Windows 2008 64bit server forgetting network printer settings

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  • n25an
    Service Manager

    Site Contributor
    1,000+ Posts
    • Jul 2008
    • 1030
    #1

    Windows 2008 64bit server forgetting network printer settings

    Ok... Customer contacted me... They are unable to get shared network driver to print from 2008 server 64 bit to 32 bit windows 7... He gets a windows error code... I faced that issue before.... Its a security issue in the driver. I checked all the security settings and everything worked... Then strange things began to happen...

    Lets back up a bit... This customer has 3 km 8030's with job accounting enabled... Meaning someone tries to print... It pops up a screen saying enter code... The code is then passed to the copier and the job prints...

    Now back to present... Strange things began to happen.
    First the shared driver on the windows 7 machine would not print... It wouldn't even ask for the code and did not have the option in the properties menu
    then the shared drivers on the windows xp machines would not print...it wouldn't even ask for the code and did not have the option in the properties menu

    or mattering not the machine windows 7 or xp it would not be able to find the printer even though its shared to the machine...


    Then the print drivers on the server started doing wierd things.
    3 shared drivers...
    1 shared driver would have all the printer settings for properties
    the other two would be missing one of the settings menu in properties...

    I deleted the three drivers and started from scratch... All three worked perfect and then they started doing the same thing.

    I spoke with the systems engineer and he said use km deleter to clear the drivers completeley off the server and computers and then start from scratch

    this was not an option for the system engineer so he just installed the drivers on each machine locally and gave up on the server sharing option...

    The best i figured is that when i had the shared network drivers working... The issue occured as soon as i added the additional shared driver for the windows 7 machine in the properties menu under the sharing tab...

    I have questions...

    1. Is this a common problem with windows 2008 servers?
    2. What is the best way to go about rectifying this kind of problem
    3. Is this caused by the server or is this a driver issue?
    Sad To Say I Don't Have a Life
    I do this stuff on the weekends too
    Tags: code, copier, driver issue, error, job, job accounting, km 8030, nickel, print, printer, script, wheels, windows server, work
    • blackcat4866
      Master Of The Obvious

      Site Contributor
      10,000+ Posts
      • Jul 2007
      • 22749
      #2
      I've had some strange problems with PC host names in the past. Have you tried IP instead?: //192.168.0.5/printersharename

      Also, are you using driver version 5.2.1108g? It sounds like you've got multiple versions of the driver on the network, but Deleter should have taken care of that. Did you actually see Deleter being run? Every time this has come up:

      IT: "Sure I ran Deleter."
      Me: " ... on all the drivers?"
      IT: " ... um, sure ... "
      Me: "You don't sound so sure."
      IT: "Well, we deleted all the ones we had a problem with."
      Me: " ... and the others?"
      IT: "We left those alone since they were working."
      Me: " ... and what versions of the driver were those?"
      IT: "Oh, there were various different versions ... "

      And that is the problem. =^..^=



      =^..^=
      If you'd like a serious answer to your request:
      1) demonstrate that you've read the manual
      2) demonstrate that you made some attempt to fix it.
      3) if you're going to ask about jams include the jam code.
      4) if you're going to ask about an error code include the error code.
      5) You are the person onsite. Only you can make observations.

      blackcat: Master Of The Obvious =^..^=

        Comment

        • KenB
          Geek Extraordinaire

          2,500+ Posts
          • Dec 2007
          • 3946
          #3
          This does seem to be a common issue.

          I have a Ricoh machine (MP C4500) at a customer with a 64 bit Windows 2008 server and 32 bit XP clients.

          Point and Print worked just fine until we added user code popups - then printing stopped.

          We ended up installing the drivers locally on the workstations, bypassing the server altogether. As I recall, we didn't need to use the KM Deleter; simply deleting the driver and installing the new one worked OK.

          I never did get a reasonable answer as to what the problem is, let alone the correct way to resolve it.
          “I think you should treat good friends like a fine wine. That’s why I keep mine locked up in the basement.” - Tim Hawkins

            Comment

            • hekotez
              Technician
              50+ Posts
              • Jan 2007
              • 91
              #4
              Different versions of windows... all sort of bogus things are (almost) sure to happen.
              Honestly i dont think cant be solved really it boils down to windows, different security rules, different printing spoolers ehhh
              More than likely whats happening is the spooler (of windows to wich the machine is hooked) get 2 prints from 2 other comps... its hanging up.
              when i install a shared printer i do it like this, and it never failed me, isolate each driver and "fool" windows creating a local port... that is infact nothing more than a network mapped port (it has a couple benefits print is usually faster... since each pc handles its own prints, instead of the sharer handling everyone's and also you'll definitly get rid of all them bogus errors, regardless of wich windows versions are installed)

              Since you have 3 shared machines (on different SO's)...
              My advice would be to install it locally on the pc that will be sharing it with witchever driver you wish to use (dont add any extra driver, install it JUST for that computer... then share it.
              Then the most important step... install it on the remote computers that will also print to it... On the remote computers, dont run any cd... installer or whatnot... its all really pretty on the books but ONLY if you have the same windows on all the pc's :/
              Goto Control Panel -> Printers -> run the windows add printer wizard... And click add a new LOCAL printer (also disable auto detect printer), will ask you also for the printer port, click add New Local Port, hit next a window will pop to insert the New Port, on the bracket you'll type in \\computername\printersharedname OR \\computerIP\printersharedname (if network is DHCP based use comp's names)
              This should fix your problem, only things to bear in mind is use same kind of driver on all pcl,kpdl (it will still work, tho you may get slight layout print diffs,like fonts etc from pc to pc, so as rule use same kind for all) and double check firewalls for printer sharing allowance on the pc to whom the printers are hooked

              Hope this helps keep us posted.

                Comment

                • D_L_P
                  Self Employed

                  1,000+ Posts
                  • Oct 2009
                  • 1196
                  #5
                  Just another suggestion.....the Windows Test pages. I will use my laptop to print a "test page" with the same driver, and then have them print a test page and compare all the files listed at the bottom. All those .DLL's and help files are pretty important when using the extended features like job accounting. Depending on the OS and version of the driver not all test pages are the same, but usually when I show the IT guy my test page with 20 + files listed and his only has 4 or 5 that gets the wheels turning and they will go back and do a fresh install.

                  KenB - "bypassing the server", wish I had a nickel for everytime that solved an issue.

                    Comment

                    • TheOwl
                      Service Manager

                      Site Contributor
                      1,000+ Posts
                      • Nov 2008
                      • 1733
                      #6
                      I have only had this problem with 2008 once and this was a good one.

                      I don't know if you are familiar with GPO Targeting, but basically Group Policies Target certain computers and then auto matically install the driver. I found a site that was doing this, but also targetting the server and using the update setting with in the GPO. This caused the server to reset the driver to defaults everytime the server was forced to run a Group Policy update.

                      In other situations that I have had similar issues and even deleting the driver package from the server and workstations via the Server Properties didn't fix the issue. It is easier to just print a test page out and then either manually or via a script, delete the files from C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers and then start a fresh install.

                      If you go for a fresh install, make sure that the 64 and 32Bit drivers are the same version.
                      Please don't ask me for firmware or service manuals as refusal often offends.

                        Comment

                        • n25an
                          Service Manager

                          Site Contributor
                          1,000+ Posts
                          • Jul 2008
                          • 1030
                          #7
                          Thanks for the help... In the end... The it mgr decided to just manually install the driver on each station...
                          Sad To Say I Don't Have a Life
                          I do this stuff on the weekends too

                            Comment

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