First Mac-should have known better

[donzo44]

Ex mainframe pensioner should have known better

I have used PC's since they were invented. And Windows forever. Thought I would try the Mac Mini to replace ageing Asus G71v Laptop dual core Windows 7x64. I DO still like Windows 7...

Trawled the forums to get as much info until..

Mac Mini Server arrived a day early(Tuesday) Grandson took precedence until evening at which point I installed the server using HDMI cable to TV. Everything went well and files transferred via external 2.5 HDD. Muddled through and was really enjoying it. This is a piece of cake I thought..

Until I tried to install The Canon MP600R multifunction printer(already downloaded the drivers earlier). Realised then I should have delved a bit deeper. Total nightmare, it does not work, apparently due to Canon's inability to supply working drivers.
I currently use the MP600R connected via CAT6 cable to D-Link DIR655 router. Wife can print wirelessly also from Samsung Laptop.
No problem I thought, I AM an expert after all I will install Virtualbox which I use anyway, install Windows 7 and print from there. Like heck you will...

After an hour or so messing about and losing all print/scan capability from laptop(and resetting the LAN settings from the printer Control Panel, then reinstalling printer on laptop), it struck me.. Or at least it did after an IPCONFIG/ALL confirmed that Virtualbox was using 10 dot something and printer is on 192.168.0.197. So to get to the options..

1. Can I install printer in Virtualbox and still retain current print/scan capability from Windows 7 laptops. Asus G71v will be going on eBay once Mini is up and running totally Samsung laptop will remain.
2. Do I wait until October(so they say) for Canon drivers that work with Lion.
3. Buy a multifunction networkable printer that works with Lion and Windows 7.

Thanks in advance

More questions for later posts

Happy days and enjoying the Mini immensely

 

[Mr.C]

One begs to wonder why you didn't try to download the drivers directly from Apple. It's quite possible they may have working drivers. I had a similar problem with my HP Photosmart Premium printer. I just downloaded the drivers from Apple.

 

[donzo44]

One begs to wonder why you didn't try to download the drivers directly from Apple. It's quite possible they may have working drivers. I had a similar problem with my HP Photosmart Premium printer. I just downloaded the drivers from Apple.

Thanks for the reply

Never realised Apple might have them.

I will look into that.

Thanks again.

 

[Darth.Titan]

You need to set your Virtualbox machine's networking to bridged mode so it can get an IP address from your local network and see the printer. It sounds like you have it set to NAT.

I agree with Mr.C also. Downloading Canon's drivers was probably a mistake. Should have used the built-in drivers in OS X.

 

[donzo44]

You need to set your Virtualbox machine's networking to bridged mode so it can get an IP address from your local network and see the printer. It sounds like you have it set to NAT.

I agree with Mr.C also. Downloading Canon's drivers was probably a mistake. Should have used the built-in drivers in OS X.

Thanks for the reply. Probably defaulted to NAT mode on my Windows Install.
Will check that also.
Force of habit regards the drivers. Now I know better

Regards

 

[munkery]

Canon printers work great with Macs as long as you use the driver provided by Apple.

The GUI to interact with the scanner in All-in-one printer/scanner/etc devices is called Image Capture and it is found in the Applications folder.

Once the appropriate driver is downloaded from Apple, Image Capture will work with these devices.

 

[SR45]

I just plugged in my Canon MX870 printer and waited a second or two and Apple came up with a driver, installed same and no issues for me what so ever.

Took longer in installing Canon's driver on my PC. No complaints from me at this time. Scanner took a tad to warm up but that to was a breeze

Good luck to you

 

[dangerfish]

I would delete the printer from the Print & Scan dialog box. Then uninstall anything related to the printer that you can find. Then go back to the Print & Scan dialog box and click the + button to add a printer. If it finds your printer, select it. The Mac should then tell you it has found the drivers from Apple and offer to download them. Go ahead and do so. That should give you basic print/scan functionality. Then you can try installing any Canon software that you want but try to avoid installing any other drivers.
Good luck.

----------

Your printer is listed as supported on Apples site and states that the drivers were recently updated.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3669

 

[MJL]

Ex mainframe pensioner should have known better

......

Happy days and enjoying the Mini immensely

Congrats on getting the Mac mini. Similar IT background here - except I got the 2010 model because I wanted the internal DVD.

Tried Parallels and VMware for one application that I need to run under Windows and it was just too slow to be useable in that manner, only BootCamp worked fine.

Unfortunately I found that recovery of one of the two OS's posed an issue due to Windows requiring MBR and OS X requiring GUID partitioning. In the end I resorted to removing OS X completely and loading up only Windows 7 and could not be happier.

Enjoy your Mac!

 

[cherry su]

Changing the network adapter configuration in Virtualbox should bring the virtual machine on the same machine as the printer. I think currently you probably have it set to NAT. Changing it to Bridged should remedy the issue.

 

[vert18]

Canon printers work great with Macs as long as you use the driver provided by Apple.

I dunno about that, my cannon MX870 works just fine with cannon's own printer drivers. In fact work way better than any HP bloatwar^^ driver I have used. Yes Lion and new 2011 mac mini.

*Check cannon's site for the specific printer drivers for your specific printer..
I have lets see.. 4 files I installed
a driver, a cups driver, a scanner driver and one other just for the printer ... one 39.8MB, one 16.7MB, 9.4MB and a 6.2MB file.

-- HP rant
HP must of paid apple huge money to be the only Airprint device.. their printers are garbage print quality, their software is bloatware, they don't have individual inks(last I checked--cymk)so they are expensive so I can't stand HP

--Virtual Box.. wouldn't you have to have a working printer in OSX to have macOSX tell Virtual Box it's there. (I run VB but Debian Linux Guest) and I don't VB my win7 bootcamp.

---MP600R?... I see 8/19/11 updated drivers for an MP600 printer.. a cups & scanner and easy photo print and navigator and firmware

 

[munkery]

I dunno about that, my cannon MX870 works just fine with cannon's own printer drivers.

I am sure the driver's Canon provides work fine.

But, I do not like all the extra bloatware that is installed with the drivers.

Another GUI to interact with the scanner is not needed given that Image Capture is included with OS X by default.

Also, the drivers released by Apple have gone through a certain amount of approval testing in relation to stability unlike the drivers from the third party hardware manufacturer.

The same can be said about hardware drivers downloaded through Windows Update as opposed to using unapproved third party drivers for those users running Windows OSs.

 

[Macman45]

When Setting Up

A new mac of any variety, the best policy is to have ALL your peripheral devices powered up and connected.

Apple has drivers for just about everything and these are then found and installed on first boot.

My Epson wifi printer installed perfectly on my iMac, and once installed the system will also update as new drivers are released.

 

[donzo44]

Sorry for the delay in replying but grandparenting always takes precedence

I deleted the Canon MP600R from the print/scan thingy which presumably removes the Canon drivers?

Downloaded the latest Canon drivers and I can now print and scan

As I said the printer is networked and I can still also print/scan from Windows laptops.

Happy chappy indeed! AND GREAT support as expected. I WILL try the printer with Virtualbox when I have time so again many thanks for those replies.

Searching, learning and enjoying the Mac immensely! I ran A LOT of Windows applications and so far I have found Mac replacements/equivalents, so I am wading through the transition methodically.

Regards

 

[satcomer]

Donzo - Take a look at Macupdate.com and for a short time their limited timeMacUpdate Bundle. It has some great applications this time and I think you like a good majority of them.