Problems with XP-clients

  • Thread starter Thread starter Yoshi
  • Start date Start date
Y

Yoshi

Hi all !



First of all, I like to wish everybody a happy new year, and not so many
troubles with computers. Unfortunately, I know this is quite impossible.



Let's kick of the year, with a network printing problem. Everybody knows the
principles : A printer is installed on a server or a workstation, and is
shared so other users can also use this printer. Quite simple.



But, this shouldn't be a message to the newsgroup, if it was working fine
all the time ! The problem is not the connection from the server to the
printing device, but connecting from a XP-workstation through the server
(2000 or even 2003) to the device.



There are some ways to do it. Following the 'Add Printer Wizard' is maybe
the most known and used. Select a network printer, and almost everything is
going automated.

Another way, is browsing the network for shared printers, and if you find
the right one, right-click and select the option 'Connect'. The result
should be the same, I guess.



Whatever I try, it isn't always correct. Sometimes it works fine, other
times even a test print can not be send to the printer. However, most of the
time it works with Microsoft applications like Word and Excel; even if it
was impossible to make a test print from the driver. But using applications
like Acrobat Reader, it won't work. Nothing happen, even not an error
message.



There is a way to let it work properly. Installing the desired printer
locally on the workstation, and finally change the port-settings to :
\\servername\printername. So, the driver is installed locally on the
workstation, jobs are spooled locally and finally send through the server
to the printing device.



This works fine, but not the most recommended way to use in great networks.
An administrator has to do it. A simple user has not the rights to do this.



I have seen this several times, independent the printer type used. All
drivers are digitally signed by Microsoft and Kernel-mode drivers, so that
is not the problem, I guess.
 
Unfortunately, not all Windows 2000 printer drivers work correctly with
Windows XP.

Check the printer manufacturer's web site for updated drivers.

What make and model of printer is causing your problem?
 
Hi,

The drivers are not the problem, I think. We work with the latest drivers,
all XP compatible and digitally signed by Microsoft. We have the same
problem with Win2003 server and XP-cliënts.

I'm working for Konica-Minolta. So, I'm talking about Konica
print-controllers. As for as I know, the problem doesn't persist with
PostScript option installed in the machine. But default, controllers are
delivered with PCL. Many people are just running the PCL-version.

Even in small Peer-to-Peer networks, where one workstation (XP-pro) is
directly connected by using LPT1 to the print-controller, other workstations
have this problem from time to time.

It's a bit strange. Sometimes it works perfect, the other day not. So I
suppose it's a problem of communication between Print-server and cliënts.

Thanks anyway !

Jos
 
Is there a print processor associated with the driver? Can you change this
to winprint and see if this resolves the problem. Also are there any system
events in the event log on the server. When you change the port to
\\printserver\printshare this forces the client to render the document and
send the data to the server with RAW format. The print server will not
attempt to render the job and just forwards it to the printer. You can
change the server setting to force the clients to render the document by
unchecking Printer / Properties / Advanced / Enable advance printing
features.

If GDI (the rendering engine) encounters an error (or thinks it encountered
an error) the data at times will be discarded.

Since you work for Konica you should have a TAM rep from Microsoft. Contact
them and they can put you in touch with one of the Program Managers for
printing.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
 
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