Solve : Here's a good one - issues printing from Windows 7?

1.	Solve : Here's a good one - issues printing from Windows 7?
Answer» Here's an issue that we've been STRUGGLING with, on and off, for a few weeks at work. We've tried many things and done much Googling, but haven't been able to resolve the problem yet. Background: medium size office, I'd say roughly 60 users, mix of Windows 7 Enterprise X64 and XP Pro, with a Server 2003 R2 Domain Controller. The issue is, basically, being unable to print from Windows 7 Enterprise x64 to a Kyocera Taskalfa 250ci. We have several Kyocera printers including ANOTHER identical one, no problems with those at all, it's just one department with problems. Well, I say department, it's actually one room of people in a few departments, so they're even all in the same security groups in AD. The issue seems to be a driver problem, in that if you right click on the printer and select "Printing preferences", you get an "operation could not be completed" box, no additional details. You can't then print to the printer, even a test page, and trying to select the printer from, say, Excel, will give you "Printer offline" or "Could not connect to printer". Having the printer set as default while in this state will also cause certain programs such as IE to freak out when the default printer doesn't respond and display cryptic error messages until you set the default to something else. Restarting the machine or printer will not help, you have to right click - remove the printer, log off or switch user, then log back on and reinstall the printer. This usually works, but not always. While this is going on, other users will be able to print to the printer, until they will randomly run into the exact same issue. It's worth noting that myself and the other IT tech are always able to print to the printer with no problems whatsoever. What we've tried so FAR: updating the driver on the print server, using a more generic driver than the Kyocera advanced one, setting the printer to render jobs on client computers rather than the server, disabling advanced printing features, and switching driver modes. Sometimes we can go 4 days or more without the issue cropping up, other times we've no sooner removed and re-added the printer and confirmed it's working than the same user is again unable to print. I can't see that it's a plain incompatibility issue because the other 250ci we have, along with a 300ci, two 3550s and two 2550s, do not cause this problem, also we are able to print just fine using the same OS and driver. Any suggestions would be more than welcome, we're tearing our hair out with this!How much time and money do you want to spend? If you can isolate the issue to just one model of printer, replace those printers. The presumption is that the firmware on those printers is wrong. It's just one printer that has the issue, and two of us have always been able to print to it with no problems whatsoever. The other identical printer also has no issues. I would imagine if the printer had a fault, or a firmware issue, everyone would have the same issue with it. Talking of firmware reminded me to check the version and the 250ci with no issues does indeed have a slightly newer firmware version, hence why I have been mulling over upgrading it just to see if it makes a difference. The problem is, if anything goes wrong during the update and we BRICK the printer, that's a major issue as it's fairly critical. We have a stop on IT expenditure, otherwise the printers would ideally be replaced in order to have the same make and model of printer across the business as a whole, to reduce maintenance and consumables cost.Quote ..would imagine if the printer had a fault, or a firmware issue, everyone would have the same issue with it. A variation of Murphy;s law says 'if they can get it wrong...they wail! It has either defective firmware chip, or, more likely, an earlier version.Or, it can be even an mechanical problem that only shows up in strange places. As Forrest Gump would say "Things happen." Try a new printer. Sell the old one non eBay. Quote from: Geek-9pm on May 28, 2013, 08:36:21 AM Try a new printer. Sell the old one non eBay. This is a company printer, so I can't really do that.Maybe find out which printer gets the overall least office usage and swap the 2... Have you checked for a firmware update ? ? Could also just be the controller board.Quote from: patio on May 28, 2013, 08:44:26 AM Maybe find out which printer gets the overall least office usage and swap the 2... Could be an option, to see if the issue follows the users or the printer. It's a heavy beast though, might have to rope in some serious muscle to do that! Quote Have you checked for a firmware update ? ? There is one available but we're hesitant to apply it due to the risk of bricking the printer. Even though the risk is tiny, the impact would be significant. I think in all fairness this will have to be the next step though, we seem to have exhausted most other possibilities.Quote Could be an option, to see if the issue follows the users or the printer. It's a heavy beast though, might have to rope in some serious muscle to do that! I'm off on Thursday this week...airfare and a Pint would need to be part of the deal...Quote from: patio on May 28, 2013, 09:27:05 AM I'm off on Thursday this week...airfare and a Pint would need to be part of the deal... ...pint of what?What else ? ? Guinness...Quote from: patio on May 28, 2013, 09:27:05 AM I'm off on Thursday this week...airfare and a Pint would need to be part of the deal... It's 106kg or thereabouts, if you'll do that for airfare and a pint I'm happy with that Deal !.... You're a better man than me...I hauled up a 36kg laser printer from my car, up two flights of stairs to my flat, and just about did my back in!ahhhh printer, they just seem to agvervate every one even the guys in the tech depratment, i belive the invers of the printer just wanted a device to cause mass irration Update on the situation: the printer developed another fault with the black developer unit, so it's away for repairs as the dev unit they brought wasn't compatible due to firmware differences. It'll be fully updated when it comes back, so it'll be interesting to see what happens. I worked around the issue in the end by adding the printer as a local printer to the machines, rather than adding it as a shared printer. I did this by using the path to the printer ( \\servername\printer ) as the local port name. Seemed to be working fine up until the printer gave up. I can't wait to get rid of these Kyocera printers, who in the world thought it would be a good idea for them not to even be able to scan if a fault code is triggered by a print related component? "Hmm, so, the black dev unit is faulty, no printing...better stop them scanning too, because...just because". Caused me a lot of aggro! Especially as the temporary replacement machine from another department names its scanned documents slightly differently, leading to the software they use not picking them up correctly so they have to scan at another machine, and...so many trivial issues stemming from one SIMPLE thing, jeez.

Answer»

Here's an issue that we've been STRUGGLING with, on and off, for a few weeks at work. We've tried many things and done much Googling, but haven't been able to resolve the problem yet.

Background: medium size office, I'd say roughly 60 users, mix of Windows 7 Enterprise X64 and XP Pro, with a Server 2003 R2 Domain Controller.
The issue is, basically, being unable to print from Windows 7 Enterprise x64 to a Kyocera Taskalfa 250ci. We have several Kyocera printers including ANOTHER identical one, no problems with those at all, it's just one department with problems. Well, I say department, it's actually one room of people in a few departments, so they're even all in the same security groups in AD.
The issue seems to be a driver problem, in that if you right click on the printer and select "Printing preferences", you get an "operation could not be completed" box, no additional details. You can't then print to the printer, even a test page, and trying to select the printer from, say, Excel, will give you "Printer offline" or "Could not connect to printer". Having the printer set as default while in this state will also cause certain programs such as IE to freak out when the default printer doesn't respond and display cryptic error messages until you set the default to something else. Restarting the machine or printer will not help, you have to right click - remove the printer, log off or switch user, then log back on and reinstall the printer. This usually works, but not always.
While this is going on, other users will be able to print to the printer, until they will randomly run into the exact same issue. It's worth noting that myself and the other IT tech are always able to print to the printer with no problems whatsoever.

What we've tried so FAR: updating the driver on the print server, using a more generic driver than the Kyocera advanced one, setting the printer to render jobs on client computers rather than the server, disabling advanced printing features, and switching driver modes. Sometimes we can go 4 days or more without the issue cropping up, other times we've no sooner removed and re-added the printer and confirmed it's working than the same user is again unable to print.

I can't see that it's a plain incompatibility issue because the other 250ci we have, along with a 300ci, two 3550s and two 2550s, do not cause this problem, also we are able to print just fine using the same OS and driver.

Any suggestions would be more than welcome, we're tearing our hair out with this!How much time and money do you want to spend?
If you can isolate the issue to just one model of printer, replace those printers. The presumption is that the firmware on those printers is wrong.
It's just one printer that has the issue, and two of us have always been able to print to it with no problems whatsoever. The other identical printer also has no issues. I would imagine if the printer had a fault, or a firmware issue, everyone would have the same issue with it.
Talking of firmware reminded me to check the version and the 250ci with no issues does indeed have a slightly newer firmware version, hence why I have been mulling over upgrading it just to see if it makes a difference. The problem is, if anything goes wrong during the update and we BRICK the printer, that's a major issue as it's fairly critical. We have a stop on IT expenditure, otherwise the printers would ideally be replaced in order to have the same make and model of printer across the business as a whole, to reduce maintenance and consumables cost.Quote

..would imagine if the printer had a fault, or a firmware issue, everyone would have the same issue with it.

A variation of Murphy;s law says 'if they can get it wrong...they wail!
It has either defective firmware chip, or, more likely, an earlier version.Or, it can be even an mechanical problem that only shows up in strange places.
As Forrest Gump would say "Things happen."

Try a new printer. Sell the old one non eBay.
Quote from: Geek-9pm on May 28, 2013, 08:36:21 AM

Try a new printer. Sell the old one non eBay.

This is a company printer, so I can't really do that.Maybe find out which printer gets the overall least office usage and swap the 2...
Have you checked for a firmware update ? ?
Could also just be the controller board.Quote from: patio on May 28, 2013, 08:44:26 AM

Maybe find out which printer gets the overall least office usage and swap the 2...

Could be an option, to see if the issue follows the users or the printer. It's a heavy beast though, might have to rope in some serious muscle to do that!

Quote

Have you checked for a firmware update ? ?

There is one available but we're hesitant to apply it due to the risk of bricking the printer. Even though the risk is tiny, the impact would be significant. I think in all fairness this will have to be the next step though, we seem to have exhausted most other possibilities.Quote

Could be an option, to see if the issue follows the users or the printer. It's a heavy beast though, might have to rope in some serious muscle to do that!

I'm off on Thursday this week...airfare and a Pint would need to be part of the deal...Quote from: patio on May 28, 2013, 09:27:05 AM

I'm off on Thursday this week...airfare and a Pint would need to be part of the deal...

...pint of what?What else ? ? Guinness...Quote from: patio on May 28, 2013, 09:27:05 AM

I'm off on Thursday this week...airfare and a Pint would need to be part of the deal...

It's 106kg or thereabouts, if you'll do that for airfare and a pint I'm happy with that Deal !.... You're a better man than me...I hauled up a 36kg laser printer from my car, up two flights of stairs to my flat, and just about did my back in!ahhhh printer, they just seem to agvervate every one even the guys in the tech depratment, i belive the invers of the printer just wanted a device to cause mass irration Update on the situation: the printer developed another fault with the black developer unit, so it's away for repairs as the dev unit they brought wasn't compatible due to firmware differences. It'll be fully updated when it comes back, so it'll be interesting to see what happens.
I worked around the issue in the end by adding the printer as a local printer to the machines, rather than adding it as a shared printer. I did this by using the path to the printer ( \\servername\printer ) as the local port name. Seemed to be working fine up until the printer gave up.
I can't wait to get rid of these Kyocera printers, who in the world thought it would be a good idea for them not to even be able to scan if a fault code is triggered by a print related component? "Hmm, so, the black dev unit is faulty, no printing...better stop them scanning too, because...just because". Caused me a lot of aggro! Especially as the temporary replacement machine from another department names its scanned documents slightly differently, leading to the software they use not picking them up correctly so they have to scan at another machine, and...so many trivial issues stemming from one SIMPLE thing, jeez.

Solve : Here's a good one - issues printing from Windows 7?

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