Win7 64bit and Server 2003 printers

[Sheridan]

Bit of a noob question here but I'm trying to get our new Win7 64bit PCs to connect to the printers shared on our Server 2003 32 bit box.

 

Bascially we use the PrintUiEntry command to add printers to a machine:

 

rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /ga /n\\server\printername

 

This works great on XP but the Win7 machines come up with an error: ('Operation could not be completed error 0x00000709) and no printer is added.

 

I guess this is something to do with 64bit drivers? Do I need the 64bit drivers on the 2003 server, or do I install them on the 64 client? Or can I somehow make the client use the existing 32bit drivers that are already on the server?

 

The printers I'm trying to add are all HP - HP only seem to offer a 'universal' driver for Win7 64 bit

[mac_shinobi]

I was thinking of this :

 

Using Windows Server 2003 32-bit print server with Windows 7 64-bit clients « Nixadmins.net

 

But I also found this :

 

Print driver installation on 32-bit versus 64-bit servers - Ask the Performance Team - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

[SYNACK]

The 32bit UPD is avalible HP Universal Print Driver Series for Windows*-* Download drivers and software - HP Business Support Center

 

HP Universal Print Driver Series for Windows*-* Download drivers and software - HP Business Support Center

 

and you just need to make sure that your 32bit server is using the same version as you want to add a 64 bit driver for, download both, install the UPD on the server and then under the shareing tab there is an additional drivers button, click that, x64 and point it to the location of the extracted UPD driver.

 

You can swap out the drivers on your existing printers and as long as you have added the x64 one once it will be avalible to all printers using the UPD. Your clients will then just pull down the correct driver for its platform when the script is run.

Edited May 31, 2011 by SYNACK

[Sheridan]

Hmm when I try to add the 64bit UPD driver to the server (in Additional Drivers \ x64) it just tells me there is no driver 'for the requested processor architecture'?

[mac_shinobi]

Hmm when I try to add the 64bit UPD driver to the server (in Additional Drivers \ x64) it just tells me there is no driver 'for the requested processor architecture'?

 

As per my first link - there is a comment on or near the bottom of the tutorial :

 

GeronimoDubois posted the comment on June 23rd, 2010
 
 

1. A lot of older model HP printers, for which i can’t use the universal PCL6 driver (because i need printer specific features). The Win7 drivers are only available from Win7, not from HP site anymore. I guess installing the drivers once on the win7 client, and then using RSAT from that client to install it on the Windows 2003 server does the trick.
    
   

[Sheridan]

Ahh I see - I just need to try and get the correct driver on the client first. Which I haven't managed to do yet as it just sits at the 'checking windows update' stage for ages when I try to add the printer.

 

Edit:

 

Nope still struggling with this. Downloaded the 64 bit UPD which won't install on the server. Managed to get the Windows 7 64 bit driver on the client and copied it over with Print management to the server. Still get the error adding the printer (error 0x00000709) which seems to be as if it can't see the server/printer. It definitely can because if I use the GUI to add the printer it is listed!

Edited May 31, 2011 by Sheridan

[mac_shinobi]

Ahh I see - I just need to try and get the correct driver on the client first. Which I haven't managed to do yet as it just sits at the 'checking windows update' stage for ages when I try to add the printer

 

Think before you get to that stage if i remember correctly its either to do with :

 

1. A checkbox that needs un checking regarding automatically finding or updating drivers

 

2. Selecting the correct option with regards to manually setting up the printer

 

Also with regards to manually setting up the printer on a win 7 client I think I used LPR and to enable LPR you can do the following on the client - see attached pdf.

 

I was using the method described in the pdf for single clients but not sure how it would work with regards to what you are trying to do

enable lpr using tcp.ip for Windows 7.pdf

[Sheridan]

If I skip the windows update section I've now got the 64bit driver loaded on both client and server.

 

I get an error whether I run the script or when I manually add using the gui! When I leave the windows update to complete it simply comes back with a message saying it couldn't find a .inf file for '(Unknown)' - odd as it knows the printer driver name!

[mac_shinobi]

If I skip the windows update section I've now got the 64bit driver loaded on both client and server.

 

I get an error whether I run the script or when I manually add using the gui! When I leave the windows update to complete it simply comes back with a message saying it couldn't find a .inf file for '(Unknown)' - odd as it knows the printer driver name!

 

Any info on the error - any screen grab of said error and also copy of the script ?

[Sheridan]

I'm not in front of the server now - I'll get some screen shots when I'm back in the office!

[Sheridan]

Right, this is the error I get when I run the command: (attachment error1)

rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /ga /n\\server\printer

 

And if I let it search Windows Update for a driver I get the error shown in error2

 

This is with the 64bit driver on both the client and the server - checked by looking at Print management on the client, and also on the server itself

 

Even more bizarre - if I add the printer manually by specifying its IP address, the client installs the printer (using the x64 driver) and works OK!

 

Does the PrintUIEntry command just no longer work on Windows 7?

Edited June 1, 2011 by Sheridan

[mac_shinobi]

Right, this is the error I get when I run the command: (attachment error1)

rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /ga /n\\server\printer

And if I let it search Windows Update for a driver I get the error shown in error2

 

This is with the 64bit driver on both the client and the server - checked by looking at Print management on the client, and also on the server itself

 

Even more bizarre - if I add the printer manually by specifying its IP address, the client installs the printer (using the x64 driver) and works OK!

 

Does the PrintUIEntry command just no longer work on Windows 7?

 

Any chance you can try with the PCL 5 driver if there is one available ?

 

For both print server and client - not sure if its related but found something on google stating that if a profile is deleted then the memory / cache in the print spooler is not deleted and to work around it to restart the print spooler service, just curious if that helps or makes any difference on a windows 7 client ?

Edited June 1, 2011 by mac_shinobi

[mac_shinobi]

Not sure if this helps :

 

Using Print Shares on Windows 7 - error 0x00000709 on set as defualt - Spiceworks Community

[Sheridan]

The spooler at client and server end has been restarted many times now.

 

When I run the PrintUIEntry manually (through command line) I get no errors, and if I run it with the /ge option it shows the printer in the list!

 

So its adding the printer,but not showing it for the users. I'm guessing it can't find/load the drivers to finish the process in some way?

 

I've also tried this on a 32 bit version of Windows 7 - same error!

[Sheridan]

Removing the line from my script that sets the printer as default has got rid of that error now - but still the printer doesn't appear to install. I've also tried enabling Network Discovery and still no luck.

 

The error in the PrintService log shows this:

 

Log Name:      Microsoft-Windows-PrintService/Admin
Source:        Microsoft-Windows-PrintService
Date:          01/06/2011 12:37:32
Event ID:      215
Task Category: Installing a printer driver
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Printer Setup,Printer
User:          SYSTEM
Computer:      computer.domain
Description:
Installing printer driver HP LaserJet P2050 Series PCL 6 failed, error code 0x0, HRESULT 0x80070705. See the event user data for context information.
Event Xml:

 
   
   215
   0
   2
   19
   12
   0x8000000000000220
   
   86
   
   
   Microsoft-Windows-PrintService/Admin
   computername
   
 
 
   
     InternalInstallPrinterDriverFromPackage
     pfnPSetupParseInfAndCommitFileQueue failed
     -
     -
     HP LaserJet P2050 Series PCL 6
     -
     Windows x64
     Not package aware
     -
     0x0
     0x80070705
   
 

 

That doesn't really give me any more info.

Edited June 1, 2011 by Sheridan

[mac_shinobi]

Installing Windows Vista Print Drivers on Windows Server 2003 - Ask the Performance Team - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

 

The above seems similar to the windows 7 one I posted above although had a post on experts exchange stating the method above worked ( shrugs )

 

Another thread is stating to delete registry keys that are mentioned in the error

 

Headache Time Trying to Install HP LaserJet 2015

 

Think im grasping at straws now as im out of ideas

 

http://www.experts-exchange.com/OS/Microsoft_Operating_Systems/Windows/Windows_7/Q_24805802.html

[Sheridan]

I think something must be wrong at the client end. I installed the Windows 7 x64 drivers onto the client using the RSAT tool. I also installed it onto the print server in the same way.

 

When try to get the properties of the printer (that is shared) on the server on RSAT it tells me the drivers aren't installed and asks do I want to install them now. It does this every time I try and get the properties,whether I install the drivers or not.

 

I can't seem to add Additional drivers at the server end either - it always asks you to browse for an .inf file - but I can't get this file as the driver is the Windows 7 inbuilt one!

 

This is going to be a major headache for us if we can't use our print server with 32/64bit Windows 7. Another black mark against Win7! If we add the printers manually using the IP address then the print server is not used - not much good for us.

[mac_shinobi]

I think something must be wrong at the client end. I installed the Windows 7 x64 drivers onto the client using the RSAT tool. I also installed it onto the print server in the same way.

 

When try to get the properties of the printer (that is shared) on the server on RSAT it tells me the drivers aren't installed and asks do I want to install them now. It does this every time I try and get the properties,whether I install the drivers or not.

 

I can't seem to add Additional drivers at the server end either - it always asks you to browse for an .inf file - but I can't get this file as the driver is the Windows 7 inbuilt one!

 

This is going to be a major headache for us if we can't use our print server with 32/64bit Windows 7. Another black mark against Win7! If we add the printers manually using the IP address then the print server is not used - not much good for us.

 

The HP Driver is it an MSI or exe file - just wondering if there is some way to extract the driver out of the exe or msi using the relevant switch ie

 

setup.exe -a or setup.exe -x

 

or

 

setup.msi /a or setup.msi /x

 

same for the exe files ref using a forward slash and either a or x ie

 

setup.exe /a or setup.exe /x

 

Obviously depending on what made the msi or exe depends on how its extracted, I have also found using 7 zip, winrar , or just renaming the exe to a zip file extension and extracting the items out of the exe sometimes works.

[mac_shinobi]

I have always found PCL 6 drivers to be very buggy - just having a look myself to see if there is any PCL 5 drivers or anything other then PCL 6 at least

 

As per synacks link - there is a PCL 5 version so I would use that for both the server and client - same way as before ( RSAT )

[SYNACK]

Could be the install method, when we went Win7 we had to scrap a bunch of the old logon stuff and move to vbs which solved the mapping issues we were having. I know it is possible, we had 10 hp printers hung off a 2003 server for most of the time we had Vistax32 and x64.

[TheScarfedOne]

seconded for moving to vbs. did that with all may scripts a while back. print drivers, particuarly HP recently are the bane of my life.

[Sheridan]

I get the the same problems running the command directly on the client as well though. I'm trying to get 32/64bit PCL5 drivers and try them out as well.

[Sheridan]

Right I'm making some progress here! And I think the reason I've found for the failure is pretty ridiculous!

 

The printers are HP 2055 and 2025 models. Installing the x64 drivers on the server seeme to work ok but the crucial difference seems to be that the driver name for the 32bit version is "HP Laserjet P2055 Series PCL 6" and the 64bit version is "HP Laserjet P2055 Series PCL6".

 

Yep - that space seems to cause the problems! When I finally managed to get the HP Universal Printing PCL6 driver installed on the server and specified that it works - mainly becuase both the x86 and x64 versions have EXACTLY the same name.

 

I'll have to test how the universal print driver works on colour laserjets etc but this is a really stupid reason for driver to fail to install! I can't even change the driver name to compensate.

 

Thanks to all for your input - I'm going to test this out further now.

[SYNACK]

and you just need to make sure that your 32bit server is using the same version as you want to add a 64 bit driver for, download both, install the UPD on the server and then under the shareing tab there is an additional drivers button, click that, x64 and point it to the location of the extracted UPD driver.

 

Yeap, the drivers have to be the same version as the settings file that houses stuff like paper sizes and tray selection must be exactly the same and so transferable between the two architectures as the settings stuff is not standardised between some vendors hence the restriction. (Brothers excuses for drivers committed numerous crimes like this so any blame should be leveled at shocking vendors).

[mac_shinobi]

Right I'm making some progress here! And I think the reason I've found for the failure is pretty ridiculous!

 

The printers are HP 2055 and 2025 models. Installing the x64 drivers on the server seeme to work ok but the crucial difference seems to be that the driver name for the 32bit version is "HP Laserjet P2055 Series PCL 6" and the 64bit version is "HP Laserjet P2055 Series PCL6".

 

Yep - that space seems to cause the problems! When I finally managed to get the HP Universal Printing PCL6 driver installed on the server and specified that it works - mainly becuase both the x86 and x64 versions have EXACTLY the same name.

 

I'll have to test how the universal print driver works on colour laserjets etc but this is a really stupid reason for driver to fail to install! I can't even change the driver name to compensate.

 

Thanks to all for your input - I'm going to test this out further now.

 

Am sure there was a work around somewhere - not sure if it was the same thing or related but before installing the driver that did not include the space, you can go into the inf file and insert a space and save the inf file and then install it so both had a space ?