USB printers and ports

[Paul Pedersen]

I have a computer that is connected to a standard laser printer, a receipt
printer, and a label printer, all via USB. Occasionally, someone will
disconnect one or more printers, then plug them back into a different USB
slot. That makes the printers stop working, and I have to reset their port
numbers manually, by trial and error.

I thought USB was supposed to be smarter than that. Each port can certainly
tell which printer it's talking to, because half the time when the printer
gets plugged into a different slot, the New Hardware Manager tries to
reinstall the driver. Dumb. (Even worse, half the time it can't find the
driver!)

Is there anything I can do to prevent this problem (other than gluing the
USB cable in place).

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

No. Here's why. Some printers contain a Unique ID in their hard coding.
When this is the case, XP can recognize that it is the same printer that has
been reconnected but in a different USB port. This way if you have more
than one of the particular printer, it will reinstall it twice - correctly.
It will know you have two different printers. And another it seems strange,
some folks do use this setup, with a different profile for each.

However most printers do not contain this code. Therefore when reconnected
to another USB port, XP has absolutely no idea if it is exactly the same
printer or a second but identical unit.

Howe about putting labels on the cables at the connection point.... saying
DO NOT DISCONNECT.

 

[Paul Pedersen]

Hmm, I didn't know about the ID code.

Thanks.

No. Here's why. Some printers contain a Unique ID in their hard coding.
When this is the case, XP can recognize that it is the same printer that
has been reconnected but in a different USB port. This way if you have
more than one of the particular printer, it will reinstall it twice -
correctly. It will know you have two different printers. And another it
seems strange, some folks do use this setup, with a different profile for
each.

However most printers do not contain this code. Therefore when
reconnected to another USB port, XP has absolutely no idea if it is
exactly the same printer or a second but identical unit.

Howe about putting labels on the cables at the connection point.... saying
DO NOT DISCONNECT.