XP detects New Network Device - when it's not new

[Moosie]

I have an XP machine that insists on detecting a Xerox Phaser color printer
on the LAN every time it reboots. The printer has its own IP, but is served
by a queue on a W2K server, so all the workstations actually connect to the
server to access the printer.

If I click on the found device, the system informs me that it can't install
the new device. (Which is really fine by me, but it means the device will
just be found again at the next reboot.)

How can I make the workstations stop discovering this printer?

 

[Ron Lowe]

I have an XP machine that insists on detecting a Xerox Phaser color printer
on the LAN every time it reboots. The printer has its own IP, but is served
by a queue on a W2K server, so all the workstations actually connect to the
server to access the printer.

If I click on the found device, the system informs me that it can't install
the new device. (Which is really fine by me, but it means the device will
just be found again at the next reboot.)

How can I make the workstations stop discovering this printer?

That's odd.

Normally network printers are passive TCP/IP devices,
and you need to set up a TCP/IP port to point to it.

If XP is auto-discovering it, I can only think of 3 possible reasons:

1) The device supports SMB printing, and the device appears
as a windows machine with a printer share hanging off it.
Then the NetCrawler in XP is discovering the share.

Try disabling the NetCrawler:
Windows Explorer | Tools | Folder Options;
View tab | Advanced Settings |
[ ]Automaticaly search for network folders and printers.

Or disable SMB printing on the device, if you are
printing via a 2k print server. It will use port 9100 raw
TCP/IP direct to the printer.

2) The device is using some UPnP advertisements
which the XP box is picking up.
I've never seen this, but it's vaguely possible.

Look in the device configuration options and see if it's
possible to disable the UPnP advertising.

3) There's 3-rd party software ( perhaps from xerox ) on the
XP machine which periodically auto-discovers printers on the LAN.
Some HP network printing software will do this.

Un-install any such software if present.

 

[Moosie]

Thanks for the suggestions. There aren't any settings on the printer to
disable advertising, but I'll try turning off the Netcrawler on the XP box.
UPnP was disabled on the workstations months ago. There are no Xerox
routines running at all and no secret services.

I'll keep you informed of my progress.

 

[Moosie]

Turning off the Netcrawler appears to have stopped the discovery. Thanks for
the tip Ron!