Printers - add support for Win2K pro users 1

[RachelD]

I'm about to add several Win2K Pro machines to my network, which for now will remain an NT4.0 domain. I have a bunch of HP jetdirect printers and would like to install the drivers for Win2K on the server so printer setup is easy on the client.

How can I do this? It seems like such a simple thing...
TIA
Rachel

 

[FilthPig]

On the server that hosts the printers, open the printers folder, select File, Server properties. Go to the drivers tab and add Windows 2000 drivers for whatever printers you have. Marc Creviere

 

[RachelD]

I don't have a drivers tab there...
any other ways to get to that tab?

 

[chikn]

Actually for other OS's win95,98 etc you go to properties>sharing for that printer however there is no option for 2K.

 

[FilthPig]

I apologize, my 2000 to NT mental conversion failed on that answer. Anyway - I seem to remember Win2k being able to use most of the drivers assigned to it by an NT4 print server by default (we had very few problems using HP printers when we were still using NT4 server). That said, if you're running HP printers and are still having problems, go download the latest point and print bundle driver for that printer from their website. Other printer vendors are likely to have similar options. Marc Creviere

 

[rjbj]

You can use the the NT printer drivers for most, if not all HP printers on 2000 workstation. I have had an NT print server running for 2 years and only have the drivers for NT and 95 loaded for each printer on the server. I have windows 98 and windows 2000 workstations on my domain and have been able to run the drivers off the server without fail. But I must point out one thing. DO NOT use the PCL drivers for any W2k workstations. It does not seem to work.
PS drivers work fine for both NT and 2000.

 

[RachelD]

I did find that most of my printers set up just fine on W2K with the NT drivers; however, I did come across exactly what rjbj mentioned with the PCL drivers. So how did you (rjbj) get around this? I have a color laserjet 4500 that I can't get set up on the W2K machines and that's the last thing I have to do before rolling out these machines.

And as a side question, are you using the older jetadmin software (which was made obsolete by HP) or have you moved to the HP Web JetAdmin?
thanks for all the help
Rachel

 

[rjbj]

I got around the PCL driver issue by aquiring all the drivers for all my printers from the HP website, I then only downloaded the PostScript drivers for each of my printers. So PCL drivers were not even an option. I kept it very simple for myself.
I tried to get to the driver for the HP LJ 4500 but the site is having issues today. I would try

http://www.hp.com

and try to aquire the drivers for your printer. It's all free.
As for JetAdmin, I use the old version, it works for me. The web version seemed like it was to complicated for what I wanted to do.
Hope I was of some help to you.

 

[RachelD]

I ended up downloading the point & print bundle for the 4500, which actually included a PCL driver for Win2K and that seemed to work fine.
Of course, then I tried to do the same for the HP 2500CM and crashed the spooler on NT (LOL - can't win em all)
and as for jetadmin I'm leaving it there for the time being and if I get the chance some weekend maybe I'll give WJA a try.

thanks

 

[rjbj]

OK, just got the driver you want at the HP site.

http://productfinder.support.hp.com...h_query=Laser+Jet+4500&Submit.x=8&Submit.y=10

Choose the printer you have and go to the list of drivers for NT.