I have a customer that has a small network running 2 WinXP and 2 Win2k workstations in a Windows Server 2003 Server domain enviroment. Three workstations have shared printers hanging off them. The XP workstations connect to all printers ok and have no problems. The Win2K pcs however lose their connections pretty much every morning and have to be re-installed. This is difficult though because more often than not the printers don't appear on the network when browsing from the Win2K pcs. No Problems on the XP pcs though. All rights are the same across the board and all workstations have all the same users added. I have run out of ideas myself so look forward to any suggestions.
Tek-Tips is the largest IT community on the Internet today!
Members share and learn making Tek-Tips Forums the best source of peer-reviewed technical information on the Internet!
-
Congratulations Mike Lewis on being selected by the Tek-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!
Shared printing issues between Win2K & WinXP
- Thread starter muzza30
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #2
Ok what i suggest is that a script is set-up (login script) which initiates the connection to the shared printers?
or you shoul dbe able to set-up printer queues/ print server through windows 2003 server have a look here
this site is an excellent resource
or you shoul dbe able to set-up printer queues/ print server through windows 2003 server have a look here
this site is an excellent resource
I have the same problem on my home network. I have two personal PC's that have windows XP home and my laptop (work) that has windows 2000 pro. I can't get to any of my home printers from my laptop but can easily share them between home PC's??
HELP!!!
How can I make the printers be seen and used by the win 2000 laptop.
HELP!!!
How can I make the printers be seen and used by the win 2000 laptop.
- Thread starter
- #5
I haven't actually created a login script before but should this really be required?
Also - I have loooked through that link but haven't been able to really find an explanation to my issue. I will keep reading though and maybe there is something I am missing.
Also - I have loooked through that link but haven't been able to really find an explanation to my issue. I will keep reading though and maybe there is something I am missing.
Are these HP printers?
If so, two steps are required:
. Completely remove all printer defintions.
Do every single step in this checklist:
. Download new drivers that are OS specific for Win2k for your printer.
. Install the new drivers.
. Disable bidirectional support to the printer in the driver settings.
If so, two steps are required:
. Completely remove all printer defintions.
Do every single step in this checklist:
. Download new drivers that are OS specific for Win2k for your printer.
. Install the new drivers.
. Disable bidirectional support to the printer in the driver settings.
- Thread starter
- #8
The notion of whether they were HP printers had to do with known issues with some earlier driver releases.
For the Dell, Epson and/or HP printers that are having problems I can assure you that a complete an exhaustive removal of existing printer drivers, Print Monitors, and a redefenition of your network printers after a net stop/star sequence has a very high likeliehood of fixing your issues.
People get tired of the Windows help support device to remove a device or its drivers, and reinstall. For printers this is one situation in which your end result is likely a resolution of the printer problem.
Do every step specified:
For the Dell, Epson and/or HP printers that are having problems I can assure you that a complete an exhaustive removal of existing printer drivers, Print Monitors, and a redefenition of your network printers after a net stop/star sequence has a very high likeliehood of fixing your issues.
People get tired of the Windows help support device to remove a device or its drivers, and reinstall. For printers this is one situation in which your end result is likely a resolution of the printer problem.
Do every step specified:
- Thread starter
- #10
Fred07,
If you cannot remove all printers, follow the link above but remove the problem printer only. My success rate in solving printer problems is quite high with a complete clean of all drivers and a re-install, but I have had satisfactory results with a partial clean as you suggest.
If you cannot remove all printers, follow the link above but remove the problem printer only. My success rate in solving printer problems is quite high with a complete clean of all drivers and a re-install, but I have had satisfactory results with a partial clean as you suggest.
Ok I suggest checking ur betwork settings!
under network neighbourhood. Enable netbios over TCP/IP, see if this solves it.
R the printers USB?
If so heres ur solution.
under network neighbourhood. Enable netbios over TCP/IP, see if this solves it.
R the printers USB?
If so heres ur solution.
lucecomputers
Programmer
Hello, MIS folk. Think like Unix. The issue is actually a user access restriction. If you add the user to the server machine you are sharing the printer from, and allow the appropriate permissions and users to the share (analogous to CHMOD in Lin/Unix), then the user will be able to print just fine without restrictions. I just had this same issue, added the users with appropriate permissions to the server box, and viola, all is well. Please note you must have the same user for the server and client, and the passwords must match. I am not much of a windows admin/hack, so I am sure there is a more modular way to do this, perhaps a distributed password system on a AFS share, etc.
By the way, the access restriction has nothing to do with the interface of the printer, I am not sure how one came to this conclusion. Scripts are possible, but use them to automate the password distributed system or something to this affect. It would be a bit much just to change the access permissions one time.
PERL works wonders, on any OS. You MIS folk will learn to love it. Most are portable between OS builds of interpreters, well... kind of. Also Java is probably a nice solutions for those of you with a elegant style, OOP.
By the way, the access restriction has nothing to do with the interface of the printer, I am not sure how one came to this conclusion. Scripts are possible, but use them to automate the password distributed system or something to this affect. It would be a bit much just to change the access permissions one time.
PERL works wonders, on any OS. You MIS folk will learn to love it. Most are portable between OS builds of interpreters, well... kind of. Also Java is probably a nice solutions for those of you with a elegant style, OOP.
"By the way, the access restriction has nothing to do with the interface of the printer, I am not sure how one came to this conclusion."
In XP if there is a driver issue XP will attempt to rectify it. However, on a network printer only those with Administrator rights will be permitted to do so. All other users will be "Access Denied."
In XP if there is a driver issue XP will attempt to rectify it. However, on a network printer only those with Administrator rights will be permitted to do so. All other users will be "Access Denied."
lucecomputers
Programmer
Hi,
Doesn't this go back to access restrictions, as changing a driver is an admin privilege, and this is not really anything to do with the interface? Drivers are drivers, regardless of how the bits are transferred across lines. If it does, than it sounds like another Windows quick worth noting.
What you mentioned is very helpful, and will help others in solving this issue. However, it doesn't explain a direct issue with interface and access restriction. (unless you are comparing a served printer with a printer directly attached to the workstation, I wasn't referencing this comparison).
Doesn't this go back to access restrictions, as changing a driver is an admin privilege, and this is not really anything to do with the interface? Drivers are drivers, regardless of how the bits are transferred across lines. If it does, than it sounds like another Windows quick worth noting.
What you mentioned is very helpful, and will help others in solving this issue. However, it doesn't explain a direct issue with interface and access restriction. (unless you are comparing a served printer with a printer directly attached to the workstation, I wasn't referencing this comparison).
It is not a quirk, but part of the Windows security principle.
Only Administrators can make persistent changes to computers, whether networked or not.
In addition, the only real fix for the underlying process can only be effected with a local console logon of the print serving computer.
The actual process in detail underlying this thread:
. There is a driver problem, likely a conflict between driver versions;
. The print serving computer shuts down the spooler service for those printers;
. A workstation attempts to print to a suspend print service;
. In all cases the print serving computer denies the action, "Access Denied", as a write to the print spooler is not accepted;
. (In the XP case, it attempts to repair the error if possible by updating the printer driver
. If the XP user is not a member of the Domain Administrator Group, the local Administrator of the print serving computer, or the Print Operators Group, the action is denied. This is a logged error rather than a shown error if the spooler service error has already been returned.
The "fix"
Source: Brian Boston's Windows Printer and FAX FAQ:
"When you open Printers and Faxes there are no printers but there were before (my printers disappeared)
1. You want to print something, but the printer you used before does not exist anymore -- the application (e.g. Notepad) says there are no printers.
You open the Printers and Faxes folder and it is empty. You are absolutely certain you added one or more printers some time ago, but they aren't there any more.
2. The service called Print Spooler manages all of the printers as well as the actual printing process. If the Print Spooler service is not running, it's like there are no printers.
The usual reason that the Print Spooler service is not running is because a printer driver has failed, either during its initialization or when you tried to print on a printer that uses that driver.
Printer drivers can fail for all kinds of reasons, but a very common one is that it was built for an earlier version of Windows (e.g. Windows 95) and can't work under Windows XP. You could have such printer driver without
realizing, by, for example:
a. Upgrading from an earlier version of Windows without first deleting your printer.
b. You put the CD that came with your printer into your CD drive and it automatically started the printer installation process even though there are no Windows XP drivers on that CD.
c. You added a network printer and an incompatible driver was automatically downloaded from the print server.
Regardless of how the driver got installed, you have to uninstall it to overcome this problem, then install a Windows XP compliant driver for your printer."
My version of this "fix" I linked much earlier, but in a nutshell clean the printer drivers using the Print and Fax Wizard, File menu, Print Server Configuration applet rather than going one-by-one through each defined printer. Re-add the printers, updating the drivers if posssible from the manufacturer's web site the ones that have been "disappearing". Re-add the problem printers first, then the remainder.
For details, see Barry Sander's:
This approach has a success rate approaching 100%, wheras changing user permissions is in my opinion not the underlying source of the problem nor the path to a resolution.
Only Administrators can make persistent changes to computers, whether networked or not.
In addition, the only real fix for the underlying process can only be effected with a local console logon of the print serving computer.
The actual process in detail underlying this thread:
. There is a driver problem, likely a conflict between driver versions;
. The print serving computer shuts down the spooler service for those printers;
. A workstation attempts to print to a suspend print service;
. In all cases the print serving computer denies the action, "Access Denied", as a write to the print spooler is not accepted;
. (In the XP case, it attempts to repair the error if possible by updating the printer driver
. If the XP user is not a member of the Domain Administrator Group, the local Administrator of the print serving computer, or the Print Operators Group, the action is denied. This is a logged error rather than a shown error if the spooler service error has already been returned.
The "fix"
Source: Brian Boston's Windows Printer and FAX FAQ:
"When you open Printers and Faxes there are no printers but there were before (my printers disappeared)
1. You want to print something, but the printer you used before does not exist anymore -- the application (e.g. Notepad) says there are no printers.
You open the Printers and Faxes folder and it is empty. You are absolutely certain you added one or more printers some time ago, but they aren't there any more.
2. The service called Print Spooler manages all of the printers as well as the actual printing process. If the Print Spooler service is not running, it's like there are no printers.
The usual reason that the Print Spooler service is not running is because a printer driver has failed, either during its initialization or when you tried to print on a printer that uses that driver.
Printer drivers can fail for all kinds of reasons, but a very common one is that it was built for an earlier version of Windows (e.g. Windows 95) and can't work under Windows XP. You could have such printer driver without
realizing, by, for example:
a. Upgrading from an earlier version of Windows without first deleting your printer.
b. You put the CD that came with your printer into your CD drive and it automatically started the printer installation process even though there are no Windows XP drivers on that CD.
c. You added a network printer and an incompatible driver was automatically downloaded from the print server.
Regardless of how the driver got installed, you have to uninstall it to overcome this problem, then install a Windows XP compliant driver for your printer."
My version of this "fix" I linked much earlier, but in a nutshell clean the printer drivers using the Print and Fax Wizard, File menu, Print Server Configuration applet rather than going one-by-one through each defined printer. Re-add the printers, updating the drivers if posssible from the manufacturer's web site the ones that have been "disappearing". Re-add the problem printers first, then the remainder.
For details, see Barry Sander's:
This approach has a success rate approaching 100%, wheras changing user permissions is in my opinion not the underlying source of the problem nor the path to a resolution.
- Thread starter
- #18
I think you guys have got off the original problem here a little.
There is no issues at all with the XP machines. Problem only occurs on the W2K pcs. All the users have admin rights and all the users are added on all pcs with correct passwords etc.
I removed all the print drivers just before xmas and re-installed. Checked all user rights etc and left them to it. Our customer hasn't returned from their holidays yet so I don't know how they are going and if it made a difference yet though.
There is no issues at all with the XP machines. Problem only occurs on the W2K pcs. All the users have admin rights and all the users are added on all pcs with correct passwords etc.
I removed all the print drivers just before xmas and re-installed. Checked all user rights etc and left them to it. Our customer hasn't returned from their holidays yet so I don't know how they are going and if it made a difference yet though.
- Status
Similar threads
