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64bit printer drivers/sharing

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mmendes

IS-IT--Management
Jun 20, 2002
149
US
I have been working with printer sharing for years, so I feel I am pretty on top of all the issues. But now, this is stumping me. When I install and share a printer onto a 64bit version of Server 08, I can no longer connect to it from a 32bit desktop. I am specifically testing using drivers that are written to support Server 08, Vista and XP. The prblem is that all drivers I have found so far are either 32 or 64 bit. So, if I use the 64 bit driver, then connect to it from a 64bit desktop, all is well. But from a 32bit desktop, it tells me the driver is not compatible, and I have no way of installing a different driver locally on the desktop. I am aware of the feature on the server printer sharing that allows you to load additional drivers for client use, but there again, I cannot load a 32bit driver for client use onto the 64bit server.

So it would appear to me that printer sharing will no longer be possible unless the server OS and desktop OS are both the same bits. The alternative is to just set the desktops to print directly to the printer, but by doing that, I loose the centralized management functions provided to me by sharing it from the server.

How are you all handling this?
 
I think you need to install the 32bit to the Client machine and then choose to upload to the server as I did this a few weeks ago in a Server 2008 environment.

Been so busy with our migration I cant say for sure though!

Dont quote me but I think I installed the printer locally on the 32bit client thus placing the correct driver on the client machine. Then I tried to connect to the networked printer which then somewhere along the lines gives you the option to upload the driver (which of course is on the client machine) to the server...

I only needed to do this on a few of the drivers. You should be able to add a 32bit driver within Print Manag
ement on the Server 2008 server though in most cases.

Will try and let you know if I get chance tomorrow but its go live week so all abit manic!
 
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