Printers Disappearing from the Printers Folder... 1

[thomman]

We are working under novell netware 4.2 with workstations running win95/98 OS. We have enabled file & printer sharing on all the computers. suddenly when we try to print to a network printer the printers folder doesnot come up and the application from which we try to print freezes. when we go to the printers folder and check the printers all the printers are found to be missing.

In fact i was able to print around 5 minutes back and then suddenly i am not able to. This happens very eratically and i cannot predict when this is happenning or what is causing this peculiar problem.

Pls. advice asap....

 

[paulwood]

I came across the following recently, don't understand it because I don't know Novell. Maybe it will help.

Disappearing printers on Novell LAN's after an Illegal Operation while printing.

This happens mostly on Novell networks, although it can happen on an NT or other Network. The symptoms of this problem are that the user will attempt to print, get an error message of some sort, and when you go to look at the printers folder, there are no icons in it. Rebooting the computer brings the icons back temporarily, but then they will disappear again. The first cause of this problem is usually that the users' printers are captured to LPT ports using the Netware ( or equivalent ) CAP/ENDCAP statements either in batch files the user runs, or in the Login Script. Usually, removing these capture statments and replacing them with the Windows 95 Capture button will resolve this issue. Another method of circumventing this problem is to use "net use" command instead, as these commands do not cause Spool32 problems. If removing the Cap statements does not resolve this problem for you, then try adding Spool32.exe to your startup folder.

 

[clutchcargo]

I'm having this same problem, mixed 95-98-me-2k network.
Seems only to occur on 98 machines, both 1st and 2nd edition. I've noticed that a full reboot isnt required
to bring the printers back... just log-out and log back
in. This shaves a bit of time off the printer recovery
process. At least until someone finds a solution.

 

[Guest_imported]

I am having a similar problem with a windows nt workstation. Except the printer was a local HP laserjet. It seems that the print spooler on the workstation just stopped. As soon as I restarted it, everything worked and the printers appeared in the printer folder again. Any ideas as to what would cause the spooler to stop. I have had the spooler stall on print servers but not completely stop.

Thanks

Nic

 

[Gvalent]

Try this.

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/win98/r998426860

 

[cheesehead]

I have experienced the problem as well, on two seperate machines. They were both compaq machines withh 32 megs of ram. I upgraded to 128 and the problem has disappeared. Only an idea, but it seemed to work with me.

 

[capnmidnite]

What brand and model pc's? Win 98 has problems with some Packard bells.

 

[jlfiller]

I think cheesehead may be onto something -- it could definitely be a lack of memory on the subject workstation. I have it happen on win95 machines mostly, but our machines with win98 have a lot more memory. Seems to happen with WordPerfect a lot, especially to users who like to leave a lot of stuff open (mail client, word processor, spreadsheet, etc, all at the same time on a machine with 32meg RAM or so). we're using Compaqs with HP printers mostly. Some use locally attached printers, some attached to the server, some use printers directly attached to the network. Novell and/or NT. It seems like they are often printing something large (and usually important and stressful!)

I'll check for that next time. Anybody else think memory problems might be it? JL Filler,Wilton Public Schools, Wilton CT

 

[clutchcargo]

I've checked all of the machines here that have experienced
the problem and with one exception all have 32meg or less. The one that has more has 64meg. One thing that confuses the issue here is that when I was hired on at this company they were battleing a particularly gruesome Nimda infection. Before this I hadn't seen the "printer disappearing syndrome". Or at least not enough to call it a "syndrome". So I've attributed alot of it to the virus. When a user would complain about not being able to print, I would do the following, in order, to fix it:

1. Check the printer folder for absence of printers. If
so, log in and out. fixes printing about 70% of the
time.
2. Since step one ALWAYS brings the printers back, I then
check to see if I can print a test page. About 30% of
the time windows says it cant see the printer. On these
machines a "dirty re-install" (running 98 setup while
windows is running) fixes printing 100% of the time

Conclusion? There are possibly two problems. Corrupted
system files from the virus and/or a windows bug causing
the "disappearing printer syndrome"

I'm also investigating a link to the brand of nic. We have
an even mix of 3com, Intel and generic Realtek nics. So far
the problem seems to be on machines with the Intel nics
using the built in win98 driver. I'm updating the driver
on these machines. We shall see...

 

[CWBarton]

Most of our cpu's have 64MB RAM or more. We also are running Word Perfect ver 8 & 9. (For complete system specs see earlier posting). Could it be a low systems resources issue? When the computer is running low on system resources and an error is generated - could that cause communications to the printer drivers to be severed?

 

[Guest_imported]

I am also having this problem. My systems have 256MG of ram each, so I do not think memory is the problem. The machines do not run McAffee or Norton, so that is not the problem. Interesting on one of the last posts thre Nimda virus was mentioned. We did have an outbreak of this virus. Possibly some windows files have been corrupted. I am going to try run system file checker to restore corrputed system files. Will post back to let you know if it worked.

 

[eyssel]

Hi,
I am also having this problem on our network!
Our Windows NT 4 server with SP6a has one HP LaserJet 2100 printer connected on it's lpt1 port and then a Lexmark Optra connected via an Intel Netport Express 10 print server.
The workstations have Win98. Sometimes all printers disappear from the Printer list off a workstation and we have to reboot to get them back. Sometimes you can still see the printer but it has the "Use Printer Offline" selected in the Printers Menu. If you uncheck this option, it starts printing. So it seems like the network sends out some signal to the workstation telling it the printers are offline?!
I can't find any specific time or set of circumstances to when this happen. I saw one suggestion to deleting the PrintQ and PrintServer & object in NDS, has anybody else tried this with success?

This is so annoying!

 

[smitee]

For HP printers se thread:

http://forums.itrc.hp.com/cm/QuestionAnswer/1,,0x62a2e7e60861d511abcd0090277a778c,00.html

smitee

 

[Jovah]

Thanks fer the link, smitee! I haven't goten to try any of the fixes ('cuz the problem hasn't appeared in 3+ weeks) but I bet it'll come back - and now I <may> be ready.....

Jovah

 

[Guest_imported]

All hail Microsoft and their precise error messages. I starting having this problem after we went to DHCP. Crazy I know, but it didn't start untill then, and only on 4 machines, a win98 machine with a direct attached ricoh laser printer, shared, and the 3 win 95 machines that used said shared printer. I'm fairly stumped as to why DHCP would cause this problem, but I've assigned them static IP's again to see if it makes a difference. I will let you all know when I learn something.

 

[Jovah]

the help I got from the HP link provided by Smitee did the trick; the advice there is applicable to other printers (beside HP) as well; I think the biggest help was adding the following files to the virus-scan exclusion list:

C:\ Windows\Spool {folder}
C:\ Windows\System\Spool {folder}
C:\ Windows\System\SPOOLSS.DLL
C:\ Windows\System\WINSPOOL.DRV
C:\ Windows\System\SPOOL32.EXE

There may be consequences to the above exclusions; I welcome comments/input.
Others have recommended replacing the SPOOLS.DLL in Win98 w/ one from Windows Millenium; I didn't try that myself but if the above fails that's where I'll go...! Good luck to all.

 

[ariosii]

Are you sharing your printers using TCP/IP Protocol?.

If you are doing that you should remove your screen saver from your workstation, It happened to me that when I disabled the screen saver the problem disappear

 

[ariosii]

Also you shouldn't share your printers using the Printer share of windows, you should use the program that comes with novell, I don't remember the name but you should capture the printer port and you could be able to control printers using the novell printer server, If you are using TCP/IP change the protocol to IPX, then your configuration in Windows' network neigborhood should be:
-Novell netware client.
-Your NIC.
-ipx protocol (or TCP/IP protocol).

In your print server of Novell you have to setup the printers installed in your workstation, You will obtain better performance because when you are sharing a printer using the Printer share of windows your system get slow performance.

 

[nrvous6]

Hi,

We're having the same problems ya'll are talking about on our network. We run Novell Netware, McAfee Virus Scan 4.5.1, and Win95/98. The problems started happening to us after we upgraded to the newest Novell Client, the new 4.5.1 scan, and to Groupwise 6. However, I'm noticing that the machines that are getting the spool32 errors are running a 16bit application when the error happens. Does anyone else have a 16bit app. running when you get the error? Thanks!

 

[Guest_imported]

hi all,

Have the same problem here for more than a year now. I changed the nic 4times, uninstalled the printer ( HP5si over jetdirect) Nothing helps.Win2k,98se,95 and XP windows mixed network.The starnge thing is at the same time another user gets disconected from the Lan, although if the run on their own, it also happens.
Running Norton Corp 7.5. no DHCP
So please, don't feel alone!

 

[CMILLER1]

clutchcargo has the answer i believe...

here theres about 200 workstations 98/NT WRKST/2000 pro mix ranging from pentium 166's with 32mb to brand new P4's with 256MB.

the only consistancies are the OS, and the way the problem manifest's itself. ive tried a multitude of things to avoid the reinstall of the OS on the workstation. From changing the queues to a different server, uninstalling jetadmin files, updating every imaginable driver/firmware known to man, and they all seemed to help things a little. but in the end all you had was 14 voice mails all saying the same SH-T... &quot;i was trying to print something and then all my printers disappeared what do i do?&quot; &quot;REBOOT&quot; is your inevitable answer.

well we've said &quot;screw it&quot; on a few of these stations and reinstalled everything, because we too suffered greatly during the nimda diaspora and these few stations seemed to be those most overrun before getting it under control. and since then these stations have been ok. no matter what os i put back on the thing. although the NT kernel just seems to be naturally immune to the problem. absolutely none of my 2000/NT workstations have been affected by this problem.

so it seems that some strange residual effects have started coming around and destroying/corrupting files important to the windows printing subsystem... and as unfortunate as reinstalling however many workstations it may be for the rest of you folks <AAAHHHHHH!> it looks like we may as well get to it...

if they ever discover the origins of that software... by that i mean &quot;nimda&quot; i say we scoop out his eyes with a melon baller and throw his jobless a-s in a porter potty