Add Printer icon missing

[Guest]

Frequently in my Windows 2003 domain, users will find the Add Printer icon
missing and their previously installed printers gone. Or they will click on
the Add printer icon and get a message stating that the action is not allowed
on that computer. This seems to occur randomly on any given computer or with
any given user. Could there be a Group Policy causing this?

 

[Alan Morris [MSFT]]

This sounds like the spooler service has failed and is not started. Bad
print drivers are the most common reason the spooler service terminates.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

 

[Guest]

Why would this occur randomly? It doesn't seem to matter what computer (we
use cloned images, so the drivers are the same) or what user (we use roaming
user profiles)--sometimes printers are fine, sometimes they are not. User A
can log onto computer 1 and it is fine, User B can log onto computer 2 and be
fine, User C log onto computer 3 and have a problem. They can switch around
and User C is fine, Computer 3 is fine, but User A may have a problem on
Computer 2.

How would I detect a problem with the spooler? I assume you mean the spooler
on the print server. It seems to be working fine as people aren't losing
print jobs.

We didn't have this problem until mid-August. I'm wondering if some Windows
update caused a problem.

This sounds like the spooler service has failed and is not started. Bad
print drivers are the most common reason the spooler service terminates.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Frequently in my Windows 2003 domain, users will find the Add Printer icon
missing and their previously installed printers gone. Or they will click
on
the Add printer icon and get a message stating that the action is not
allowed
on that computer. This seems to occur randomly on any given computer or
with
any given user. Could there be a Group Policy causing this?

 

[Alan Morris [MSFT]]

The spooler on the client. Normally caused when print drivers corrupt the
memory in the spooler. A "bad" driver will free memory, then later
reference it. If another driver has store memory at the free location, this
can cause the driver to fail and terminate the spooler.

Also if you have any HP printers make sure you are not using version 19 of
hpbmini.dll. HP fixed the problem in version 20.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Why would this occur randomly? It doesn't seem to matter what computer (we
use cloned images, so the drivers are the same) or what user (we use
roaming
user profiles)--sometimes printers are fine, sometimes they are not. User
A
can log onto computer 1 and it is fine, User B can log onto computer 2 and
be
fine, User C log onto computer 3 and have a problem. They can switch
around
and User C is fine, Computer 3 is fine, but User A may have a problem on
Computer 2.

How would I detect a problem with the spooler? I assume you mean the
spooler
on the print server. It seems to be working fine as people aren't losing
print jobs.

We didn't have this problem until mid-August. I'm wondering if some
Windows
update caused a problem.

This sounds like the spooler service has failed and is not started. Bad
print drivers are the most common reason the spooler service terminates.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Frequently in my Windows 2003 domain, users will find the Add Printer
icon
missing and their previously installed printers gone. Or they will
click
on
the Add printer icon and get a message stating that the action is not
allowed
on that computer. This seems to occur randomly on any given computer or
with
any given user. Could there be a Group Policy causing this?

 

[jelaine]

Thanks for the information. Two questions: 1. Would a corrupt spooler problem
cause the Add Printer icon to disappear or if it is there, result in the
message saying it cannot run due to restrictions placed on this computer? 2.
all our printers are HP. But I can't find the file hpbmini.dll on the few
computers I have checked. Where would it be located. Could the fact that it
is missing be the problem?

The spooler on the client. Normally caused when print drivers corrupt the
memory in the spooler. A "bad" driver will free memory, then later
reference it. If another driver has store memory at the free location, this
can cause the driver to fail and terminate the spooler.

Also if you have any HP printers make sure you are not using version 19 of
hpbmini.dll. HP fixed the problem in version 20.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Why would this occur randomly? It doesn't seem to matter what computer (we
use cloned images, so the drivers are the same) or what user (we use
roaming
user profiles)--sometimes printers are fine, sometimes they are not. User
A
can log onto computer 1 and it is fine, User B can log onto computer 2 and
be
fine, User C log onto computer 3 and have a problem. They can switch
around
and User C is fine, Computer 3 is fine, but User A may have a problem on
Computer 2.

How would I detect a problem with the spooler? I assume you mean the
spooler
on the print server. It seems to be working fine as people aren't losing
print jobs.

We didn't have this problem until mid-August. I'm wondering if some
Windows
update caused a problem.

This sounds like the spooler service has failed and is not started. Bad
print drivers are the most common reason the spooler service terminates.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Frequently in my Windows 2003 domain, users will find the Add Printer
icon
missing and their previously installed printers gone. Or they will
click
on
the Add printer icon and get a message stating that the action is not
allowed
on that computer. This seems to occur randomly on any given computer or
with
any given user. Could there be a Group Policy causing this?

 

[Alan Morris [MSFT]]

Policy restrictions can be enabled on the client so the Add Printer UI will
not work.

hpbmini.dll on the print server
\windows\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Thanks for the information. Two questions: 1. Would a corrupt spooler
problem
cause the Add Printer icon to disappear or if it is there, result in the
message saying it cannot run due to restrictions placed on this computer?
2.
all our printers are HP. But I can't find the file hpbmini.dll on the few
computers I have checked. Where would it be located. Could the fact that
it
is missing be the problem?

The spooler on the client. Normally caused when print drivers corrupt
the
memory in the spooler. A "bad" driver will free memory, then later
reference it. If another driver has store memory at the free location,
this
can cause the driver to fail and terminate the spooler.

Also if you have any HP printers make sure you are not using version 19
of
hpbmini.dll. HP fixed the problem in version 20.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Why would this occur randomly? It doesn't seem to matter what computer
(we
use cloned images, so the drivers are the same) or what user (we use
roaming
user profiles)--sometimes printers are fine, sometimes they are not.
User
A
can log onto computer 1 and it is fine, User B can log onto computer 2
and
be
fine, User C log onto computer 3 and have a problem. They can switch
around
and User C is fine, Computer 3 is fine, but User A may have a problem
on
Computer 2.

How would I detect a problem with the spooler? I assume you mean the
spooler
on the print server. It seems to be working fine as people aren't
losing
print jobs.

We didn't have this problem until mid-August. I'm wondering if some
Windows
update caused a problem.

:

This sounds like the spooler service has failed and is not started.
Bad
print drivers are the most common reason the spooler service
terminates.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Frequently in my Windows 2003 domain, users will find the Add
Printer
icon
missing and their previously installed printers gone. Or they will
click
on
the Add printer icon and get a message stating that the action is
not
allowed
on that computer. This seems to occur randomly on any given computer
or
with
any given user. Could there be a Group Policy causing this?

 

[jelaine]

Found the hpbmini.dll file. It is version 1.0.0.13. How do I update it?

What policy could disable the Add Printer function? I've spent hours pouring
over our GPOs, but can't find anything that would cause it to disappear.

I really appreciate your help.

Policy restrictions can be enabled on the client so the Add Printer UI will
not work.

hpbmini.dll on the print server
\windows\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Thanks for the information. Two questions: 1. Would a corrupt spooler
problem
cause the Add Printer icon to disappear or if it is there, result in the
message saying it cannot run due to restrictions placed on this computer?
2.
all our printers are HP. But I can't find the file hpbmini.dll on the few
computers I have checked. Where would it be located. Could the fact that
it
is missing be the problem?

The spooler on the client. Normally caused when print drivers corrupt
the
memory in the spooler. A "bad" driver will free memory, then later
reference it. If another driver has store memory at the free location,
this
can cause the driver to fail and terminate the spooler.

Also if you have any HP printers make sure you are not using version 19
of
hpbmini.dll. HP fixed the problem in version 20.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Why would this occur randomly? It doesn't seem to matter what computer
(we
use cloned images, so the drivers are the same) or what user (we use
roaming
user profiles)--sometimes printers are fine, sometimes they are not.
User
A
can log onto computer 1 and it is fine, User B can log onto computer 2
and
be
fine, User C log onto computer 3 and have a problem. They can switch
around
and User C is fine, Computer 3 is fine, but User A may have a problem
on
Computer 2.

How would I detect a problem with the spooler? I assume you mean the
spooler
on the print server. It seems to be working fine as people aren't
losing
print jobs.

We didn't have this problem until mid-August. I'm wondering if some
Windows
update caused a problem.

:

This sounds like the spooler service has failed and is not started.
Bad
print drivers are the most common reason the spooler service
terminates.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Frequently in my Windows 2003 domain, users will find the Add
Printer
icon
missing and their previously installed printers gone. Or they will
click
on
the Add printer icon and get a message stating that the action is
not
allowed
on that computer. This seems to occur randomly on any given computer
or
with
any given user. Could there be a Group Policy causing this?

 

[Alan Morris [MSFT]]

Version 13 will work for XP clients. To get the latest version (you have to
have this for any Vista clients), just download and install the latest HP LJ
4345 driver.

this policy does not remove the Add Printer icon. If you think printers
should be listed in the printers folder and they are not, the spooler
service is not running or you are running a really old version of Lantastic.

gpedit.msc
Configuration
Admin templates
Control Panel
Printers
Prevent addition of printers

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Found the hpbmini.dll file. It is version 1.0.0.13. How do I update it?

What policy could disable the Add Printer function? I've spent hours
pouring
over our GPOs, but can't find anything that would cause it to disappear.

I really appreciate your help.

Policy restrictions can be enabled on the client so the Add Printer UI
will
not work.

hpbmini.dll on the print server
\windows\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Thanks for the information. Two questions: 1. Would a corrupt spooler
problem
cause the Add Printer icon to disappear or if it is there, result in
the
message saying it cannot run due to restrictions placed on this
computer?
2.
all our printers are HP. But I can't find the file hpbmini.dll on the
few
computers I have checked. Where would it be located. Could the fact
that
it
is missing be the problem?

:

The spooler on the client. Normally caused when print drivers corrupt
the
memory in the spooler. A "bad" driver will free memory, then later
reference it. If another driver has store memory at the free
location,
this
can cause the driver to fail and terminate the spooler.

Also if you have any HP printers make sure you are not using version
19
of
hpbmini.dll. HP fixed the problem in version 20.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Why would this occur randomly? It doesn't seem to matter what
computer
(we
use cloned images, so the drivers are the same) or what user (we use
roaming
user profiles)--sometimes printers are fine, sometimes they are not.
User
A
can log onto computer 1 and it is fine, User B can log onto computer
2
and
be
fine, User C log onto computer 3 and have a problem. They can switch
around
and User C is fine, Computer 3 is fine, but User A may have a
problem
on
Computer 2.

How would I detect a problem with the spooler? I assume you mean the
spooler
on the print server. It seems to be working fine as people aren't
losing
print jobs.

We didn't have this problem until mid-August. I'm wondering if some
Windows
update caused a problem.

:

This sounds like the spooler service has failed and is not started.
Bad
print drivers are the most common reason the spooler service
terminates.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Frequently in my Windows 2003 domain, users will find the Add
Printer
icon
missing and their previously installed printers gone. Or they
will
click
on
the Add printer icon and get a message stating that the action is
not
allowed
on that computer. This seems to occur randomly on any given
computer
or
with
any given user. Could there be a Group Policy causing this?

 

[jelaine]

OK. Back to my original question about the Add Printer icon disappearing
randomly and printers already installed disappearing randomly. Happens on
different computers with different logins (roaming user profiles) at
different times. For esample, User 1 could log onto one computer and be able
to add a printer when User 2 on that same computer couldn't add a printer.
Then User 1 wouldn't be able to add a printer on another computer. Never
consistent. There's no problem printing--if the printer is there, it can
print fine.

Version 13 will work for XP clients. To get the latest version (you have to
have this for any Vista clients), just download and install the latest HP LJ
4345 driver.

this policy does not remove the Add Printer icon. If you think printers
should be listed in the printers folder and they are not, the spooler
service is not running or you are running a really old version of Lantastic.

gpedit.msc
Configuration
Admin templates
Control Panel
Printers
Prevent addition of printers

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Found the hpbmini.dll file. It is version 1.0.0.13. How do I update it?

What policy could disable the Add Printer function? I've spent hours
pouring
over our GPOs, but can't find anything that would cause it to disappear.

I really appreciate your help.

Policy restrictions can be enabled on the client so the Add Printer UI
will
not work.

hpbmini.dll on the print server
\windows\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Thanks for the information. Two questions: 1. Would a corrupt spooler
problem
cause the Add Printer icon to disappear or if it is there, result in
the
message saying it cannot run due to restrictions placed on this
computer?
2.
all our printers are HP. But I can't find the file hpbmini.dll on the
few
computers I have checked. Where would it be located. Could the fact
that
it
is missing be the problem?

:

The spooler on the client. Normally caused when print drivers corrupt
the
memory in the spooler. A "bad" driver will free memory, then later
reference it. If another driver has store memory at the free
location,
this
can cause the driver to fail and terminate the spooler.

Also if you have any HP printers make sure you are not using version
19
of
hpbmini.dll. HP fixed the problem in version 20.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Why would this occur randomly? It doesn't seem to matter what
computer
(we
use cloned images, so the drivers are the same) or what user (we use
roaming
user profiles)--sometimes printers are fine, sometimes they are not.
User
A
can log onto computer 1 and it is fine, User B can log onto computer
2
and
be
fine, User C log onto computer 3 and have a problem. They can switch
around
and User C is fine, Computer 3 is fine, but User A may have a
problem
on
Computer 2.

How would I detect a problem with the spooler? I assume you mean the
spooler
on the print server. It seems to be working fine as people aren't
losing
print jobs.

We didn't have this problem until mid-August. I'm wondering if some
Windows
update caused a problem.

:

This sounds like the spooler service has failed and is not started.
Bad
print drivers are the most common reason the spooler service
terminates.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Frequently in my Windows 2003 domain, users will find the Add
Printer
icon
missing and their previously installed printers gone. Or they
will
click
on
the Add printer icon and get a message stating that the action is
not
allowed
on that computer. This seems to occur randomly on any given
computer
or
with
any given user. Could there be a Group Policy causing this?

 

[Alan Morris [MSFT]]

The spooler service is failing. Send the dump files to MS and restart the
spooler. Most likely there is a print driver corrupting the spooler process
memory which will cause random failures.

Do you use logon scripts to add printers to user accounts?

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

OK. Back to my original question about the Add Printer icon disappearing
randomly and printers already installed disappearing randomly. Happens on
different computers with different logins (roaming user profiles) at
different times. For esample, User 1 could log onto one computer and be
able
to add a printer when User 2 on that same computer couldn't add a printer.
Then User 1 wouldn't be able to add a printer on another computer. Never
consistent. There's no problem printing--if the printer is there, it can
print fine.

Version 13 will work for XP clients. To get the latest version (you have
to
have this for any Vista clients), just download and install the latest HP
LJ
4345 driver.

this policy does not remove the Add Printer icon. If you think printers
should be listed in the printers folder and they are not, the spooler
service is not running or you are running a really old version of
Lantastic.

gpedit.msc
Configuration
Admin templates
Control Panel
Printers
Prevent addition of printers

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Found the hpbmini.dll file. It is version 1.0.0.13. How do I update it?

What policy could disable the Add Printer function? I've spent hours
pouring
over our GPOs, but can't find anything that would cause it to
disappear.

I really appreciate your help.

:

Policy restrictions can be enabled on the client so the Add Printer UI
will
not work.

hpbmini.dll on the print server
\windows\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Thanks for the information. Two questions: 1. Would a corrupt
spooler
problem
cause the Add Printer icon to disappear or if it is there, result in
the
message saying it cannot run due to restrictions placed on this
computer?
2.
all our printers are HP. But I can't find the file hpbmini.dll on
the
few
computers I have checked. Where would it be located. Could the fact
that
it
is missing be the problem?

:

The spooler on the client. Normally caused when print drivers
corrupt
the
memory in the spooler. A "bad" driver will free memory, then later
reference it. If another driver has store memory at the free
location,
this
can cause the driver to fail and terminate the spooler.

Also if you have any HP printers make sure you are not using
version
19
of
hpbmini.dll. HP fixed the problem in version 20.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Why would this occur randomly? It doesn't seem to matter what
computer
(we
use cloned images, so the drivers are the same) or what user (we
use
roaming
user profiles)--sometimes printers are fine, sometimes they are
not.
User
A
can log onto computer 1 and it is fine, User B can log onto
computer
2
and
be
fine, User C log onto computer 3 and have a problem. They can
switch
around
and User C is fine, Computer 3 is fine, but User A may have a
problem
on
Computer 2.

How would I detect a problem with the spooler? I assume you mean
the
spooler
on the print server. It seems to be working fine as people aren't
losing
print jobs.

We didn't have this problem until mid-August. I'm wondering if
some
Windows
update caused a problem.

:

This sounds like the spooler service has failed and is not
started.
Bad
print drivers are the most common reason the spooler service
terminates.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no
rights.

Frequently in my Windows 2003 domain, users will find the Add
Printer
icon
missing and their previously installed printers gone. Or they
will
click
on
the Add printer icon and get a message stating that the action
is
not
allowed
on that computer. This seems to occur randomly on any given
computer
or
with
any given user. Could there be a Group Policy causing this?

 

[jelaine]

Maybe I don't understand what the print spooler does. I didn't think it had
anything to do with the Add Printer icon disappearing. When it does
disappear, you can go to File|Add Printer. Instead of the Add Printer Wizard
coming up, the message "This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions
in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator." This
sounds more like a GPO that sometimes gets applied, sometime doesn't. I just
don't know what GP it could be.

If it is the spooler on each computer, why would 350 spoolers go bad all of
a sudden?

To answer your question, when this problem first appeared, I set a GPO to
install published printers when a user logs in. It doesn't seem to work,
however.

The spooler service is failing. Send the dump files to MS and restart the
spooler. Most likely there is a print driver corrupting the spooler process
memory which will cause random failures.

Do you use logon scripts to add printers to user accounts?

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

OK. Back to my original question about the Add Printer icon disappearing
randomly and printers already installed disappearing randomly. Happens on
different computers with different logins (roaming user profiles) at
different times. For esample, User 1 could log onto one computer and be
able
to add a printer when User 2 on that same computer couldn't add a printer.
Then User 1 wouldn't be able to add a printer on another computer. Never
consistent. There's no problem printing--if the printer is there, it can
print fine.

Version 13 will work for XP clients. To get the latest version (you have
to
have this for any Vista clients), just download and install the latest HP
LJ
4345 driver.

this policy does not remove the Add Printer icon. If you think printers
should be listed in the printers folder and they are not, the spooler
service is not running or you are running a really old version of
Lantastic.

gpedit.msc
Configuration
Admin templates
Control Panel
Printers
Prevent addition of printers

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Found the hpbmini.dll file. It is version 1.0.0.13. How do I update it?

What policy could disable the Add Printer function? I've spent hours
pouring
over our GPOs, but can't find anything that would cause it to
disappear.

I really appreciate your help.

:

Policy restrictions can be enabled on the client so the Add Printer UI
will
not work.

hpbmini.dll on the print server
\windows\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Thanks for the information. Two questions: 1. Would a corrupt
spooler
problem
cause the Add Printer icon to disappear or if it is there, result in
the
message saying it cannot run due to restrictions placed on this
computer?
2.
all our printers are HP. But I can't find the file hpbmini.dll on
the
few
computers I have checked. Where would it be located. Could the fact
that
it
is missing be the problem?

:

The spooler on the client. Normally caused when print drivers
corrupt
the
memory in the spooler. A "bad" driver will free memory, then later
reference it. If another driver has store memory at the free
location,
this
can cause the driver to fail and terminate the spooler.

Also if you have any HP printers make sure you are not using
version
19
of
hpbmini.dll. HP fixed the problem in version 20.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Why would this occur randomly? It doesn't seem to matter what
computer
(we
use cloned images, so the drivers are the same) or what user (we
use
roaming
user profiles)--sometimes printers are fine, sometimes they are
not.
User
A
can log onto computer 1 and it is fine, User B can log onto
computer
2
and
be
fine, User C log onto computer 3 and have a problem. They can
switch
around
and User C is fine, Computer 3 is fine, but User A may have a
problem
on
Computer 2.

How would I detect a problem with the spooler? I assume you mean
the
spooler
on the print server. It seems to be working fine as people aren't
losing
print jobs.

We didn't have this problem until mid-August. I'm wondering if
some
Windows
update caused a problem.

:

This sounds like the spooler service has failed and is not
started.
Bad
print drivers are the most common reason the spooler service
terminates.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no
rights.

Frequently in my Windows 2003 domain, users will find the Add
Printer
icon
missing and their previously installed printers gone. Or they
will
click
on
the Add printer icon and get a message stating that the action
is
not
allowed
on that computer. This seems to occur randomly on any given
computer
or
with
any given user. Could there be a Group Policy causing this?

 

[Alan Morris [MSFT]]

The icon is part of the User Interface. The print spooler does not need the
icon to add and delete printers but when the spooler crashes it sometimes is
unavailable in the printers folder. The Windows Folder Option: Show common
tasks in folders, setting removes the Add Printer icon from the printers
folder.

the error you are receiving is from this policy setting

Run RSOP.msc to create view that will show which GPO is setting this policy
\


Do you have special GPO software? The spooler service does not supply a
policy setting to install published printers.


--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Maybe I don't understand what the print spooler does. I didn't think it
had
anything to do with the Add Printer icon disappearing. When it does
disappear, you can go to File|Add Printer. Instead of the Add Printer
Wizard
coming up, the message "This operation has been cancelled due to
restrictions
in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator."
This
sounds more like a GPO that sometimes gets applied, sometime doesn't. I
just
don't know what GP it could be.

If it is the spooler on each computer, why would 350 spoolers go bad all
of
a sudden?

To answer your question, when this problem first appeared, I set a GPO to
install published printers when a user logs in. It doesn't seem to work,
however.

The spooler service is failing. Send the dump files to MS and restart
the
spooler. Most likely there is a print driver corrupting the spooler
process
memory which will cause random failures.

Do you use logon scripts to add printers to user accounts?

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

OK. Back to my original question about the Add Printer icon
disappearing
randomly and printers already installed disappearing randomly. Happens
on
different computers with different logins (roaming user profiles) at
different times. For esample, User 1 could log onto one computer and be
able
to add a printer when User 2 on that same computer couldn't add a
printer.
Then User 1 wouldn't be able to add a printer on another computer.
Never
consistent. There's no problem printing--if the printer is there, it
can
print fine.

:

Version 13 will work for XP clients. To get the latest version (you
have
to
have this for any Vista clients), just download and install the latest
HP
LJ
4345 driver.

this policy does not remove the Add Printer icon. If you think
printers
should be listed in the printers folder and they are not, the spooler
service is not running or you are running a really old version of
Lantastic.

gpedit.msc
Configuration
Admin templates
Control Panel
Printers
Prevent addition of printers

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Found the hpbmini.dll file. It is version 1.0.0.13. How do I update
it?

What policy could disable the Add Printer function? I've spent hours
pouring
over our GPOs, but can't find anything that would cause it to
disappear.

I really appreciate your help.

:

Policy restrictions can be enabled on the client so the Add Printer
UI
will
not work.

hpbmini.dll on the print server
\windows\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Thanks for the information. Two questions: 1. Would a corrupt
spooler
problem
cause the Add Printer icon to disappear or if it is there, result
in
the
message saying it cannot run due to restrictions placed on this
computer?
2.
all our printers are HP. But I can't find the file hpbmini.dll on
the
few
computers I have checked. Where would it be located. Could the
fact
that
it
is missing be the problem?

:

The spooler on the client. Normally caused when print drivers
corrupt
the
memory in the spooler. A "bad" driver will free memory, then
later
reference it. If another driver has store memory at the free
location,
this
can cause the driver to fail and terminate the spooler.

Also if you have any HP printers make sure you are not using
version
19
of
hpbmini.dll. HP fixed the problem in version 20.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no
rights.

Why would this occur randomly? It doesn't seem to matter what
computer
(we
use cloned images, so the drivers are the same) or what user
(we
use
roaming
user profiles)--sometimes printers are fine, sometimes they
are
not.
User
A
can log onto computer 1 and it is fine, User B can log onto
computer
2
and
be
fine, User C log onto computer 3 and have a problem. They can
switch
around
and User C is fine, Computer 3 is fine, but User A may have a
problem
on
Computer 2.

How would I detect a problem with the spooler? I assume you
mean
the
spooler
on the print server. It seems to be working fine as people
aren't
losing
print jobs.

We didn't have this problem until mid-August. I'm wondering if
some
Windows
update caused a problem.

:

This sounds like the spooler service has failed and is not
started.
Bad
print drivers are the most common reason the spooler service
terminates.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and
confers
no
rights.

Frequently in my Windows 2003 domain, users will find the
Add
Printer
icon
missing and their previously installed printers gone. Or
they
will
click
on
the Add printer icon and get a message stating that the
action
is
not
allowed
on that computer. This seems to occur randomly on any given
computer
or
with
any given user. Could there be a Group Policy causing this?

 

[jelaine]

I don't have the "Prevent addition of printers" set on any GPOs. I checked
this on a computer that did not have the Add Printer icon showing and got the
error message when File>>Add Printer was clicked.

I used pushprinterconnections per Microsoft web site to try to make the
printers available, but it didn't seem to do anything.

I also checked the Windows Folder Option and wasn't sure what you meant by
the Show common tasks in folders option. If it is checked, the Add Printer
icon shows up in the left taks pane. If Windows Classic is checked, it comes
up in the list of printers installed. Is that right?

The icon is part of the User Interface. The print spooler does not need the
icon to add and delete printers but when the spooler crashes it sometimes is
unavailable in the printers folder. The Windows Folder Option: Show common
tasks in folders, setting removes the Add Printer icon from the printers
folder.

the error you are receiving is from this policy setting

Run RSOP.msc to create view that will show which GPO is setting this policy
\


Do you have special GPO software? The spooler service does not supply a
policy setting to install published printers.


--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Maybe I don't understand what the print spooler does. I didn't think it
had
anything to do with the Add Printer icon disappearing. When it does
disappear, you can go to File|Add Printer. Instead of the Add Printer
Wizard
coming up, the message "This operation has been cancelled due to
restrictions
in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator."
This
sounds more like a GPO that sometimes gets applied, sometime doesn't. I
just
don't know what GP it could be.

If it is the spooler on each computer, why would 350 spoolers go bad all
of
a sudden?

To answer your question, when this problem first appeared, I set a GPO to
install published printers when a user logs in. It doesn't seem to work,
however.

The spooler service is failing. Send the dump files to MS and restart
the
spooler. Most likely there is a print driver corrupting the spooler
process
memory which will cause random failures.

Do you use logon scripts to add printers to user accounts?

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

OK. Back to my original question about the Add Printer icon
disappearing
randomly and printers already installed disappearing randomly. Happens
on
different computers with different logins (roaming user profiles) at
different times. For esample, User 1 could log onto one computer and be
able
to add a printer when User 2 on that same computer couldn't add a
printer.
Then User 1 wouldn't be able to add a printer on another computer.
Never
consistent. There's no problem printing--if the printer is there, it
can
print fine.

:

Version 13 will work for XP clients. To get the latest version (you
have
to
have this for any Vista clients), just download and install the latest
HP
LJ
4345 driver.

this policy does not remove the Add Printer icon. If you think
printers
should be listed in the printers folder and they are not, the spooler
service is not running or you are running a really old version of
Lantastic.

gpedit.msc
Configuration
Admin templates
Control Panel
Printers
Prevent addition of printers

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Found the hpbmini.dll file. It is version 1.0.0.13. How do I update
it?

What policy could disable the Add Printer function? I've spent hours
pouring
over our GPOs, but can't find anything that would cause it to
disappear.

I really appreciate your help.

:

Policy restrictions can be enabled on the client so the Add Printer
UI
will
not work.

hpbmini.dll on the print server
\windows\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Thanks for the information. Two questions: 1. Would a corrupt
spooler
problem
cause the Add Printer icon to disappear or if it is there, result
in
the
message saying it cannot run due to restrictions placed on this
computer?
2.
all our printers are HP. But I can't find the file hpbmini.dll on
the
few
computers I have checked. Where would it be located. Could the
fact
that
it
is missing be the problem?

:

The spooler on the client. Normally caused when print drivers
corrupt
the
memory in the spooler. A "bad" driver will free memory, then
later
reference it. If another driver has store memory at the free
location,
this
can cause the driver to fail and terminate the spooler.

Also if you have any HP printers make sure you are not using
version
19
of
hpbmini.dll. HP fixed the problem in version 20.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no
rights.

Why would this occur randomly? It doesn't seem to matter what
computer
(we
use cloned images, so the drivers are the same) or what user
(we
use
roaming
user profiles)--sometimes printers are fine, sometimes they
are
not.
User
A
can log onto computer 1 and it is fine, User B can log onto
computer
2
and
be
fine, User C log onto computer 3 and have a problem. They can
switch
around
and User C is fine, Computer 3 is fine, but User A may have a
problem
on
Computer 2.

How would I detect a problem with the spooler? I assume you
mean
the
spooler
on the print server. It seems to be working fine as people
aren't
losing
print jobs.

We didn't have this problem until mid-August. I'm wondering if
some
Windows
update caused a problem.

:

This sounds like the spooler service has failed and is not
started.
Bad
print drivers are the most common reason the spooler service
terminates.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and
confers
no
rights.

Frequently in my Windows 2003 domain, users will find the
Add
Printer
icon
missing and their previously installed printers gone. Or
they
will
click
on
the Add printer icon and get a message stating that the
action
is
not
allowed
on that computer. This seems to occur randomly on any given
computer
or
with
any given user. Could there be a Group Policy causing this?

 

[Alan Morris [MSFT]]

Set this policy on a machine which is working, run gpupdate /force on a
command window, and verify the message is the same.

Was the R2 domain schema added to your domain? Pushprinterconnections.exe
will only work after the domain schema has been updated and printers have
been added to a GPO object.

Folder Options: yes this is what I was referring to.

Are you the domain admin?

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

I don't have the "Prevent addition of printers" set on any GPOs. I checked
this on a computer that did not have the Add Printer icon showing and got
the
error message when File>>Add Printer was clicked.

I used pushprinterconnections per Microsoft web site to try to make the
printers available, but it didn't seem to do anything.

I also checked the Windows Folder Option and wasn't sure what you meant by
the Show common tasks in folders option. If it is checked, the Add Printer
icon shows up in the left taks pane. If Windows Classic is checked, it
comes
up in the list of printers installed. Is that right?

The icon is part of the User Interface. The print spooler does not need
the
icon to add and delete printers but when the spooler crashes it sometimes
is
unavailable in the printers folder. The Windows Folder Option: Show
common
tasks in folders, setting removes the Add Printer icon from the printers
folder.

the error you are receiving is from this policy setting

gpedit.msc
User Configuration
Admin templates
Control Panel
Printers
Prevent addition of printers

Run RSOP.msc to create view that will show which GPO is setting this
policy
\


Do you have special GPO software? The spooler service does not supply a
policy setting to install published printers.


--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Maybe I don't understand what the print spooler does. I didn't think it
had
anything to do with the Add Printer icon disappearing. When it does
disappear, you can go to File|Add Printer. Instead of the Add Printer
Wizard
coming up, the message "This operation has been cancelled due to
restrictions
in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator."
This
sounds more like a GPO that sometimes gets applied, sometime doesn't. I
just
don't know what GP it could be.

If it is the spooler on each computer, why would 350 spoolers go bad
all
of
a sudden?

To answer your question, when this problem first appeared, I set a GPO
to
install published printers when a user logs in. It doesn't seem to
work,
however.

:

The spooler service is failing. Send the dump files to MS and restart
the
spooler. Most likely there is a print driver corrupting the spooler
process
memory which will cause random failures.

Do you use logon scripts to add printers to user accounts?

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

OK. Back to my original question about the Add Printer icon
disappearing
randomly and printers already installed disappearing randomly.
Happens
on
different computers with different logins (roaming user profiles) at
different times. For esample, User 1 could log onto one computer and
be
able
to add a printer when User 2 on that same computer couldn't add a
printer.
Then User 1 wouldn't be able to add a printer on another computer.
Never
consistent. There's no problem printing--if the printer is there, it
can
print fine.

:

Version 13 will work for XP clients. To get the latest version
(you
have
to
have this for any Vista clients), just download and install the
latest
HP
LJ
4345 driver.

this policy does not remove the Add Printer icon. If you think
printers
should be listed in the printers folder and they are not, the
spooler
service is not running or you are running a really old version of
Lantastic.

gpedit.msc
Configuration
Admin templates
Control Panel
Printers
Prevent addition of printers

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Found the hpbmini.dll file. It is version 1.0.0.13. How do I
update
it?

What policy could disable the Add Printer function? I've spent
hours
pouring
over our GPOs, but can't find anything that would cause it to
disappear.

I really appreciate your help.

:

Policy restrictions can be enabled on the client so the Add
Printer
UI
will
not work.

hpbmini.dll on the print server
\windows\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no
rights.

Thanks for the information. Two questions: 1. Would a corrupt
spooler
problem
cause the Add Printer icon to disappear or if it is there,
result
in
the
message saying it cannot run due to restrictions placed on
this
computer?
2.
all our printers are HP. But I can't find the file hpbmini.dll
on
the
few
computers I have checked. Where would it be located. Could the
fact
that
it
is missing be the problem?

:

The spooler on the client. Normally caused when print
drivers
corrupt
the
memory in the spooler. A "bad" driver will free memory, then
later
reference it. If another driver has store memory at the free
location,
this
can cause the driver to fail and terminate the spooler.

Also if you have any HP printers make sure you are not using
version
19
of
hpbmini.dll. HP fixed the problem in version 20.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and
confers
no
rights.

Why would this occur randomly? It doesn't seem to matter
what
computer
(we
use cloned images, so the drivers are the same) or what
user
(we
use
roaming
user profiles)--sometimes printers are fine, sometimes they
are
not.
User
A
can log onto computer 1 and it is fine, User B can log onto
computer
2
and
be
fine, User C log onto computer 3 and have a problem. They
can
switch
around
and User C is fine, Computer 3 is fine, but User A may have
a
problem
on
Computer 2.

How would I detect a problem with the spooler? I assume you
mean
the
spooler
on the print server. It seems to be working fine as people
aren't
losing
print jobs.

We didn't have this problem until mid-August. I'm wondering
if
some
Windows
update caused a problem.

:

This sounds like the spooler service has failed and is not
started.
Bad
print drivers are the most common reason the spooler
service
terminates.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and
confers
no
rights.

Frequently in my Windows 2003 domain, users will find
the
Add
Printer
icon
missing and their previously installed printers gone. Or
they
will
click
on
the Add printer icon and get a message stating that the
action
is
not
allowed
on that computer. This seems to occur randomly on any
given
computer
or
with
any given user. Could there be a Group Policy causing
this?

 

[jelaine]

I did get the error message. I'm mystified as to how it is getting set. It
doesn't appear in any of the GPOs applied to the computer or users from AD
GPOs.

Yes, we do have Windows Server 2003 R2 with all updates applied. And yes, I
am the domain admin.

Additionally, on a computer that will not add printers, I ran RSOP.msc. It
didn't show any Admin templates policies under User Configuration when
listing all policies.

Set this policy on a machine which is working, run gpupdate /force on a
command window, and verify the message is the same.

Was the R2 domain schema added to your domain? Pushprinterconnections.exe
will only work after the domain schema has been updated and printers have
been added to a GPO object.

Folder Options: yes this is what I was referring to.

Are you the domain admin?

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

I don't have the "Prevent addition of printers" set on any GPOs. I checked
this on a computer that did not have the Add Printer icon showing and got
the
error message when File>>Add Printer was clicked.

I used pushprinterconnections per Microsoft web site to try to make the
printers available, but it didn't seem to do anything.

I also checked the Windows Folder Option and wasn't sure what you meant by
the Show common tasks in folders option. If it is checked, the Add Printer
icon shows up in the left taks pane. If Windows Classic is checked, it
comes
up in the list of printers installed. Is that right?

The icon is part of the User Interface. The print spooler does not need
the
icon to add and delete printers but when the spooler crashes it sometimes
is
unavailable in the printers folder. The Windows Folder Option: Show
common
tasks in folders, setting removes the Add Printer icon from the printers
folder.

the error you are receiving is from this policy setting

gpedit.msc
User Configuration
Admin templates
Control Panel
Printers
Prevent addition of printers

Run RSOP.msc to create view that will show which GPO is setting this
policy
\


Do you have special GPO software? The spooler service does not supply a
policy setting to install published printers.


--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Maybe I don't understand what the print spooler does. I didn't think it
had
anything to do with the Add Printer icon disappearing. When it does
disappear, you can go to File|Add Printer. Instead of the Add Printer
Wizard
coming up, the message "This operation has been cancelled due to
restrictions
in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator."
This
sounds more like a GPO that sometimes gets applied, sometime doesn't. I
just
don't know what GP it could be.

If it is the spooler on each computer, why would 350 spoolers go bad
all
of
a sudden?

To answer your question, when this problem first appeared, I set a GPO
to
install published printers when a user logs in. It doesn't seem to
work,
however.

:

The spooler service is failing. Send the dump files to MS and restart
the
spooler. Most likely there is a print driver corrupting the spooler
process
memory which will cause random failures.

Do you use logon scripts to add printers to user accounts?

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

OK. Back to my original question about the Add Printer icon
disappearing
randomly and printers already installed disappearing randomly.
Happens
on
different computers with different logins (roaming user profiles) at
different times. For esample, User 1 could log onto one computer and
be
able
to add a printer when User 2 on that same computer couldn't add a
printer.
Then User 1 wouldn't be able to add a printer on another computer.
Never
consistent. There's no problem printing--if the printer is there, it
can
print fine.

:

Version 13 will work for XP clients. To get the latest version
(you
have
to
have this for any Vista clients), just download and install the
latest
HP
LJ
4345 driver.

this policy does not remove the Add Printer icon. If you think
printers
should be listed in the printers folder and they are not, the
spooler
service is not running or you are running a really old version of
Lantastic.

gpedit.msc
Configuration
Admin templates
Control Panel
Printers
Prevent addition of printers

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Found the hpbmini.dll file. It is version 1.0.0.13. How do I
update
it?

What policy could disable the Add Printer function? I've spent
hours
pouring
over our GPOs, but can't find anything that would cause it to
disappear.

I really appreciate your help.

:

Policy restrictions can be enabled on the client so the Add
Printer
UI
will
not work.

hpbmini.dll on the print server
\windows\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no
rights.

Thanks for the information. Two questions: 1. Would a corrupt
spooler
problem
cause the Add Printer icon to disappear or if it is there,
result
in
the
message saying it cannot run due to restrictions placed on
this
computer?
2.
all our printers are HP. But I can't find the file hpbmini.dll
on
the
few
computers I have checked. Where would it be located. Could the
fact
that
it
is missing be the problem?

:

The spooler on the client. Normally caused when print
drivers
corrupt
the
memory in the spooler. A "bad" driver will free memory, then
later
reference it. If another driver has store memory at the free
location,
this
can cause the driver to fail and terminate the spooler.

Also if you have any HP printers make sure you are not using
version
19
of
hpbmini.dll. HP fixed the problem in version 20.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and
confers
no
rights.

Why would this occur randomly? It doesn't seem to matter
what
computer
(we
use cloned images, so the drivers are the same) or what
user
(we
use
roaming
user profiles)--sometimes printers are fine, sometimes they
are
not.
User
A
can log onto computer 1 and it is fine, User B can log onto
computer
2
and
be
fine, User C log onto computer 3 and have a problem. They
can
switch
around
and User C is fine, Computer 3 is fine, but User A may have
a
problem
on
Computer 2.

How would I detect a problem with the spooler? I assume you
mean
the
spooler
on the print server. It seems to be working fine as people
aren't
losing
print jobs.

 

[Alan Morris [MSFT]]

At this point it looks like a policy issue and the UI is just obeying the
rules enabled by where ever you are getting your settings.

Do you have trusted forests or are all the user and machine accounts in the
same domain? I don't know too much about domains, just the spooler.

On the machines that don't have the Add Printer option, can you add a
connection using the prnmngr.vbs script in system32?

prnmngr -ac -p \\printserver\printshare



--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

I did get the error message. I'm mystified as to how it is getting set. It
doesn't appear in any of the GPOs applied to the computer or users from AD
GPOs.

Yes, we do have Windows Server 2003 R2 with all updates applied. And yes,
I
am the domain admin.

Additionally, on a computer that will not add printers, I ran RSOP.msc. It
didn't show any Admin templates policies under User Configuration when
listing all policies.

Set this policy on a machine which is working, run gpupdate /force on a
command window, and verify the message is the same.

Was the R2 domain schema added to your domain?
Pushprinterconnections.exe
will only work after the domain schema has been updated and printers have
been added to a GPO object.

Folder Options: yes this is what I was referring to.

Are you the domain admin?

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

I don't have the "Prevent addition of printers" set on any GPOs. I
checked
this on a computer that did not have the Add Printer icon showing and
got
the
error message when File>>Add Printer was clicked.

I used pushprinterconnections per Microsoft web site to try to make the
printers available, but it didn't seem to do anything.

I also checked the Windows Folder Option and wasn't sure what you meant
by
the Show common tasks in folders option. If it is checked, the Add
Printer
icon shows up in the left taks pane. If Windows Classic is checked, it
comes
up in the list of printers installed. Is that right?

:

The icon is part of the User Interface. The print spooler does not
need
the
icon to add and delete printers but when the spooler crashes it
sometimes
is
unavailable in the printers folder. The Windows Folder Option: Show
common
tasks in folders, setting removes the Add Printer icon from the
printers
folder.

the error you are receiving is from this policy setting

gpedit.msc
User Configuration
Admin templates
Control Panel
Printers
Prevent addition of printers

Run RSOP.msc to create view that will show which GPO is setting this
policy
\


Do you have special GPO software? The spooler service does not supply
a
policy setting to install published printers.


--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

Maybe I don't understand what the print spooler does. I didn't think
it
had
anything to do with the Add Printer icon disappearing. When it does
disappear, you can go to File|Add Printer. Instead of the Add
Printer
Wizard
coming up, the message "This operation has been cancelled due to
restrictions
in effect on this computer. Please contact your system
administrator."
This
sounds more like a GPO that sometimes gets applied, sometime
doesn't. I
just
don't know what GP it could be.

If it is the spooler on each computer, why would 350 spoolers go bad
all
of
a sudden?

To answer your question, when this problem first appeared, I set a
GPO
to
install published printers when a user logs in. It doesn't seem to
work,
however.

:

The spooler service is failing. Send the dump files to MS and
restart
the
spooler. Most likely there is a print driver corrupting the
spooler
process
memory which will cause random failures.

Do you use logon scripts to add printers to user accounts?

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

OK. Back to my original question about the Add Printer icon
disappearing
randomly and printers already installed disappearing randomly.
Happens
on
different computers with different logins (roaming user profiles)
at
different times. For esample, User 1 could log onto one computer
and
be
able
to add a printer when User 2 on that same computer couldn't add a
printer.
Then User 1 wouldn't be able to add a printer on another
computer.
Never
consistent. There's no problem printing--if the printer is there,
it
can
print fine.

:

Version 13 will work for XP clients. To get the latest version
(you
have
to
have this for any Vista clients), just download and install the
latest
HP
LJ
4345 driver.

this policy does not remove the Add Printer icon. If you think
printers
should be listed in the printers folder and they are not, the
spooler
service is not running or you are running a really old version
of
Lantastic.

gpedit.msc
Configuration
Admin templates
Control Panel
Printers
Prevent addition of printers

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no
rights.

Found the hpbmini.dll file. It is version 1.0.0.13. How do I
update
it?

What policy could disable the Add Printer function? I've spent
hours
pouring
over our GPOs, but can't find anything that would cause it to
disappear.

I really appreciate your help.

:

Policy restrictions can be enabled on the client so the Add
Printer
UI
will
not work.

hpbmini.dll on the print server
\windows\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and
confers
no
rights.

Thanks for the information. Two questions: 1. Would a
corrupt
spooler
problem
cause the Add Printer icon to disappear or if it is there,
result
in
the
message saying it cannot run due to restrictions placed on
this
computer?
2.
all our printers are HP. But I can't find the file
hpbmini.dll
on
the
few
computers I have checked. Where would it be located. Could
the
fact
that
it
is missing be the problem?

:

The spooler on the client. Normally caused when print
drivers
corrupt
the
memory in the spooler. A "bad" driver will free memory,
then
later
reference it. If another driver has store memory at the
free
location,
this
can cause the driver to fail and terminate the spooler.

Also if you have any HP printers make sure you are not
using
version
19
of
hpbmini.dll. HP fixed the problem in version 20.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and
confers
no
rights.

Why would this occur randomly? It doesn't seem to matter
what
computer
(we
use cloned images, so the drivers are the same) or what
user
(we
use
roaming
user profiles)--sometimes printers are fine, sometimes
they
are
not.
User
A
can log onto computer 1 and it is fine, User B can log
onto
computer
2
and
be
fine, User C log onto computer 3 and have a problem.
They
can
switch
around
and User C is fine, Computer 3 is fine, but User A may
have
a
problem
on
Computer 2.

How would I detect a problem with the spooler? I assume
you
mean
the
spooler
on the print server. It seems to be working fine as
people
aren't
losing
print jobs.