HP print driver crashes when using network printer, can't view properties/print

[link470]

Hi everyone,

 

We have a number of laptops running Windows XP SP3 that communicate with a print server and I'm adding network printers to them, and then creating a default profile. This works on some laptops just fine. However, I'm having a very annoying issue that causes the following error to come up whenever I right click the printer in Printers and Faxes and select Properties: "Function address [different number every time] caused a protection fault. Exception code 0xc0000005. Some or all property pages may not be displayed.", and this is for Explorer.exe.

 

Trying to print to the printer will also cause whatever application was trying to print to crash. Even just choosing File>Print in some cases without even attempting the print itself, will crash if the network printer is the default printer.

 

One thing that DOES work, is if I create the printer as a local printer and don't run it through the print server. If I create a local IP port, and select the driver, it works perfectly. No crashes.

 

I've tried numerous things to get it to print through the print server:

•Different driver versions

•Clearing the driver from Server Properties in the Printers and Faxes file menu

•Emptying the spool driver cache

•Viewing around 10-15 pages deep in Google search results for that error message and have tried almost everything mentioned

 

The most annoying part of all is that out of all of the laptops that I have this set up with [configuration being basically the exact same for each laptop], some work, and some don't. I set all the printers up the same. Certain laptops I can log into as a network user, print to one of the network printers, and have absolutely no problems. Others, crash constantly with that error when viewing print properties, or crash whatever application is trying to print.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[ass17]

Try creating a new user profile.

[slugshead]

Sounds about right for HP

[link470]

Try creating a new user profile.

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, that didn't work. Under a separate local profile as a standard user, and after adding the network printer, printer properties still gives me the same error.

 

Any other ideas?

[ass17]

Does this happen with only HP printers?

[Cache]

I think I had a similar issue with a print driver, however it would print you just couldn't view the print properties dialog.

 

While I haven't fully investigated it because it is in a working state still at the moment and I've other changes planned, I think it's because I am using the 2008 R2/Windows 7 version driver on a 2003 print server (or the 2003/xp driver with Windows 7 clients, I can't remember which way round it is) which it isn't 100% happy about.

 

I'd check what software is your print server running on and what driver version you are using, taking a clean version of the driver used on your server and manually connecting to the printer tcp/ip port and seeing if you have the same issue on a laptop that doesn't work.

[ass17]

Just make sure that if your print server is running 2008 then your drivers need to be 2008. Don't use an earlier version of a driver on a higher server version.

 

If you can, avoid using the HP universal print driver, could be no end of issues on the client side when mapping on a windows 7 laptop.

[techsup1983]

Find the universal print drivers for that model of printer that are compatible with xp x86/x64 vista x86 x64 win 7 x86 x64, then on the print server add the same printer again (not touching the original one) using the universal driver/ share it and see if it helps.

[link470]

Does this happen with only HP printers?

It seems to, although all of the printers here I'm trying to install are HP.

 

I'd check what software is your print server running on and what driver version you are using, taking a clean version of the driver used on your server and manually connecting to the printer tcp/ip port and seeing if you have the same issue on a laptop that doesn't work.

We're actually using a Linux print server, and that's what I'm trying to print through. It's hit and miss, some of these laptops I'm configuring [all with the same driver and build] are able to send print jobs perfectly fine. Others give me the exception error above, despite the adding of a new network printer succeeding and the printer showing "ready". Still can't print to it without whatever application that tried to print crashing, or access properties without explorer crashing. I'd say it's because of the Linux server, but that doesn't explain why several are working fine. I'm also supplying the driver straight to the laptop and choosing "Have Disk". It's not obtaining a driver from the server.

 

Also, connecting directly to the TCP/IP port by choosing "local printer" works perfectly fine. I can connect directly to the printer using the same driver with no issues every time.