Windows 7 Printers - HP UPD this time

[it-hell]

Hi

Firstly I have seen the other threads about the joys of Windows 7 and printers, oh what fun....

We have our own problem with w7 drivers currently affecting the HP universal printer driver (5.1) for w7 x86 where it takes up to 2 mins to add a queue to windows per printer.

The event log registers event id 1000 "Interactive Service Detection" as having a fault when trying to install the queue. It would also have this:

C:\Windows\System32\spoolsv.exe

{queue name} Properties

 

The handle is invalid

in the entry but the weird thing is the printers would be added and you can print to them as far as I have tested. Not sure why it takes so long to install but it appears to be an issue with the UPD drivers from HP and causes the event 1000 to be raised.

 

Any one have any possible suggestions or have experienced it before?

[AngryTechnician]

Yep, saw this on Vista too. It's the UPD alright, and it's been happening for years. I've never managed to get anyone at HP to take any interest in getting fixed.

 

The 'Interactive service detection' is telling you that the driver is popping up a dialog box in 'session 0', which is the console session assigned to service applications. Before Vista, the first user to logon would also run in session 0, but this was changed to improve security by ensuring that the local user could never interact with software running in a service account, which would allow them elevated privileges.

 

Basically, popping up any UI in session 0 is now forbidden according to Microsoft application standards. However, some of the HP printer drivers still do it in certain circumstances (especially when assigning printers via Group Policy). While Windows has systems to mitigate this (basically allowing an admin to switch to session 0 temporarily to dismiss it), if it happens during logon, it's impossible to switch to session 0, so you can't dismiss it. Eventually the logon service times out waiting for the dismissal and proceeds with the logon, which is the delays you're seeing.

 

Suggestions:

 

1. Try a different driver, such as the specific driver for that printer if one is available
   
2. Replace your HP printers with one from a company that can write drivers properly.
   

 

I'll be honest, I've had more luck with option 2 than option 1.

Edited July 22, 2010 by AngryTechnician

[3s-gtech]

Yeah, the HP UPD has caused me a fair bit of grief. I have switched back to the standard driver for one printer, and will monitor the rest.

[joe90bass]

Oh joy.. I have resolving printing issues with HP printers on our 2008R2 TS farm down on my job list. HP UPDs were what I was going to look at.............

[3s-gtech]

Well, in many circumstances here it works fine (the PCL5 one). However, it caused issues with printing from Foxit (I won't use Acrobat for the most part, as it's so bulky) and if you tried loading Nova-T4 with the HP printer as default it'd crash Nova out. Fairly minor, especially if you don't use those, but very irritating.

[joe90bass]

Thanks. I'll give it a go then - we won't be running Nova-T4 or Foxit on our TS farm.

[it-hell]

Well, in many circumstances here it works fine (the PCL5 one). However, it caused issues with printing from Foxit (I won't use Acrobat for the most part, as it's so bulky) and if you tried loading Nova-T4 with the HP printer as default it'd crash Nova out. Fairly minor, especially if you don't use those, but very irritating.

 

Did you manually install the queues?

 

Thanks for all the info all btw, just really depressing info thats all....

[ZeroHour]

Had similiar issues using 2008 r2 print server. We are *trying* the xerox universal driver out now to see how that goes but the issue we have found is not all our printers have their own drivers and hp just tells you to use universal, fail...

[3s-gtech]

@it-hell - Didn't do anything like that, just deployed them via GPP. That all worked fine. It was critical to set the Print Processors to be the Winprint RAW processor though, otherwise our x86/x64 driver setup wouldn't work on most PCs.

[ZeroHour]

RE: xerox driver, its worthless and doesnt actually print....

Also it appears a ton of the drivers for HP's do the error as well.... and thats before we get to the fact HP have nerfed w7 support in a fair few models telling you to use UPD. Even their *current* models have no support such as the P3005....

Angry: whats a good printer manufacturer?

[AngryTechnician]

Angry: whats a good printer manufacturer?

Ah, the £1,000,000 question. Personally I'm not sure if such a thing exists...

 

I used to say Xerox but went off them last year, as you have done too I see. My most recent purchase has been a Kyocera Mita, which seems fine so far, though no doubt someone will be by in a minute to tell me how bad the Kyocera Mita printers are.

[ZeroHour]

Ah, the £1,000,000 question. Personally I'm not sure if such a thing exists...

 

I used to say Xerox but went off them last year, as you have done too I see. My most recent purchase has been a Kyocera Mita, which seems fine so far, though no doubt someone will be by in a minute to tell me how bad the Kyocera Mita printers are.

 

 

Those Kyocera got good drivers?

[DMcCoy]

I've used the Windows Update option in printers to add all of the Microsoft supplied ones here, not had any that aren't on that list yet (it's huge!).

 

Got HP 2300n, 2420n, 3005n, 3015n, 4200n, 4250n, 5550dn all working perfectly on R2 for the last year with x86 and x64 drivers. Bonus is that they are all signed too!

 

In terms of new printers, I'd quite like to get some reconditioned 4200s, they are pretty indestructable. New ones like the 3015 are a bit plasticy.

[ZeroHour]

I've used the Windows Update option in printers to add all of the Microsoft supplied ones here, not had any that aren't on that list yet (it's huge!).

 

Got HP 2300n, 2420n, 3005n, 3015n, 4200n, 4250n, 5550dn all working perfectly on R2 for the last year with x86 and x64 drivers. Bonus is that they are all signed too!

 

In terms of new printers, I'd quite like to get some reconditioned 4200s, they are pretty indestructable. New ones like the 3015 are a bit plasticy.

 

Does windows update install the x86 ones too?

some of those would be nice

[joe90bass]

Well I have just redone our TS farm with the HP v5.1 UPDs and installed on our print server and so far so good! The true test will be Sept when the printers get a hammering again, hopefully thought this will be the end of the print spoolers falling over...........

[ZeroHour]

I've used the Windows Update option in printers to add all of the Microsoft supplied ones here, not had any that aren't on that list yet (it's huge!).

 

Got HP 2300n, 2420n, 3005n, 3015n, 4200n, 4250n, 5550dn all working perfectly on R2 for the last year with x86 and x64 drivers. Bonus is that they are all signed too!

 

In terms of new printers, I'd quite like to get some reconditioned 4200s, they are pretty indestructable. New ones like the 3015 are a bit plasticy.

 

Cant find 3005n ones on the windows update catalogue. Are they made by MS or HP?

[DMcCoy]

Does windows update install the x86 ones too?

some of those would be nice

 

You can use an x86 Win 7 machine to connect to the server to add the x86 windows update ones.

 

The 3005n is listed as a P3005 which is why you can't find it.

[ZeroHour]

Thanks for all the help DMcCoy, got most of the drivers switched out now. The only ones I am really missing are for p2015 p2055 and cp3525 if any one knows where I can get *good* versions of these?

[john]

Thanks for all the help DMcCoy, got most of the drivers switched out now. The only ones I am really missing are for p2015 p2055 and cp3525 if any one knows where I can get *good* versions of these?

 

P2015 I thought was part of the Win 7 catalogue, I have one connected to over the LAN at work in our Data Managers office and its on my PC in my office not via our print server and it just got them from the Net itself I thought

 

I've used the Windows Update option in printers to add all of the Microsoft supplied ones here, not had any that aren't on that list yet (it's huge!).

 

Got HP 2300n, 2420n, 3005n, 3015n, 4200n, 4250n, 5550dn all working perfectly on R2 for the last year with x86 and x64 drivers. Bonus is that they are all signed too!

 

In terms of new printers, I'd quite like to get some reconditioned 4200s, they are pretty indestructable. New ones like the 3015 are a bit plasticy.

 

John Graham at ICT Direct has 4200's Reconditioned, I know as I've got a couple from him

 

When you say used the update option to add them, are you manually connected to a Win 7 box or is there a box ive missed when looking on my 2008 R2 box?

Edited July 23, 2010 by john
my posts I'll merge em ;)

[DMcCoy]

I'm adding printer drivers first, with the print managment mmc. When you add there is a "windows update" option at the bottom of the usual list of MS supplied drivers. Use that and the list will be updated with quite a lot more (can take a little while to update the list).

 

Things like the P3005 aren't on the list, as the drivers are shown as supplied by HP and not MS, although I think they are still available on the windows catalog, as I don't remember downloading them from HP. You get slightly different options when adding the driver during the printer install, which is where I think I got those ones.

[john]

Thanks for that I hadn't noticed that as most of mine are at the top of lists and have simple names hehe

[ZeroHour]

John: you were correct, now all I need is good p2055 drivers (p2050 series) as the ones I have right now are borked.

[ZeroHour]

P2015 I thought was part of the Win 7 catalogue, I have one connected to over the LAN at work in our Data Managers office and its on my PC in my office not via our print server and it just got them from the Net itself I thought

 

Hmm it appears that p2015 might not be actually. I have searched the catalog and they have xp x64 etc but not 2008+ drivers. Can you double check who issued the drivers?