The KB article is only relevant if the particular printers used by all of
the home users connect via a DOT4 port.
If this were the issue, it can be fixed at home by making the registry
change and restarting.
However, I suspect that your issue is simpler, and is at the other end--but
I wouldn't lose hope.
Other than the port not being redirected (the DOT4 case)--the most likely
issue is lack of a driver for the specific printers, on the host server.
This cause can be diagnosed by looking at the event logs at the server
end--they will clearly show an event such as the following in the system
event log:
Driver hp deskjet 940c series required for printer hp deskjet 940c series is
unknown. Contact the administrator to install the driver before you log in
again.
The solution is to install a driver for the printer in question on the
server. This is not as quick and easy a decision as it might be for the user
at home--you, sitting at home, have bought the printer and need to install
the driver to use it--no-brainer! At the server end, the question is
whether installing the driver might cause instability in the server--i.e.
make it crash. So--the Server admin wants to find a driver which has passed
WHQL certification so that it isn't likely to crash the server and
inconvenience ALL the users.
The driver can be downloaded and installed on the server as though the
printer were local, and attached to LPT1. Once the driver is installed, the
resultant printer icon/choice, can, in fact, be deleted. This should raise
a dialog asking whether the files associated with this printer which are no
longer needed, should be deleted. Answer NO to this dialog, thus removing
the printer icon, but leaving the driver available for on-the-fly creation
of the printer for the remote clients.
Kinda long winded: Possibilities are ports not being redirected (dot4/kb
article registry change) and/or (can be BOTH issues!) no driver at the
server end.
Bill Marks said:
There are several of us that connect to our network from home, and no one
can print at home. Our network runs on Windows 2000 Server. One of the
other threads about this issue points to Article 302361 which requires
editing the register. My question is very basic. Can I as a home user fix
this problem myself at home, or does the IT guy at work have to do
something? If its the former, what do I do? If its the latter, then we
are in trouble, as he doesn't seem to be able to fix the problem!!!!
