Printer driver unknown

[ryDen]

Hi,

I have this weird problem installing a Laserjet HP4200N network printer on Windows NT. The printer has been installed on a Windows 2000 printer server and loaded with the drivers for win2000 & xp. However, when I try to add additional drivers for Windows NT, it prompts for the location of some *.inf files from the Windows 2000 Server cd. But despite the cd being in the drive, it is still unable to pick up the required files and the installation of the windows nt driver fails.

As an alternative, I try to install the printer on the user end and install the printer drivers locally. However, during the driver installation, the system kept asking if want a local installation of the driver, and after selecting the appropriate location where the driver files are located, it gave a printer driver unknown error. Yet when I try to install the drivers as a local printer, the installation goes fine.

Tried looking at the HP website, but to no avail. The support forums are also unavailable, so, would really appreciate if anyone here has any idea what is going on, and how to resolve this problem.

Thanks in advance.


Russ.

 

[wolluf]

So if you install the drivers for local printer on the workstation - you can't then install a network printer for the same model (and it picks up the drivers already installed for local?)

I have had similar problems several times with NT machines - above has worked, as has installing local printer, from its properties adding a port - which basically picks up network printer (I've had to 'play' with this each time - unfortunately I've not recorded excatly how I got it to work).

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

 

[kantola]

I am having this same problem.. I can get the drivers loaded if the printer is local, but any network printers produce this "Printer Driver is Unknown" error when attempting to load the driver. Were you ever able to find a solution?

 

[oldhotelman]

I am ashamed to say that I encountered this a few months ago, figured it out, and then forgot exactly what I did.

Today I need to do it again, and of course I can't find my notes.

What I do remember is that NT was looking for something like "HP Laserjet PCL 6" and the .inf file had the string value set to "HP Laserjet PCL6" (no space). Or vice versa, or something very similar. I actually had to edit the .inf file to get the strings to match exactly.

It's funny how few hits I find on the web for this problem. It's happened to me both times we've bought this model printer.

 

[jess451]

I had a similar problem with an HP LJ 4250 on NT. Kept getting "Printer driver setup error: The printer driver is unknown". I couldn't add the NT driver to the installation on the server for download.

Then I tried direct TCP/IP printing and it kept errroing out.

I ended up creating a separate installation of the printer and selecting the NT driver. I ignored the digital certificate error and installed. Used that to do a network installation of the printer.

Works great.

 

[kdaly1]

I ama having problems installing a HP 4250 PCL printer. No error is indicated. It just does not print. Any Tips?

Tx in Advance

kdaly1

 

[weigoldk]

I'm having the same problem with an HP 4050N. I'm not finding anything on either HP's or Microsoft's site.

Anyone find a solution?

 

[SimonDavies]

I have some hints but you may well not like it.

How many printers are attached to the server? The reason I ask is this, I found I had to stop the spool service on my workstations when I couldn't install printers on them, I then had to clear out all of the drivers from the c:\windows\system32\spool\drivers folder.

Now obviously on a workstation that's not such an issue because it will download the driver from the printer the next time it tried to print to that device but my guess is that if you try and do this on a server with multiple printers you would have to recreate all of the printers.

I would have a look at stopping the print spooler service, see in that directory if you can differentiate between print drivers and delete the NT4 one and try again.

Failing that I can't think of anything else atm.

 

[mjhw]

Had the same problem with a LaserJet 2430 and a 4050N
was able to fix it by re-installing the printer on the 2k server using the NT driver (not the 2k driver)
The driver is compatible with w2k. and will work with 2k and nt workstations.




Michaël J. H. Warnon
Asst. DIrector of System Intergration
Information Services
Email: mwarnon@co.orange.ny.us

 

[jacksondorado]

I had the same problem and mjhw's solution worked for me. I installed the NT driver for the printer on the Windows XP computer and the NT machine installed it no problem.

thanks

 

[jroztocil]

OldHotelman had it right - at least in my case. HPLJ4250 installed locally on a w2k machine, XP and w2k PCL6 drivers only. I tried to install on NT4SP6a, IE6sp1, pointed the install to the local PCL6 inf, and got the printer driver unknown error.

Extracted the NT4 PCL6 locally on the NT4 box, editted in notepad the hp4x50p6.inf file so that the localizable strings look like:

; Localizable Strings
[Strings]
Printer4250="HP LaserJet 4250 PCL 6"
Printer4350="HP LaserJet 4350 PCL 6"
Printer4240="HP LaserJet 4240 PCL 6"
DiskID1="HP LaserJet 4250 PCL6 Disk 1"
DiskID2="HP LaserJet 4350 PCL6 Disk 2"
DiskID3="HP LaserJet 4240 PCL6 Disk 3"
HPDC_MONITOR="HP Master Monitor,hpbmmon.dll"


Note 3 added spaces in the printer lines between "PCL" and "6" that was originally "PCL6".

Now Start->Run, type "\\myPCwTheHPLJ4520", right click the printer, click "Install", point to the dir with the updated inf and voila!

Pretty cool, HP...