[Moderator]

I'm trying to print to a network printer via Appletalk but I can't see the printer in Print Utility. Its telling me that Appletalk printers won't be seen because Appletalk is not on.

So I look and its checked.

I'm turning it on but it will not really turn on...any ideas??

[RTMac]

I'm having the exact same problem. I'll be searching the Internet for an answer...

[jog]

Same here - iMac DV 400, 10.2.3, HP LaserJet 2100. Working from 9.2.2 on same machine, working from other X machines... anyone?

[The Evener]

[Off topic]
Great sig, jog! Is that character from a Neo-Geo game? The name escapes me, but it seems familiar.

[veryniceguy2002]

Originally posted by Moderator:
I'm trying to print to a network printer via Appletalk but I can't see the printer in Print Utility. Its telling me that Appletalk printers won't be seen because Appletalk is not on.

So I look and its checked.

I'm turning it on but it will not really turn on...any ideas??

Well, there seems to be a few users having the same problem... but then I'm not sure if Moderator have the same problem as RTMac or jog, so I can only some generic advice...

Firstly, do you have your printer connected to your Mac using LocalTalk connection (instead of Ethernet connection). LocalTalk doesn't work OS X at all (AppleTalk would still work under Ethernet)

Secondly, have you check do you have AppleTalk enabled to the right port? (check Network setting in Systems Preferences) Unlike TCP/IP networking in OS X, where you can have multiple active ports (e.g. AirPort, Ethernet, modem all active at the same time), you can only have one active connection at one time. So make sure you haven't select another connection for AppleTalk after selecting Ethernet.

Thirdly, if you have tried both things above and see doesn't work, then open up the terminal and type "atlookup" (without the quotes, of course ). The command would tells you all the AppleTalk devices on your AppleTalk network. Use this command and see if you can see the entry of your printer. If you can see it, that means your Mac should be able to talk to your printer (with the right driver). If you can't see it, then you must be something wrong either with your hardware connection or AppleTalk ports setup.

Good luck!

[dennisobell]

Dredging up this old topic because I'm having the same problem. It just started after months of hassle-free printing in 10.2.x. (I'm now upgraded to 10.2.6.)

What's weird is that AppleTalk keeps turning itself on in AirPort, even when I turn it off. I am trying to print through Ethernet. So I keep going back to Network, making AppleTalk active on Ethernet and inactive on Airport.

But when I go to PrintCenter, I get the same error message, and when I hit the button to go back to System Preferences/Network, Appletalk is mysteriously turned back on in AirPort (and still on in Ethernet). I know having Appletalk on in two ports is probably causing the error, but I can't get it to stay off in AirPort.

FYI, when I boot into 9.2, the Ethernet printer works fine.

Originally posted by veryniceguy2002:
open up the terminal and type "atlookup" (without the quotes, of course ). The command would tells you all the AppleTalk devices on your AppleTalk network.

When I do this, the Terminal tells me "The AppleTalk stack is not Running." ??!!

HELP!! Thx.

[starman]

Dumb question - are you in an Appletalk group? If so, is that group selected in the Network setting?

Other than that, don't know.

Mike

[dennisobell]

Originally posted by starman:
Dumb question - are you in an Appletalk group? If so, is that group selected in the Network setting?

Thanks, Mike. I'm not in an AppleTalk group. I just have an AppleTalk printer, which is connected to the Mac via Ethernet.

Right now I have no AppleTalk zones at all. But I've never had to worry about picking a "zone" at all -- it's just one AppleTalk printer, hooked directly to my PowerBook.

Maybe I need to reinstall my system? Perhaps AppleTalk is corrupted? Anyone? I'm stumped.

[veryniceguy2002]

Originally posted by dennisobell:


What's weird is that AppleTalk keeps turning itself on in AirPort, even when I turn it off. I am trying to print through Ethernet. So I keep going back to Network, making AppleTalk active on Ethernet and inactive on Airport.

It shouldn't happen, unless you have trying to access a network file server or recent documents which you accessed before using AppleTalk via Airport instead of Ethernet.

The other possibility is that the when you updated to 10.2.6 the updator stuffed up some of the permissions on preference files... it could be that it somehow changes to read-only, then no matter how to often you can the preferences it doesn't get saved back to the preference files... I think there's an utility somewhere (someone did mention it in one of the forum) which fixes permission problems after systems updates... in the worst casr scenario I would suggest running 10.2.6 combo update in your systems again.

But when I go to PrintCenter, I get the same error message, and when I hit the button to go back to System Preferences/Network, Appletalk is mysteriously turned back on in AirPort (and still on in Ethernet). I know having Appletalk on in two ports is probably causing the error, but I can't get it to stay off in AirPort.

You cannot have AppleTalk on for more than one port active simultaneously. THis might be causing problems...

[dennisobell]

Thanks again for the suggestions.

Originally posted by veryniceguy2002:
in the worst casr scenario I would suggest running 10.2.6 combo update in your systems again.

Just tried this -- no dice.

Originally posted by veryniceguy2002:
You cannot have AppleTalk on for more than one port active simultaneously. THis might be causing problems...

No kidding -- I agree that this is probably the source of the problem. So why does AirPort insist on turning on AppleTalk automatically? It's creepy -- I turn AppleTalk off in AirPort, run "Add Printer" in PrintCenter again, and it gives me the error; I hit the button to go back to System Preferences, and AppleTalk is magically turned bakc on in AirPort. What gives?

Come to think of it, the other thing I upgraded recently was the AirPort software (probably unnecessary; I don't have an Extreme base, but the Updater kept insisting I do it). Could this be the problem? Should I uninstall the AirPort Extreme software and go back to the previous version?