Solved: RDC doesn't see USB printer

[nocluejoe]

I recently replace a HP laserjet4 printer with a HP laserjet 1505n.

A user VPNs into one of our client's network and then uses RDC to connect to a workstation. Previously, she was able to work and then print out documents to her local HP laserjet4 printer. (This printer was connected with a serial cable).

Once we connected the new printer (by usb cable) she is unable to print because the usb printer does not show up as an option on the client system. I have not changed the RDC settings.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[mf-tech]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302361

Check out the link above to see if it helps.

 

[nocluejoe]

Change reg key as indicated no change.

Port starts with USB.

 

[mf-tech]

Have you tried installing the same print driver on the remote workstation? Even though the printer will not be attached to it, it will be able to create a session printer when connecting to it via RDC.

I have only worked in Terminal Server environments (not desktop to desktop) and have found that if it is a USB printer then the TS has to have the driver loaded to be able to correctly create a virtual session printer that allows printing back to local machine.

Hope this info helps.

 

[StumpedTechy]

"If it is a USB printer then the TS has to have the driver loaded to be able to correctly create a virtual session printer that allows printing back to local machine."

Actually this is true no matter how its connected you need to ensure the Server has the exact same make/model print driver loaded as the user.

I had the same issues many times when I had a PC everyone Remote Desktoped into and tried to print to all their different printers and soon I had to tell people I wasn't going to load print drivers anymore due to the number of calls I got.

You can also see this in the event logs on the server where the printer is trying to connect but the server gives driver errors. Usually its something like a Event 1111, 1105 or 1106 or something of that nature.

 

[beecher1]

i need your help. We are setting up 185 thin clients and i have never worked in a terminal services environment. Please tell me everything you know and i will be in your debt until death(right now its my death). We use server 2003 standard and the users who were logging into the Primary DC will not be able to because it is not a TS server, but i have a server i can setup as a terminal server. Thanks

 

[beecher1]

i meant for mf tech to respond to my question or any other TS Expert...i am lost with these thin clients and not even the IT dept manager who bought these to same money has ANY knowledge.....

 

[mf-tech]

I would recommend picking up a terminal server configuration and administration book to get the depth of knowledge you will need to setup the environment that will meet your needs. Not all network/server setups are the same. Security is important and it will encompass the network, server, and user accounts. 185 remote connections could be quite taxing on the server, make sure that your hardware can handle the load. You have to consider the processor, ram, and hard drive capacity when buidling a ts server setup - especially if you will have profiles for each user.

I don't believe it would be possible in this forum to give you everything you need to get it up and running smoothly. I don't mind helping you will road blocks as you come across them but a new setup would be extremely timing consuming in a posted forum.

Please don't take it as a brush off, I post here when I can but I work full time and attend school at night. There may be other skilled server techs that have more free time to walk you thru it. Good Luck...hope it all goes well!

 

[nocluejoe]

I looked at the system logs on the remote computer and I am getting an error with an event ID 1111. Description states need to add the drivers for this printer. seems simply enough.

I go to the HP website and all i can find are zip/.exe files. When trying to run on the remote computer it fails when it is unable to detect that the printer P1505n is connected.

Any suggestions on how I can add the driver to the remote machine?

 

[mf-tech]

When running the install executable, do you get the option of local or network attached? Maybe you could choose network install and see if it allows you to finish the install.

If not, I did find this option on HP's website: Host based driver

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...n&cc=uk&dlc=en&product=3435671&os=228&lang=en


Basically it unpacks the software and allows you to change the driver of an exisiting install. So for your situation, you could use these files to find the driver when you add the printer manually (instead of running an executable install)

Hope this information helps.

 

[nocluejoe]

OOPS. I did leave out a little detail. I sign into the client's MS VPN before I remote Desktop into the client workstation. So the HP software does let me browse the network for a printer during execution of install software, but the network it sees is the clients and I am not able to get to the printer i have attached to my local machine.

The link you provided from HP has good info, but you can only use once the printer is installed (or visible). Which is what I am trying to do.

I appreciate the help and will keep digging. I have an email and call into HP again.

 

[mf-tech]

When you say that you use the Client's VPN then RDC, do you mean that you run the RDC through a VPN Connection? Do you launch a VPN connection and then launch RDC from your desktop?

If so, you just need the remote machine to have your printer driver on it. If the driver is loaded on the remote pc, regardless of a physical printer or network printer connection, it will have the necessary information to create the 'virtual printer' session that will send all print jobs back to your local printer. If RDC client is setup to connect local printers, then when you connect the remote pc, it will create a virtual queue only if the correct driver exisits on the remote pc.

It may sound confusing but the remote client computer just needs the driver installed so that it has the instructions to allow it to format the print job correctly and send it back to your deskotp printer environment. Think of the driver as a secret handshake between the two computers. If they both have the driver then they agree to communicate through the virtual printer connection.

 

[nocluejoe]

I agree with your last message. Installing the Printer driver on the client machine is what I am unable to do.

I am connecting with a MS VPN and then using a RDC connection to get to the client's PC, I am unable to browse to my local printer when I am running the driver installation on the client machine. (does that make sense??) Since I can not get to my local printer the driver installation on the client machine fails. (since the installation program does not see a printer to install) So no printer driver gets installed and the client machine will not recongize my printer when I login.

The RDC settings are correct and I never had an issue when using a printer that connected to my local computer with a serial port.

Is there a location on my local machine that has all the printer drivers that I need that I can just copy and paste onto the clients machine? Or do I have to have registry keys and such?

thanks again for the patience.

 

[mf-tech]

Have you tried just going to the printer section on the remote pc and running the 'add printer wizard', let it default to local printer but uncheck the box that tells the wizard to automatically search for plug and play printers. On the next screen, choose 'use the following port" and from the pull down list choose LPT2. If you downloaded and extracted the host driver (link a couple of posts up), choose 'have disk' and go to the folder where the host printer files were extracted. You need to find the 'inf' file. They can have different names - sometimes autorun.inf, or something partial to the model # like hp2105xx.inf.

When you choose the right one and click 'ok' it should load a list of models you can choose from. Make sure whatever model driver name you choose matches the same name as the model driver name that is on your local computer. Check the exact driver name of your local comptuer printer by going to start>settings>printers> and right click on your printer and go to properties. Click the advance tab and the driver currently installed should be listed toward the middle of the tab. When you install the printer on the remote pc make sure that the names are the same (it's that secret handshake analogy again). You can check it the same way as you checked it on your local computer.

The goal is to get the same driver loaded on the remote pc. Even if you have to trick it into thinking you have a printer on a different LPT port by going thru the steps above. Once you get through the install steps without the computer trying to verify that there is a printer attached you have successfully loaded the driver to the remote machine. Unfortunately you do have to go thru the motions of installing it so that the correct registry entries and files get put where they need to be.

Sorry for the novella, it would have been easier to walk you thru it over the phone. Let me know if any of this helps.

 

[nocluejoe]

Thanks for your patience and knowledge! Here is the list of steps I took:

1. Clicked Start, Settings, then clicked Printers and faxes.
2. The Printers folder opened.
3. Clicked the Add Printer icon on the left hand side.
4. The Add Printer dialog box opened.
5. Clicked Next on the Welcome to the Add Printer Wizard dialog box.
6. Selected Local printer in the "Local or Network Printer" dialog box.
7. Made sure "Automatically detect and install my Plug and Play printer" was not selected.
8. Clicked 'Next'.
9. Selected the Printer Port "TS001".
10.Clicked 'Have Disk'.
11.The "Install From Disk" dialog box appeared.
12.Clicked Browse. Browsed to the hpljp1005.inf file.
(had copied over the install cd before)
13.The printer name was be highlighted on the next window.
14.Clicked Next
15.Left the default printer name (was the same as on local computer)
16.Clicked no for making the printer default.
17.Clicked Next
18.The Printer Sharing dialog box opened.
19.Clicked Next
20.The Print Test Page box appeared.
21.Selected Yes to print a test page.
22.Printed Test Page.
23.Clicked Finish
24.Completing the Add Printer Wizard