W2K and XP Printing Problems with Terminal Services

[AngelicKnight]

We have a LAN with two terminal servers that people from outside can connect to us through. The terminal servers are using Windows 2000 Advanced Server, and most client computers also have W2k. These do not give us any problems.

However, there is an XP laptop that is being troublesome. It connects to teriminal server, but it cannot print from terminal server to its local printer. The laptop can print locally with no problems. Both the terminal servers and the laptop have the latest drivers for the printer in question, and the printer has been confirmed by tech support as being compatible with terminal servers, so I know it's not a compatibility issue. The drivers on ther terminal servers are listed as Windows 2000, while the drivers for the same pritner on the XP laptop are listed as Windows 2000/XP.

So what else could possibly prevent this laptop from printing from a terminal services session to its local printer?

[SDK]

Check your event viewer for error code.. Most printer creater by the Terminal Client are log there and their error.

[AngelicKnight]

No clues from there. It seems despite the XP and 2000 machines using the same drivers, the 2000 server is not detecting the XP's printer.

Or at least this is the case with the hp LaserJet 1150 and hp Business Deskjet 2200. However, it works fine with the hp LaserJet 5. So, I'm very much scratching my head...If anything, the 1150 is supposed to be fully compatible with a terminal server environment.

[SDK]

Quick Hint... Install the hp LaserJet 1150 and hp Business Deskjet 2200 driver locally using a fake LPT1 port. This should copy the driver file on your c:\Winnt\inf folder. Delete the fake printer after. The driver file should stilll be in c:\Winnt\inf folder and then time you'll login with user with local printer, it should work find.

by the way, in my system event viewer, I have a bunch of print event that are printer creater by local user connecting to Terminal. You sure you don't have that?

[AngelicKnight]

Yeah, I had that in the event viewer, plus it was telling me it didn't recognize drivers when it had the same drivers!

However, after bugging the heck out of HP I got my solution. Turns out it's an issue of unidirectional vs. bidirectional printing. Old LPT cables are unidirectional, so they cause "traffic jams" when used in an XP bidirectional printing environment. Swapped cables, all's well.