Remote Desktop Conn - print locally

P

Paul Kraemer

Hi,

I am running XP Pro. I use remote desktop connection to
connect to a PC running Windows 2003 Server. It works
great, but I am having trouble printing locally. I
followed the instructions in MSKB article 312135 - "How
to Make a Local Printer Available During a Connection to
a Remote Desktop in Windows XP Pro". All it says you
have to do is open RDC, click options, got to the Local
Resources tab, check "Printers" in the local devices box,
and then connect. Supposedly, this should have made my
local printer the default printer for anything I print
through the remote desktop connection. This doesn't
work, when I try to print something, I get a message
saying that I first have to install a printer. This
launches the "Add Printer Wizard", which looks like it
wants to install a printer on the server.

The only thing I can think of is my "Local" printer isn't
really local - I connect to it through another PC on my
LAN. Is RDC really so picky that the "Local" printer has
to be physically connected to my PC? Is there any way I
can get around this?

Thanks,
Paul
 
R

Robin Walker

Paul Kraemer said:
I am running XP Pro. I use remote desktop connection to
connect to a PC running Windows 2003 Server. It works
great, but I am having trouble printing locally. I
followed the instructions in MSKB article 312135 - "How
to Make a Local Printer Available During a Connection to
a Remote Desktop in Windows XP Pro". All it says you
have to do is open RDC, click options, got to the Local
Resources tab, check "Printers" in the local devices box,
and then connect. Supposedly, this should have made my
local printer the default printer for anything I print
through the remote desktop connection. This doesn't
work, when I try to print something, I get a message
saying that I first have to install a printer. This
launches the "Add Printer Wizard", which looks like it
wants to install a printer on the server.

The same drivers for the printer you use on your local PC need to be
installed on the server PC, even if they are not connected to any physical
printer on the server PC. Then when you make a RDP connection to the
server, the server has the necessary drivers to use the printer on your
local PC. The printer does not have to be truly connected to the local PC,
provided the printer object exists on the local PC, and the same drivers
have been installed on the server PC, then programs on the server PC can
send print jobs to your local PC.
 
U

UncleFrank

Robin Walker said:
The same drivers for the printer you use on your local PC need to be
installed on the server PC, even if they are not connected to any physical
printer on the server PC. Then when you make a RDP connection to the
server, the server has the necessary drivers to use the printer on your
local PC. The printer does not have to be truly connected to the local
PC, provided the printer object exists on the local PC, and the same
drivers have been installed on the server PC, then programs on the server
PC can send print jobs to your local PC.

--
Robin Walker
(e-mail address removed)
Me thinkst that applies to USB printer connection. Try a Parralel
connection, it worked for me. I used an old HP deskjet did nopt have to
install to remeote.
 
B

Bill Sanderson

Nope--it applies to all printers and connections. RDP redirects the PORT,
not a shared printer queue the way peer-to-peer windows networking works.

If your printer works without any action, it is 1) supported by a driver
available at the server (i.e. not newer than the server's OS) and 2)
connected to a port which is redirected by default--parallel, serial,
usbxxx. If the port is DOT4, you need to apply a registry change to have it
redirected:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q302361
 
P

PapaFrank

Bill Sanderson said:
Nope--it applies to all printers and connections. RDP redirects the PORT,
not a shared printer queue the way peer-to-peer windows networking works.

If your printer works without any action, it is 1) supported by a driver
available at the server (i.e. not newer than the server's OS) and 2)
connected to a port which is redirected by default--parallel, serial,
usbxxx. If the port is DOT4, you need to apply a registry change to have
it redirected:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q302361

Please see following link concerning LPT Printers.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/...xp/home/using/productdoc/en/mstsc_topnode.asp
 
B

Bill Sanderson

PapaFrank said:

Maybe this one?
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/...ome/using/productdoc/en/mstsc_print_local.asp

I have a quibble with this one--it says "USB ports" That glosses a
technicality. Yes, ports such as USB001 are redirected automatically.
However, a USB-connected printer whose port designation is DOT4 is not
redirected, and many users will say "Well, my printer is connected to a USB
port."
 
R

Robin Walker

Bill Sanderson said:
I have a quibble with this one--it says "USB ports" That glosses a
technicality. Yes, ports such as USB001 are redirected automatically.
However, a USB-connected printer whose port designation is DOT4 is not
redirected, and many users will say "Well, my printer is connected to a
USB port."

What is this "DOT4" of which you speak?

How can users tell whether what they have got is DOT4 or something else?
 
B

Bill Sanderson

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/DOT4.html

http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/...6493758+1097849954701+28353475&threadId=76702

Neither of these definitions/discussions is real useful, I'm afraid.

The DOT4 standard is used for most multifunction devices--perhaps whether
connecte via LPT or via USB--not sure--definitely when connected via USB.
If you look at properties of the printer, there is often a PORTS tab which
shows the name of the port that the printer is connected to--that's what you
need to look at to determine this issue.

I've a USB printer at home HP CP1160 (no longer made) which uses a USB001
port, so it redirects just fine. Some users in an office I work with have
Laserjet 1012's which are also simple printers with a USB connection.
However, their port is defined as DOT4 and requires the KB article
workaround to redirect for RD--it does work, once applied. The driver has a
status applet which talks back and forth to the printer, and I suspect
something about the DOT4 standard makes that job easier--there's no
multifunction capability in that printer.

The other way to determine the issue is:

1) is the printer USB or LPT or COM?
2) are there event-log entries at the host indicating a lack of the proper
driver for the printer?

If 1=USB and 2) shows no entry, then the port isn't being redirected, and
the chances are that the workarounds specified in:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q302361

will be both needed and effective. You must reboot the CLIENT machine after
applying the registry change (to the client machine!) specified in this
article. And, even with that change, some users have reported failures with
multifunction devices--don't have a handle on whether it is a particular
vendors drivers, or what.
 

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