMWARE Fusion and select (but DO NOT) start your Windows Virtual Machine. Next, in the VMWARE menu, click on Virtual Machine -> Settings. Next, click on the Printers icon and make sure the box is checked and that "Match the default printer on the mac is selected."

 

INSTALLING THE DRIVERS

Start your virutual machine, in my case it was Windows XP. Once XP has loaded you will need to install two programs: the printer drivers and bonjour for Windows. At this point you will need either the printer driver install disk or need to download and install the Windows drivers for your printer. If you don't have an install disk google search for your printer drivers, for example : "brother hl-2170w windows driver download." Always make sure that you download the drivers from the manufacturers web site. Once you have the drivers, install them now.

 

Once you have your printer drivers installed, go to this link and download Bonjour for Windows. After you have Bonjour downloaded, run the setup and follow the on-screen instructions. Bonjour will automatically detect your printer. One note, in the version of Bonjour that I downloaded I tried selecting "set as default printer" and for some reason Bonjour kept "loosing" the printer. So, I suggest that you do not select this option and after Bonjour finishes installing to into Windows Control Panel, select printers, then set your printer to the default. If you have trouble, you will find the "Bonjour Printer Wizard" icon on your Windows desktop. Simply run the Wizard and it will try to locate your wireless printer. Note: The version of Bonjour I have is a bit flak., I noticed even after the printer was installed sometimes after starting the wizard the printer shows up, but after a few seconds disappears. However, once you know the printer was installed and completed a test print, this is no need to worry about this little bug.

 

IN CONCLUSION

I used the steps outlined, above, to successfully set up my Brother HL-2170W wireless laser printer. The entire process took about 5 minutes and the printer works perfectly. The procedure I used should be identical or may slightly vary depending on whether you have a wired or wireless printer. Good luck!

 

A composite screen shot of the various dialog boxes that will appear as you go through this tutorial.