Deafult Printer missing 2

[WillShakespeare]

WIth reference to my other thread (thread931-1155683), which seems to have been ignored, I am having real difficulties with Terminal Services and a print problem.

Essentially users of Excel, Outlook, and Adobe cannot print because it comes up with an error:
Printers not available, please install before you continue

However, when using Word or PowerPoint, things print fine!

This is crazy! SP1 is on the machine, and it is a Standard Windows 2003 Server.

I tried to reproduce the error on another Terminal Server, but to no avail.

One symptom I did notice is that there is no default printer in Printers and faxes when logging onto this particular machine, but there is when logging onto any of the other Terminal Servers we have (productiona nd test).

Please, if anyone can shed light...

Will

 

[WillShakespeare]

The printers have gone crazy now... have rebooted etc.

I have tracke dthe problem down to a specific difference in registry entries from normal working and the problem:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Devices
contains NO Devices, and it should be populated. Correspondigly:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows
does not exist, and it is from here that Excel and other apps get the default printer from. A String key called "Device" holds the name of a Device in the Devices list, and this is the default.

To test this, i created a Device in the Devices folder, and then Created a Windows Key and this worked! So If anyone has any info on why this Devices Key is not being populated, I'd appreciate it...


Will

 

[WillShakespeare]

Strange indeed... After some fiddling with the registry and adding some settings that were missing on the problem server, but not missing on a server unaffected (see post above), the problem was resolved. You need to execute the following reg script:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows]
"DebugOptions"="2048"
"Device"=""
"Documents"=""
"DosPrint"="no"
"load"=""
"NetMessage"="no"
"NullPort"="None"
"Programs"="com exe bat pif cmd"

Then, you have to get the user who ran this to log off of the machine and log back in again, and the problem is solved.

It appears that the problem was because without the Device String and the Windows Key, the system could not complete the assigning of the default computer. Why this would happen in the first place I have no idea!! But am chasing MS still about the issue.

The above code will solve the problem with just:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows]
"Device"=""

This is just in case you don't trust the other settings, or wish to take these from your own server! Not that i expect this will happen to anyone else... such is my luck in the IT game!! LOL!

Hope this helps someone,

Will

 

[DevonF]

Great Job Will! I was banging my head on this.

I have two questions.

I have about 30 users on this server that need the fix. Is there a way to add this string into the registry which will effect all the current and future users?

Have you figured out why this occured? I'd like to know if it was my configuration of TS or something else.

 

[WillShakespeare]

Actually, we have been escalated 4 times at MS and it has taken the most part of 4 months and they still have not solved it!

We have narrowed it down to problems with the ntyser.dat file, which may have become corrupted, but to date we have replace dthis with a new one (create a user with correct settings and then copy to the Default folder), but this hasn't corrected it.

I sent off a new set of dat files to the MS contact today, so fingers crossed we'll have an answer soon. I'll post as soon as I know more.

Will

 

[PTina]

We seem to be having a very similar if not the same issue too. When you log in as Administrator everything looks fine (default printer selected in Printers & Faxes) and you can print from any application.

However when a regular user logs in, the check mark, does not appear on the default printer in Printers and Faxes. And some applications print by selecting the printer from within the application while others just won't print.

Did Microsoft ever come back to you with a proper fix for this issue? I would rather not mess with the registry.

 

[WillShakespeare]

Unfortunately, after 6 months, I am still playing email tennis, and conferencing calls... still not sorted...

But I will post back as soon as I get an answer. In the meantime, the above reg fix they have agreed is an acceptible workaround, but as you say, not ideal. For us, the TS does not allow reg alteration, so I have to move the TS to a less secure OU, wait a while, run the fix, and then move it back!! It's very annoying.

Anyay, I will let you all know when I have more!

Will