Windows 7 Home, SP1
Netgear Nighthawk AC1750 wifi router

My Brother printer was working fine via wifi setup for years. Today, it
won't connect to the router. I tried resetting the printer and
reinstalling the software, but it just won't recognize the home network
like it used to. It will only work using USB.

The printer's WLAN report shows that the WLAN setting is not activated,
and says to turn it on. How?

https://postimg.cc/f3jSHvnh

The Network Configuration Report shows:
IEEE 802.11b/g (Active)

https://postimg.cc/xJ6JQT1x

Both reports are shown here.

I used to be able to (re)install the printer's drivers no problem, but
for some reason it just won't behave this time.

Anyone know what's going on?

Boris wrote:
> Windows 7 Home, SP1
> Netgear Nighthawk AC1750 wifi router
>
> My Brother printer was working fine via wifi setup for years. Today, it
> won't connect to the router. I tried resetting the printer and
> reinstalling the software, but it just won't recognize the home network
> like it used to. It will only work using USB.
>
> The printer's WLAN report shows that the WLAN setting is not activated,
> and says to turn it on. How?
>
> https://postimg.cc/f3jSHvnh
>
> The Network Configuration Report shows:
> IEEE 802.11b/g (Active)
>
> https://postimg.cc/xJ6JQT1x
>
> Both reports are shown here.
>
> I used to be able to (re)install the printer's drivers no problem, but
> for some reason it just won't behave this time.
>
> Anyone know what's going on?

Possibly related to this ?

<_NidnTOYf43wh3j9nZ2dnUU7-dednZ2d@earthlink.com>

http://al.howardknight.net/?STYPE=msgid&MSGI=%3C_NidnTOYf43wh3j9nZ2dnUU7-dednZ2d%40earthlink.com%3E

The patch for Windows 7 would have a different number.

Check to see if your Windows Update history, mentions
an out-of-band patch coming in recently.

And as is usual in these situations, a woodpecker writes
a story about the issue, without giving the KB number :-/
And you know if you go to catalog.update.microsoft.com ,
the term "PrintNightmare" would get you nothing. I don't
even need to try that.

https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/6/22565868/microsoft-printnightmare-windows-print-spooler-service-emergency-patch-hotfix

Paul

Boris <nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote:

> Windows 7 Home, SP1
> Netgear Nighthawk AC1750 wifi router
>
> My Brother printer was working fine via wifi setup for years. Today, it
> won't connect to the router. I tried resetting the printer and
> reinstalling the software, but it just won't recognize the home network
> like it used to. It will only work using USB.
>
> The printer's WLAN report shows that the WLAN setting is not activated,
> and says to turn it on. How?
>
> https://postimg.cc/f3jSHvnh
>
> The Network Configuration Report shows:
> IEEE 802.11b/g (Active)
>
> https://postimg.cc/xJ6JQT1x
>
> Both reports are shown here.
>
> I used to be able to (re)install the printer's drivers no problem, but
> for some reason it just won't behave this time.
>
> Anyone know what's going on?

Flip up the plastic cover over the LCD control panel. Use the control
panel as per the manual.

https://download.brother.com/welcome/doc002837/cv_hl2240d_usaeng_usr_c.pdf
Page 60
Hold the Go button for 10 seconds to toggle its wireless networking.

VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote in news:78jr3twemc9s.dlg@v.nguard.lh:

> Boris <nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote:
>
>> Windows 7 Home, SP1
>> Netgear Nighthawk AC1750 wifi router
>>
>> My Brother printer was working fine via wifi setup for years. Today,
>> it won't connect to the router. I tried resetting the printer and
>> reinstalling the software, but it just won't recognize the home
>> network like it used to. It will only work using USB.
>>
>> The printer's WLAN report shows that the WLAN setting is not
>> activated, and says to turn it on. How?
>>
>> https://postimg.cc/f3jSHvnh
>>
>> The Network Configuration Report shows:
>> IEEE 802.11b/g (Active)
>>
>> https://postimg.cc/xJ6JQT1x
>>
>> Both reports are shown here.
>>
>> I used to be able to (re)install the printer's drivers no problem,
>> but for some reason it just won't behave this time.
>>
>> Anyone know what's going on?
>
> Flip up the plastic cover over the LCD control panel. Use the control
> panel as per the manual.
>
> https://download.brother.com/welcome/doc002837/cv_hl2240d_usaeng_usr_c.
> pdf Page 60
> Hold the Go button for 10 seconds to toggle its wireless networking.

Thanks, VanguardLH, for the reply.

I have hard copies of the Quick Start Guide, the User's Guide, and the
Network User's Guide that I printed out when I bought the printer in
September, 2011. The thing has been a real workhorse.

I must have overlooked the enable/disable wireless networking method.
Thanks for that.

Still, no luck with getting the printer connected to my wifi network. I
checked on a Win10 desktop tower in another room that I never use, to see
if it was connected to the wifi network. It was (as were other wifi
devices such as other laptops and mobile phones). Ok. The router is
working fine.

But no matter what I did with the Brother printer, reset to factory
(which doesn't reset wifi networking) and then enable wifi, neither using
the temporary USB nor the the Advance Infrastructure Mode, worked. I
always got Fatal Error, WLAN is inactive.

I finally tried connecting using the temporary Ethernet (LAN) method. It
worked. I was able to connect the printer to my Win7 desktop, and it
appeared on the router's 'Connected Device' page. The printer's Printer
Settings page had a new IP, 192.168.1.11, which matched the IP shown on
the router's device's IP page.

What is left to do is to configure all the other machines that used to
print to the Brother printer. There's two Win10 laptops, and a W10
desktop. All are up to date.

The Win10 desktop didn't need any re-configuration. I successfully
printed a txt document and a test page. The test page confused me,
though, in that there was no IP listed, but there was Printer Location:
http:/192.168.1.5:80/WebServices/Device. Hmmm...? No matter, all works.

The Win7 desktop test page did show an IP, the same that the router
showed, 192.168.1.11, but no Printer Location.

Another Win10 laptop looks like it cannot be connected to the wifi
network without reinstalling the drivers. A test page would not print.
I'll get back to it tomorrow.

The last Win10 laptop...I haven't looked at it yet. Again, more
tomorrow.

Thanks.

Boris <nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote:

> VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote in news:78jr3twemc9s.dlg@v.nguard.lh:
>
>> Boris <nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>> Windows 7 Home, SP1
>>> Netgear Nighthawk AC1750 wifi router
>>>
>>> My Brother printer was working fine via wifi setup for years. Today,
>>> it won't connect to the router. I tried resetting the printer and
>>> reinstalling the software, but it just won't recognize the home
>>> network like it used to. It will only work using USB.
>>>
>>> The printer's WLAN report shows that the WLAN setting is not
>>> activated, and says to turn it on. How?
>>>
>>> https://postimg.cc/f3jSHvnh
>>>
>>> The Network Configuration Report shows:
>>> IEEE 802.11b/g (Active)
>>>
>>> https://postimg.cc/xJ6JQT1x
>>>
>>> Both reports are shown here.
>>>
>>> I used to be able to (re)install the printer's drivers no problem,
>>> but for some reason it just won't behave this time.
>>>
>>> Anyone know what's going on?
>>
>> Flip up the plastic cover over the LCD control panel. Use the control
>> panel as per the manual.
>>
>> https://download.brother.com/welcome/doc002837/cv_hl2240d_usaeng_usr_c.
>> pdf Page 60
>> Hold the Go button for 10 seconds to toggle its wireless networking.
>
> Thanks, VanguardLH, for the reply.
>
> I have hard copies of the Quick Start Guide, the User's Guide, and the
> Network User's Guide that I printed out when I bought the printer in
> September, 2011. The thing has been a real workhorse.
>
> I must have overlooked the enable/disable wireless networking method.
> Thanks for that.
>
> Still, no luck with getting the printer connected to my wifi network. I
> checked on a Win10 desktop tower in another room that I never use, to see
> if it was connected to the wifi network. It was (as were other wifi
> devices such as other laptops and mobile phones). Ok. The router is
> working fine.
>
> But no matter what I did with the Brother printer, reset to factory
> (which doesn't reset wifi networking) and then enable wifi, neither using
> the temporary USB nor the the Advance Infrastructure Mode, worked. I
> always got Fatal Error, WLAN is inactive.
>
> I finally tried connecting using the temporary Ethernet (LAN) method. It
> worked. I was able to connect the printer to my Win7 desktop, and it
> appeared on the router's 'Connected Device' page. The printer's Printer
> Settings page had a new IP, 192.168.1.11, which matched the IP shown on
> the router's device's IP page.
>
> What is left to do is to configure all the other machines that used to
> print to the Brother printer. There's two Win10 laptops, and a W10
> desktop. All are up to date.
>
> The Win10 desktop didn't need any re-configuration. I successfully
> printed a txt document and a test page. The test page confused me,
> though, in that there was no IP listed, but there was Printer Location:
> http:/192.168.1.5:80/WebServices/Device. Hmmm...? No matter, all works.
>
> The Win7 desktop test page did show an IP, the same that the router
> showed, 192.168.1.11, but no Printer Location.
>
> Another Win10 laptop looks like it cannot be connected to the wifi
> network without reinstalling the drivers. A test page would not print.
> I'll get back to it tomorrow.
>
> The last Win10 laptop...I haven't looked at it yet. Again, more
> tomorrow.
>
> Thanks.

So, LAN worked, but wifi did not. It's a 10-year old printer that has
been used a lot. Could be the wifi petered out. If the LAN setup works
okay, and you don't have a problem with a wired connection versus
wireless, just leave it that way. It's likely the printing bandwidth
for the old printer doesn't come close to what a wired connection can
handle.

VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote in news:281zhgmmzu39$.dlg@v.nguard.lh:

> Boris <nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote:
>
>> VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote in news:78jr3twemc9s.dlg@v.nguard.lh:
>>
>>> Boris <nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Windows 7 Home, SP1
>>>> Netgear Nighthawk AC1750 wifi router
>>>>
>>>> My Brother printer was working fine via wifi setup for years.
>>>> Today, it won't connect to the router. I tried resetting the
>>>> printer and reinstalling the software, but it just won't recognize
>>>> the home network like it used to. It will only work using USB.
>>>>
>>>> The printer's WLAN report shows that the WLAN setting is not
>>>> activated, and says to turn it on. How?
>>>>
>>>> https://postimg.cc/f3jSHvnh
>>>>
>>>> The Network Configuration Report shows:
>>>> IEEE 802.11b/g (Active)
>>>>
>>>> https://postimg.cc/xJ6JQT1x
>>>>
>>>> Both reports are shown here.
>>>>
>>>> I used to be able to (re)install the printer's drivers no problem,
>>>> but for some reason it just won't behave this time.
>>>>
>>>> Anyone know what's going on?
>>>
>>> Flip up the plastic cover over the LCD control panel. Use the
>>> control panel as per the manual.
>>>
>>> https://download.brother.com/welcome/doc002837/cv_hl2240d_usaeng_usr_
>>> c. pdf Page 60
>>> Hold the Go button for 10 seconds to toggle its wireless networking.
>>
>> Thanks, VanguardLH, for the reply.
>>
>> I have hard copies of the Quick Start Guide, the User's Guide, and
>> the Network User's Guide that I printed out when I bought the printer
>> in September, 2011. The thing has been a real workhorse.
>>
>> I must have overlooked the enable/disable wireless networking method.
>> Thanks for that.
>>
>> Still, no luck with getting the printer connected to my wifi network.
>> I checked on a Win10 desktop tower in another room that I never use,
>> to see if it was connected to the wifi network. It was (as were
>> other wifi devices such as other laptops and mobile phones). Ok. The
>> router is working fine.
>>
>> But no matter what I did with the Brother printer, reset to factory
>> (which doesn't reset wifi networking) and then enable wifi, neither
>> using the temporary USB nor the the Advance Infrastructure Mode,
>> worked. I always got Fatal Error, WLAN is inactive.
>>
>> I finally tried connecting using the temporary Ethernet (LAN) method.
>> It worked. I was able to connect the printer to my Win7 desktop,
>> and it appeared on the router's 'Connected Device' page. The
>> printer's Printer Settings page had a new IP, 192.168.1.11, which
>> matched the IP shown on the router's device's IP page.
>>
>> What is left to do is to configure all the other machines that used
>> to print to the Brother printer. There's two Win10 laptops, and a
>> W10 desktop. All are up to date.
>>
>> The Win10 desktop didn't need any re-configuration. I successfully
>> printed a txt document and a test page. The test page confused me,
>> though, in that there was no IP listed, but there was Printer
>> Location: http:/192.168.1.5:80/WebServices/Device. Hmmm...? No
>> matter, all works.
>>
>> The Win7 desktop test page did show an IP, the same that the router
>> showed, 192.168.1.11, but no Printer Location.
>>
>> Another Win10 laptop looks like it cannot be connected to the wifi
>> network without reinstalling the drivers. A test page would not
>> print. I'll get back to it tomorrow.
>>
>> The last Win10 laptop...I haven't looked at it yet. Again, more
>> tomorrow.
>>
>> Thanks.
>
> So, LAN worked, but wifi did not. It's a 10-year old printer that has
> been used a lot. Could be the wifi petered out. If the LAN setup
> works okay, and you don't have a problem with a wired connection
> versus wireless, just leave it that way. It's likely the printing
> bandwidth for the old printer doesn't come close to what a wired
> connection can handle.

Not sure what I (may have) said, but the printer's wifi does work, and so
does the USB connection, if I wish to use it. What happened was that the
only way I could get the driver installed so that it recognized my WLAN,
was to install the drivers by connecting an ethernet cable from my
desktop to the printer. Once I did that, installation went smoothly. I
disconnected the ethernet cable, and was able to connect wirelessly to
the LAN.

USB and wifi can't be used at the same time, and since I have other
machines around the house that share this printer, I am going to continue
to run it using wifi.

Thanks again.

On Thu, 8 Jul 2021 21:33:28 -0000 (UTC), Boris <nospam@nospam.invalid>
wrote:

>VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote in news:281zhgmmzu39$.dlg@v.nguard.lh:
>
>> Boris <nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>> VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote in news:78jr3twemc9s.dlg@v.nguard.lh:
>>>
>>>> Boris <nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Windows 7 Home, SP1
>>>>> Netgear Nighthawk AC1750 wifi router
>>>>>
>>>>> My Brother printer was working fine via wifi setup for years.
>>>>> Today, it won't connect to the router. I tried resetting the
>>>>> printer and reinstalling the software, but it just won't recognize
>>>>> the home network like it used to. It will only work using USB.
>>>>>
>>>>> The printer's WLAN report shows that the WLAN setting is not
>>>>> activated, and says to turn it on. How?
>>>>>
>>>>> https://postimg.cc/f3jSHvnh
>>>>>
>>>>> The Network Configuration Report shows:
>>>>> IEEE 802.11b/g (Active)
>>>>>
>>>>> https://postimg.cc/xJ6JQT1x
>>>>>
>>>>> Both reports are shown here.
>>>>>
>>>>> I used to be able to (re)install the printer's drivers no problem,
>>>>> but for some reason it just won't behave this time.
>>>>>
>>>>> Anyone know what's going on?
>>>>
>>>> Flip up the plastic cover over the LCD control panel. Use the
>>>> control panel as per the manual.
>>>>
>>>> https://download.brother.com/welcome/doc002837/cv_hl2240d_usaeng_usr_
>>>> c. pdf Page 60
>>>> Hold the Go button for 10 seconds to toggle its wireless networking.
>>>
>>> Thanks, VanguardLH, for the reply.
>>>
>>> I have hard copies of the Quick Start Guide, the User's Guide, and
>>> the Network User's Guide that I printed out when I bought the printer
>>> in September, 2011. The thing has been a real workhorse.
>>>
>>> I must have overlooked the enable/disable wireless networking method.
>>> Thanks for that.
>>>
>>> Still, no luck with getting the printer connected to my wifi network.
>>> I checked on a Win10 desktop tower in another room that I never use,
>>> to see if it was connected to the wifi network. It was (as were
>>> other wifi devices such as other laptops and mobile phones). Ok. The
>>> router is working fine.
>>>
>>> But no matter what I did with the Brother printer, reset to factory
>>> (which doesn't reset wifi networking) and then enable wifi, neither
>>> using the temporary USB nor the the Advance Infrastructure Mode,
>>> worked. I always got Fatal Error, WLAN is inactive.
>>>
>>> I finally tried connecting using the temporary Ethernet (LAN) method.
>>> It worked. I was able to connect the printer to my Win7 desktop,
>>> and it appeared on the router's 'Connected Device' page. The
>>> printer's Printer Settings page had a new IP, 192.168.1.11, which
>>> matched the IP shown on the router's device's IP page.
>>>
>>> What is left to do is to configure all the other machines that used
>>> to print to the Brother printer. There's two Win10 laptops, and a
>>> W10 desktop. All are up to date.
>>>
>>> The Win10 desktop didn't need any re-configuration. I successfully
>>> printed a txt document and a test page. The test page confused me,
>>> though, in that there was no IP listed, but there was Printer
>>> Location: http:/192.168.1.5:80/WebServices/Device. Hmmm...? No
>>> matter, all works.
>>>
>>> The Win7 desktop test page did show an IP, the same that the router
>>> showed, 192.168.1.11, but no Printer Location.
>>>
>>> Another Win10 laptop looks like it cannot be connected to the wifi
>>> network without reinstalling the drivers. A test page would not
>>> print. I'll get back to it tomorrow.
>>>
>>> The last Win10 laptop...I haven't looked at it yet. Again, more
>>> tomorrow.
>>>
>>> Thanks.
>>
>> So, LAN worked, but wifi did not. It's a 10-year old printer that has
>> been used a lot. Could be the wifi petered out. If the LAN setup
>> works okay, and you don't have a problem with a wired connection
>> versus wireless, just leave it that way. It's likely the printing
>> bandwidth for the old printer doesn't come close to what a wired
>> connection can handle.
>
>Not sure what I (may have) said, but the printer's wifi does work, and so
>does the USB connection, if I wish to use it. What happened was that the
>only way I could get the driver installed so that it recognized my WLAN,
>was to install the drivers by connecting an ethernet cable from my
>desktop to the printer. Once I did that, installation went smoothly. I
>disconnected the ethernet cable, and was able to connect wirelessly to
>the LAN.
>
>USB and wifi can't be used at the same time, and since I have other
>machines around the house that share this printer, I am going to continue
>to run it using wifi.
>
>Thanks again.

USB is normally used to connect the printer to a single PC. The printer can
then be shared, or not, as desired. For others to be able to print to a
shared printer, the directly-connected PC needs to be powered on.

WiFi is normally used to connect the printer to a network (LAN) so that
multiple PCs and other devices can use it. There is no dependency on a
single PC.

Ethernet is like WiFi, normally used to connect the printer to a network
(LAN) so that multiple PCs and other devices can use it. There is no
dependency on a single PC.

There are other permutations and possibilities, but those are the main
options.

Since you have multiple machines around the house that want to use the
printer, Ethernet would normally be your first choice. If that's
inconvenient, you'd probably fall back to WiFi. If WiFi is inconvenient,
you'd fall back to USB.

--

Char Jackson