Tag: Windows 8

What printers work best with a Windows Remote Desktop Server?

In the Windows 2003/Windows XP days, printing on a Remote Desktop server was limited to those servers who have drivers for that particular server. Drivers for any locally attached printers would not only have to be installed on the PC that they were attached to, but also on the server you were remotely connecting to.

Now with Windows 2008 R2, Remote Desktop users have the ability to use printer redirection using Microsoft’s EasyPrint. Basically EasyPrint is part of Windows Server, and allows print jobs in a Remote Desktop session to be sent to the client for print job handling, instead of trying to print the job itself. While this is slightly slower than the old method, it allows for a much larger number of compatible printers without the need of installing drivers on the server.

Which printers will work? Well most printers that work with Windows 7 will work with Microsoft’s EasyPrint technology. If you are planning on purchasing a new printer and want to ensure that it will be fully compatible with any Remote Desktop servers you are connecting to, then check out Microsoft’s Windows Catalog database.

Any new printer you are considering should be certified for Windows 2008 R2 to fully ensure it will work well with a Remote Desktop server.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2012/06/windows/what-printers-work-best-with-a-windows-remote-desktop-server/

What to do when a print job crashes your printer spooler service

Often times printers do not work the way we expect them to. Sometimes when print jobs get stuck in the queue or cause the Windows printer spooler service to crash we need to step in to help. Here are a few quick steps that will take care of most scenarios that a simple reboot won’t fix.

 

On a side note, it is usually best if your computer is running the latest driver software from your printer’s manufacturer. This can generally be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website.

  1. Disconnect the printer from the PC. As long as Windows sees the printer connected it will try to print any jobs in the printer’s queue, including the job causing the problem. You can accomplish this by unplugging the printer’s data cable (usually USB) from either the back of the computer or from the back of the printer.
  2. Restart the Print Spooler service. Open a command prompt (with admin rights if using Windows 7) and type the following command followed by the <Enter> key:
    net stop spooler & net start spooler

    The spooler service should restart and bring you back to the command prompt.
    NOTE: For more on this step, see my post on How to Open the Command Prompt with Admin Rights.
  3. Open the printer’s queue and delete any stuck jobs.
  4. Reconnect the printer to the PC. Windows will reconnect the printer and make it available. Try printing a test page to make sure it is working OK.

 

Related Posts:

Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2012/06/windows/what-to-do-when-a-print-job-crashes-your-printer-spooler-service/

How to open the Command Prompt in Windows 7/Vista with Administrative Rights

In Windows XP all programs were run with administrator rights if you were logged in to the computer with a user account with admin rights to that system. There are obviously some security concerns with this, as any piece of software can potentially do damage to your system. This all changes with Windows Vista and Windows 7 as long as you keep UAC (User Access Control) enabled. UAC prevents software that need to access certain parts of Windows from running without any checks and balances.

By default, all programs are run without administrative rights. There are some cases where it is necessary to escalate the rights of an application so that it runs with these admin rights. A good example of this is Windows’ built-in Command Prompt utility. If you launch the Windows Command Prompt from the Start Menu, it will run with normal user (not administrative) rights. When the Command Prompt is opened this way, you will be allowed to do things like run a directory search or copy files, but not more advanced functions such as restarting Windows services. To allow these commands to run, you’ll first need to open the Command Prompt with administrative rights.

 

Opening the Command Prompt in Windows 7 with Administrative Rights:

  1. Click on the Start Menu and browse for the command prompt (Start >> All Programs >> Accessories >> Command Prompt), or search for Command Prompt.
  2. Instead of clicking on the Command Prompt icon to open it, right-click and select Run as Administrator.
  3. You may get prompted to allow this action, if you do simply click on the Yes button.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2012/06/windows/how-to-open-the-command-prompt-in-windows-7vista-with-administrative-rights/

Tech Update 2012 – FREE Event on Wednesday May 2, 2012

IT Pro Tech Update 2012

 

IT Pro Tech Update 2012

On Wednesday May 2nd 2012, the IT-Pro User Group is hosting Tech Update 2012 an all day FREE event. Come join us for this FREE event and discover the next phase of Information Technology as we discuss Windows 8 in the business environment, Virtualization, Security, Interoperability, and Systems Management. Here is your chance to learn what the impact of Windows 8 server and desktop will have and how you can leverage them to your advantage. We all know that Virtualization is huge but are you sure your virtual machines are secure enough? Will Windows 8 make a difference in the Virtual world? How does virtualization in the cloud work? Come learn the answers to these questions and more from some of the top experts in these fields.

This is a multi-session, multi-track event so it will draw a crowd of the right people. These are primarily IT Professionals in southern New England that are interested in advancing their knowledge and use of system management, virtualization, and cloud computing in an effort to know how to move their companies forward.

Open Wi-Fi and power will be available at seats.

Register for this event online:
http://www.IT-Pro.org/event2012

Event Type: Tech Fest

Location:
1408 Division Rd.
East Greenwich, RI, 02818

Best for: Developer and IT Pro and Public Sector and Student.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2012/04/uncategorized/tech-update-2012-free-event-on-wednesday-may-2-2012/