XP Professional can't access HP LaserJet 6P on NT 4.0 Print Server

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jim Snively
  • Start date Start date
J

Jim Snively

I have a new Windows XP Professional laptop and need to access an HP
LaserJet 6P printer attached to a Windows NT 4.0 (SP6a) server's LPT1. I
followed the instrictions in
http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders/AddDrivertoOldOS.htm and all goes well until
step 18. When I click Close I get a message: Windows cannot locate a
suitable printer driver. Contact your administrator ...

Each time I repeat the process I get the message listed in step 14. I see a
fast moving file copy dialog but since this message recurrs I think the XP
driver files are not being copied properly. There are no relevant messages
in the NT server error log. The Windows XP user is a member of the NT
server administrators group.

Please help me with this problem.

Thanks,

Jim Snively
 
Unfortunately, you have what HP refers to as "an incompatible set of printer
drivers". See
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericDocument?lc=en&cc=us&docname=bpl13043.

This is a problem common to "older" printers and printer drivers. I recall
having several battles with the orginal HP LaserJet series (II, III, 4, 5
and 6) when we migrated to Windows XP.

I suggest:
1. make sure you have the latest drivers from HP for both NT 4 and XP - this
is no guarantee
2. on the Windows NT 4 computer, switch to a driver for a different printer
model - e.g. HP LaserJet 4 and do the same thing when installing the XP
driver
3. use the bypass at http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders/NetPrinterNoPP.htm

I'm late for an appointment, but if you still need more help, post back and
I'll do a bit more research.
 
Bruce,

I was going to this clients to try the workaround but the computer was down
due to a virus and
had to be "repaired". By the end of the day that workaround worked.

HP suggested trying the HP LaserJet 4+ drivers -- same as your suggestion --
I did not try
that because the \\servername\printershare port worked.

I did notice there was no version 3 registry key on the server.

There is also a HP LaserJet 5 printer (attached via a JetDirect device)
which connected OK
to Windows XP Professional without a version 5 driver.

Thanks for your help.

Jim Snively
 
It's a while ago, but if I remember correctly, we specifically had problems
with the HP LaserJet 6 printer drivers (and some others) and chose to use a
driver for a different model instead.

The differences between most of the HP LaserJet 4, 5 and 6 models are pretty
minor and the drivers are almost interchangeable. The only time it matters
much is if the printer has additional features, such as a duplexing unit.
Not all of the 4, 5 and 6 drivers support two sided printing.
 
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