Printing from DOS to networked printer

  • Thread starter Thread starter Neal
  • Start date Start date
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Neal

I have several computers all running W2k Pro connected to
a server running W2k Server. I have two printers
connected to the server. They are on LPT1 and LPT2.
When I try to map the client computers to the servers
printers using the Net Use command it says it is
completed successfully. However when I try to send a
print job from a DOS program I will get an error that
reads: Program "was unable to create or access the
file 'LPT1'". As you would imagine the print job goes no
where. However with in the windows world everything
works fine. I have deleted and unistalled the printers
numerous times with out any luck. Finally I will mention
that all of the trouble shooting was done a Administrator
so I can't imagine there would be a permissions or access
problem. Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.
 
The way you phrase your settings is backwards from how I would phrase
them, and so I have some concerns. Let's review just to be sure:
When I try to map the client computers to the
server['s] printers using the Net Use command
it says it is completed successfully.
Click to expand...

You should be at the client workstation using the NET USE command.
You should be setting the server station's printers to SHARE.

Program "was unable to create or access the
file 'LPT1'".
Click to expand...

At the workstation, in a DOS window, the command is:
NET USE LPT1: \\<servername>\<printername> /p:yes

This is just a guess, but I'm wondering if the "file 'LPT1'" is caused by
having the LPT1 and \\<s>\<p> positions switched. (Haven't actually tried
this to see what would happen.)

Finally, allow me to include the following commentary:

=================
Did you perchance install Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 or 4? I've been
hearing that Windows 2000 loses the ability to render plain text to the
special printing mode (GDI) that Windows uses after SP3/4 is installed
(especially SP4).

You may soon be referenced to Bruce Sanderson's most excellent article
describing the process to redirect LPT or PRN output to a shared printer
(regardless how it is connected). His article explains better the same
concepts you may have researched in MS Knowledgebase articles.
Sanderson's article is fine as far as it goes.

I'm assuming that you know for a fact whether or not your printer is
what are coming to be known as "Win-Printers," as brain-dead as are "Win-
Modems." Win-printers cannot accept plain text ASCII.

Note - Win98 will re-render plain ASCII text into a form required by the
regular Windows print subsystem. However, If you are running Win2K or XP,
those operating systems are unwilling to re-render ASCII output to the
inate methodologies of the printing subsystem. In other words, unless the
printer can understand a plain text data stream, you will need a utility
to give Windows what it needs.

If they are *not* Win-Printers, then we can look elsewhere.

If they are Win-Printers, and such as I mentioned before, Win2K(SP3+) and
WinXP will require a small, neat, and inexpensive utility to capture the
ASCII output and present it in a form compatible to the operating
system's print subsystem. I recommend DOSPrn <http://www.dosprn.com>.
There are others.
========================

I have also noted one instance where restarting the spooler service
gets these jobs to print. Maybe for awhile and maybe not at all.

Brian Smither
Smither Consulting
 
-----Original Message-----
I have several computers all running W2k Pro connected to
a server running W2k Server. I have two printers
connected to the server. They are on LPT1 and LPT2.
When I try to map the client computers to the servers
printers using the Net Use command it says it is
completed successfully. However when I try to send a
print job from a DOS program I will get an error that
reads: Program "was unable to create or access the
file 'LPT1'". As you would imagine the print job goes no
where. However with in the windows world everything
works fine. I have deleted and unistalled the printers
numerous times with out any luck. Finally I will mention
that all of the trouble shooting was done a Administrator
so I can't imagine there would be a permissions or access
problem. Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.
.
Click to expand...
 
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