Add Printer

[Stan Hudecki]

We recently purchased a new computer that had XP already installed. If we
try to add a printer we get an error message that says "Operation could not
be completed".

When we got this computer, there was no XP disk? Should I go back to the
store and try to get one, or is there another way to fix problems in XP with
out the disk?

Stan

[Robert Orleth [MS]]

Interesting. I assume you get the error when installing *any* printer. Can
you try the following: from the start menu, select "Run...". Enter "cmd /k
del %windir%\inf\printupg.pnf" (which deletes printupg.pnf which is the
binary version of printupg.inf, which will be automatically regenerated when
needed). I've seen this binary version getting corrupted before.

Please let us know whether that fixes the problem. If not, please provide
further details, what printer, what driver and on what port. Thanks,

Robert

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"Stan Hudecki" <shud...@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:e$CLPnB3BHA.2400@tkmsftngp02...

[ToudiYama]

one thing are yu logged in with admin rights? not having admin rights will
only allow networkprinters to be added

"Robert Orleth [MS]" <ror...@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:#0sMwHC3BHA.1396@tkmsftngp05...

[Victor Brandao]

Robert,
I have a different (maybe similar) problem... In XP Pro when I install some
security updates from the Windows Update site, I find that the printers I
previously had installed and working disappear from the "Printers and Faxes"
page. Then I cannot add a printer as the Add a Printer Wizard does not
start.
Word, Excel etc do find the printers and can print fine, but programs such
as Outlook Express which only print to the default printer, cannot print.
I can only fix this by reinstalling XP and teling setup to Repair the
existing installation. Then after all is done, I get my printers back in
the Printers and Faxes "folder" - by the way where in heavens is it ?
By Repairing my XP, I can print, but I lose my security updates !
Please help, I tried booting without any startup programs, doing the
upgrade, re-starting without any startup progs... but again no printers &
back to square one.
Please help
Victor Brandao

"Robert Orleth [MS]" <ror...@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:#0sMwHC3BHA.1396@tkmsftngp05...

[Robert Orleth [MS]]

This sounds like a bunch of completely unrelated issues to me. Basically,
whenever you see all printers disappearing from the printers folder and the
Add Printer Wizard not starting (you should get an error message, BTW), that
means the spooler service crashed. Restart it through the "Services" applet
or from the command line using "net start spooler", then refresh the
printers folder, which can be accessed through the control panel. I have no
idea why you claim the OE only prints to the default printer - it brings up
the common print dialog which lets you select the printer.

All that said: which security fixes are we talking about here ?

--
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
Any opinions or policies stated within are my own and do not necessarily
constitute those of my employer. I reside in Washington, USA, where Title 19
declares that sending me Unsolicited Commercial Email (IOW: spam) can result
in a $500 fine. Harvesting of this address for purposes of bulk email is
explicitly prohibited.

"Victor Brandao" <vbra...@intbussol.com> wrote in message
news:euH1HSw3BHA.1732@tkmsftngp02...

[Victor Brandao]

Robert:
It may sound like a bunch of unrelated issues, but for me they are related.
I'm not alone as I found another sufferer in another newsgroup. In
"microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware" on 3/16/2002
"I also am having a like problem I did a windows update
which included( windows messenger audio update, resuming
from stby update, keyboard layout update, and system
recovered error message update) Since this update all my
printers were deleted and my add a printer wizard will
not start--Help someone.
Rusty"
The printers disappear when critical security updates are done. Since by
now there are 9 of them that Widows update says I don't have, I cannot
pinpoint which is causing this behaviour, but it started happening when
there were much fewer available ones.
I don't get an error when attempting to run the add printer wizard. It just
does not do anything when you press the "button or link"
I tried starting the spool services but to no avail.
You are right, Outlook Express asks to which printer it should print, I must
have hit the print icon on the toolbar and not the File - Print selection,
but when I had no printers in my Printers & Faxes folder, it (Outlook
Express) gave an error.
The fact that the critical updates cause the printers to disappear and then
when re-install with repair makes the printers reappear, made me think that
some file was corrupt (after the critical updates) and that the re-install
of XP fixed the corrupt file. That was my guess.
Please advise and thanks for your reply
Victor

"Robert Orleth [MS]" <ror...@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:uQhnS4x3BHA.2208@tkmsftngp05...

[Robert Orleth [MS]]

This is highly interesting. We haven't seen this in any of our testing, so
I'd really like to find out what's going on in your machine.

What printers do you have installed ? Are those network printers or local
printers ? If network - what network ? If local - what bus are they
connected to (parallel, USB, FireWire, IR ...) ?

When the AddPrinterWizard doesn't start, does that leave anything
interesting in the event log ? Is it possible that it starts but for some
reason doesn't come into the foreground, IOW is it there if you close all
other windows after clicking the link/icon ?

Thanks,

Robert

--
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
Any opinions or policies stated within are my own and do not necessarily
constitute those of my employer. I reside in Washington, USA, where Title 19
declares that sending me Unsolicited Commercial Email (IOW: spam) can result
in a $500 fine. Harvesting of this address for purposes of bulk email is
explicitly prohibited.

"Victor Brandao" <vbra...@intbussol.com> wrote in message
news:e9dH1Kz3BHA.1340@tkmsftngp05...

[Victor Brandao]

Robert:
Thanks for your interest in this problem so I gladly will continue supplying
any additional info you may want (preferably if possible directly by email
at vbra...@intbussol.com)
By the way the new subject is misleading as it should really say "Windows
Update breaks add printer wizard" since it is the Win XP re-install (with
repair) the one that fixes the "broken" Add Printer and makes printers
re-appear.
I had not mentioned this specifically so in the interest of clarity I will
(forgive me if it is obvious) - When Win XP re-install completes after about
one hour, the printers are back into the "Printers and Faxes" page without
resorting to the add printer wiz. I just started the wizard and cancelled
it once I saw it was working again. I cancelled it because I did not need
to add any printers. It seems that whatever makes the printers disappear
(become ghost as Word and most other programs know how to find them) also
causes the Add Printer Wizard to stop working. Since I cannot see the
printers after Windows Update breaks the "Printers and Faxes" page, I cannot
un-install them to try and re-install them. I can delete the Xerox from the
Control Panel device manager, but then it does not install properly... I
forget exactly what error I get then but it says something like your
hardware has a problem and may not work correctly - it doesn't. So the add
hardware wiz does start in that case. I tried the net start spooler, but it
comes back saying it is already running !

I have two printers installed, both are local and both are parallel.
The first one is a Xerox Workcentre 390 connected to LPT1: built in into the
motherboard - and if I uninstall it, Win XP will recognize it.
The second one is an Epson Stylus Pro ESC/P 2 conected through a SIG II
CyberParallel PCI Card configured as LPT2: (Win XP had properly recognized
the card and installed its software driver).

When Add printer refuses to do anything, there is no trace that it attempted
to start it's really as if the link is dead.

Hope you can help
Victor

"Robert Orleth [MS]" <ror...@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:eOFbU5$3BHA.2660@tkmsftngp05...

[Robert Orleth [MS]]

OK, so applications etc. can still print, it's "just" that the printers
folder is empty and generally dysfunctional. Hmm. Do any of the other links
in the printers folder work (e.g. under "Other Places") ?

You can also start the APW (AddPrinterWizard) from the menu "File...Add
Printer" - does that work ? Does the menu item "File... Server Properties"
work ?

--
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
Any opinions or policies stated within are my own and do not necessarily
constitute those of my employer. I reside in Washington, USA, where Title 19
declares that sending me Unsolicited Commercial Email (IOW: spam) can result
in a $500 fine. Harvesting of this address for purposes of bulk email is
explicitly prohibited.

"Victor Brandao" <vbra...@intbussol.com> wrote in message

news:uIlJHVJ4BHA.2092@tkmsftngp07...

[Victor Brandao]

Robert:
Yes, the "Other Places" links such as control panel etc worked Ok.
I had also tried the "File.. Add Printer" as well as the Server Properties
and both were dead as a door nail...
Victor

"Robert Orleth [MS]" <ror...@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:Ol0AICL4BHA.2684@tkmsftngp07...

[Victor Brandao]

Robert:
I found the culprit (in my case).
I have LANtastic 8.01 installed in my computers and it seems that there is a
bug that when you run ... I'll quote their support....
This occurs if you apply any Windows XP service packs or updates after
installing LANtastic 8.01. This is a known issue.

Work Around:
1. Rename c:\winnt\system32\printui.dll. (This is an Artisoft file)
NOTE: the file may be under c:\windows\system32 or another location
depending on your install.

2. Rename c:\winnt\system32\Mprintui.dll to printui.dll (mprintui.dll is
the Microsoft version which LANtastic renames upon install)

Actualy what happens is that after the update, the printui.dll gets renamed
(clobbered) to Mprintui.dll and what has to be done is in
X:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 rename Mprintui.dll to printui.dll and copy it also to
X:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\dllcache.
After that step, Add Printers will work, but still no printers. Reboot and
voilá, all is OK again.
Hoping this might help
Victor

"Robert Orleth [MS]" <ror...@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:Ol0AICL4BHA.2684@tkmsftngp07...

[Robert Orleth [MS]]

Wow. Thanks a lot for posting this.

LANtastic, huh ? This is *very* interesting, as SFP (system file protection)
is specifically designed to keep Windows in a stable configuration even if
install software tries to do bad things.

--
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
Any opinions or policies stated within are my own and do not necessarily
constitute those of my employer. I reside in Washington, USA, where Title 19
declares that sending me Unsolicited Commercial Email (IOW: spam) can result
in a $500 fine. Harvesting of this address for purposes of bulk email is
explicitly prohibited.

"Victor Brandao" <vbra...@intbussol.com> wrote in message

news:e4Tc$$u4BHA.1992@tkmsftngp05...