Troubleshooting Printing Problems in Windows 95

• Microsoft Windows 95

This article describes troubleshooting steps that may help you solve problems printing in Windows 95. This information is also available in our Windows 95 Print Troubleshooting Wizard. We recommend using this wizard, but we have also created this text-based article for your convenience. The Windows 95 Print Troubleshooting Wizard is located on:

   http://support.microsoft.com/support/tshoot/default.asp

SUMMARY

This article describes troubleshooting steps that may help you solve printing problems in Microsoft Windows 95.

MORE INFORMATION

Printers.txt

Windows 95 includes a file called Printers.txt. This file is located in the Windows folder and contains information about known printing issues. This file may help you solve printing problems.

Print Troubleshooter

Windows 95 includes a Print Troubleshooter tool. Before you perform any troubleshooting steps, try the Print Troubleshooter tool. To use the Print Troubleshooter tool, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, then click Help.

2. On the Contents tab, double-click the Troubleshooting topic.

3. Double-click the If You Have Trouble Printing topic.

   Other\Misc\Epts\Epts.exe

Online Help

In addition to the Print Troubleshooter, there is extensive online help available in Windows 95. Click a printer option field with the right mouse button, then click "What's This?" on the menu that appears to see detailed information about that option.

Print from an MS-DOS Prompt

If you cannot print at all in Windows 95, try the following steps:

1. Verify that the printer is turned on and is online without any printer errors.

2. Perform a self-test on the printer. The method for performing a self-test is different for different printers. Check your printer's documentation for instructions.

   If the self-test fails, contact your printer manufacturer for assistance.

3. If possible, set up the printer on your local computer. Verify that no printer sharing devices or daisy-chained devices (such as SCSI CD-ROMs) are between the computer and printer.

4. Restart your computer. Press the F8 key when you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, then choose "Safe mode command prompt only."

   NOTE: Windows-based applications cannot print when you start Windows 95 in Safe mode.

5. Type the following line and then press ENTER:

         copy c:\autoexec.bat lpt1
   

   For a PostScript printer, type

         copy c:\<path>\testps.txt lpt1
   

   where <path> is the location of the Windows\SYSTEM directory.

   NOTE: If your printer is not connected to LPT1, substitute the correct port name in the lines above.

   These commands copy a file to the printer. If the file is not printed, there may be a problem with the port, the cable, or the printer. You may want to try using a different printer cable or a different printer. When you print to a laser printer, you may need to press the Form Feed key after the printer has received the print job; otherwise, the printer may not eject the paper.

Try the Alternate Lpt.vxd File

There is an alternate Lpt.vxd file that resolves the following problems:

• You cannot print or you receive timeout error messages on recent Compaq computers when you print to any bidirectional printer.
• You experience problems printing to any bidirectional printer on a computer with a PS/2-style LPT port. Symptoms include an extra page being printed, PJL commands appearing on the printout, or other various symptoms.
• You cannot use Device Manager to set an ECP port to run in standard LPT mode. This can occur on computers with a Plug and Play BIOS that enumerates only ECP parallel ports.

This file is also included in the self-extracting A1701.exe file.

This file is available for download from the following Microsoft FTP site:

   ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/Services/whql/drivers/win95/printr/

1. Using Windows Explorer, rename the Lpt.vxd file in the Windows\System folder to Lpt.old.

2. Copy the Lpt.vxd file from the Drivers\Printer\Lpt folder on the Windows 95 CD-ROM to the Windows\System folder on the hard disk.

   -or-

   Download the Lpt.vxd file from the Microsoft World Wide Web site to an empty folder, and then copy it to the Windows\System folder on the hard disk.

3. Restart Windows 95.

Print from Notepad and WordPad

1. With the printer still connected locally, restart your computer normally.

2. Click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, then click Notepad or WordPad.

3. Type some text in Notepad or WordPad and then try to print the text.

Device Manager Settings

1. If you cannot print from Notepad, verify that the port is set up correctly in Device Manager (for example, verify that there are no conflicts and that the port's resources are set correctly).

   NOTE: To open Device Manager, use the right mouse button to click My Computer and then click Properties on the menu that appears.

2. Click the Device Manager tab, double-click "Ports (COM & LPT)," then double-click the appropriate port for your printer [for example, "Printer Port (LPT1)"].

3. Click the Resources tab and verify that the settings are correct for your printer port. For example, the input/output range for a standard LPT1 port is 0378-037A (a physical LPT2 port typically uses I/O 278). Also verify that the conflicting devices list reads "No conflicts."

Disable the Enhanced Capabilities Port

If you have problems printing or experience garbled printout using an enhanced capabilities port, follow these steps to disable the enhanced capabilities port:

1. In Control Panel, double-click System.

2. On the Device Manager tab, double-click the "Ports (COM & LPT)" branch.

3. Double-click the ECP port.

4. On the Driver tab, click Change Driver.

5. Click Show All Devices.

6. In the Manufacturers box, click Standard Port Types. In the Models box, click Printer Port, and then click OK. Click OK until you return to Control Panel.

7. Follow the steps in the "Try the Alternate Lpt.vxd File" section above to install the alternate Lpt.vxd file.

• You may also need to change printer-related settings using the computer's CMOS setup utility to disable the enhanced capabilities port. For information about doing so, please consult the computer's documentation or manufacturer.
• The alternate Lpt.vxd file does not work for some Compaq computers and you cannot disable the ECP port on these computers. If you cannot print to an inkjet, dot-matrix, or laserjet printer from a Compaq computer due to problems with the ECP port, the alternate Lpt.vxd file does not fix the problem, and you cannot disable the ECP port in the computer's CMOS settings, obtain the Sp1516.exe file from Compaq. This file contains a driver that is loaded in the Autoexec.bat file to disable the ECP port.

Remove and Reinstall the Printer Port

1. If a conflict exists or the port's settings are incorrect, use Device Manager to remove the printer port.

   NOTE: To open Device Manager, use the right mouse button to click My Computer and then click Properties on the menu that appears.

2. Click the Device Manager tab, double-click "Ports (COM & LPT)," then click the appropriate port for your printer [for example, "Printer Port (LPT1)"].

3. Click the Remove button and then restart your computer.

4. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Control Panel.

5. Double-click the Add New Hardware icon, and let Windows 95 detect the hardware in your computer.

1. At a command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after each line:

         debug
         d 40:0
   

   NOTE: The first row of numbers contains the COM and LPT port I/O addresses. In the following example

         F8 03 F8 02 00 00 00 00 - 78 03 00 00 00 00 00 f7 01
   

   F8 03 is COM1, F8 02 is COM2, 78 03 is LPT1, and 00 00 denotes that no port exists. These I/O addresses must match the I/O addresses in Device Manager.

2. Type "q" (without quotation marks) and press ENTER.

Hard Disk Maintenance

There should be at least 3 megabytes (MB) of free space on the hard disk that contains your temporary directory.

Remove Temporary and Spool Files:

1. Restart your computer. Press the F8 key when you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, then choose "Safe mode command prompt only."

   NOTE: Windows-based applications cannot print when you start Windows 95 in Safe mode.

2. Type "set" (without quotation marks) and press ENTER. Note the location of the TEMP variable.

3. Change to the directory noted in step 2. For example, if TEMP is set to C:\WINDOWS\TEMP, type the following line and then press ENTER:

         cd\windows\temp
   

4. Delete any temporary files in this directory. Temporary files typically have a .TMP extension. To delete these files, type the following line and then press ENTER:

         del *.tmp
   

   NOTE: You should not delete these files from within the Windows 95 graphical user interface (GUI) because Windows 95 or a Windows- based application may be using one of these files.

5. Type the following line and press ENTER to change to the spool directory:

         cd\windows\spool\printers
   

6. Delete any spool files in this directory. Spool files typically have a .SPL extension. To delete these files, type the following line and then press ENTER:

         del *.spl
   

If the hard disk becomes fragmented or there are cross-linked files on the hard disk, you can encounter printing problems. To check for these problems, follow these steps:

1. Restart your computer normally.

2. Click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, then click ScanDisk.

3. When ScanDisk is finished, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, then click Disk Defragmenter.

You Can Print from a Command Prompt But Not Windows-Based Programs

If you can print from a command prompt but not from any Windows-based application, there may be a problem with the spool settings or with bidirectional communication.

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.

2. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you are trying to print to and then click Properties on the menu that appears.

3. Click the Details tab, click the Spool Settings button, then click the Print Directly To The Printer option button.

4. If your printer supports bidirectional communication, click the "Disable bi-directional support for this printer" option button.

   NOTE: Bidirectional printing relies on the 1284 IEEE specification. If your printer cable does not conform to this specification and is not of reasonable length, bidirectional printing does not work in Windows 95.

5. Click the OK button.

6. Try to print from Notepad or WordPad.

7. If you can print from Notepad or WordPad, try different combinations of spool settings and bidirectional support until you find a combination that works. For example, try disabling bidirectional support with RAW and EMF spool data format settings. Also, try bidirectional support with the RAW spool data format.

   NOTE: RAW is the only spool data format supported for PostScript printers.

Printing Problems Occur Only in One Application

If you can print from Notepad, WordPad, and other applications, try the following steps:

1. What exactly is the printing problem? Does the application print graphics properly, or are you having problems with just one font?

2. Does the problem occur in one document only, or all documents within the application? As a test, try to print a blank page inside the application. If this prints, the application may have problems with memory or fonts.

3. Are you using a 32-bit or 16-bit application? 32-bit applications use the system registry to obtain needed information, while 16-bit applications may use .INI files. If you are having a printing problem with a 16-bit application, perhaps an .INI file needs to be modified to accommodate the application.

4. Reinstall the application.

5. Contact the manufacturer of the application for specific settings that might affect printing.

Windows 3.x Required Disabling Fast Printing Direct To Port

If you had to disable the Fast Printing Direct To Port option in Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.x, you should disable the Check Port State option in Windows 95. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.

2. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to use, then click Properties on the menu that appears.

3. Click the Details tab, click the Port Settings button, then click the Check Port Status check box to clear it.

Change the Printer Driver

Generic/Text Only:

If you have problems printing in Windows 95, try the Generic/Text Only printer driver. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.

2. Double-click the Add Printer icon and follow the instructions in the Add Printer Wizard to install the Generic/Text Only printer driver.

3. Try to print from your application with this driver.

Many printers have emulation modes that allow you to print with a different printer driver. Refer to the printer documentation or manufacturer about using emulation modes on your printer.

NOTE: Most printers require that you change a setting on the printer to use emulation modes.

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.

2. Double-click the Add Printer icon and follow the instructions in the Add Printer Wizard to install the printer driver for the printer that your printer emulates.

   NOTE: For PostScript printers, try installing the Apple LaserWriter II NTX driver (this is a PostScript driver that works with most PostScript printers).

Windows 95 supports over 800 printers directly and can also use Windows version 3.1 and 3.11 printer drivers. When you install Windows 95, if a Windows 95 printer driver is available for the printer you are using, that printer driver is installed. If there is no Windows 95 printer driver available for your printer, the Windows 3.x printer driver is left in place and should work with Windows 95.

NOTE: Windows 3.x printer drivers cannot take advantage of some of the printing enhancements in Windows 95.

A newer printer driver for Windows 95 may be available in the future from Microsoft or from your printer's manufacturer. Contact your printer's manufacturer for further details.

For additional information about using Windows 3.1 drivers in Windows 95, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q132946
   TITLE     : How to Install Windows 3.1 Drivers in Windows 95

Remove and Reinstall the Printer Driver

If the printing problem seems to be corrected by using a different printer driver, follow these steps to remove and reinstall the printer driver:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.

2. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to remove, then click Delete on the menu that appears.

3. If you are prompted to remove all the files associated with the printer, click Yes.

4. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.

5. Double-click the Add Printer icon and follow the instructions in the Add Printer Wizard to reinstall the Windows 95 printer driver.

Verify Printer Properties

Incorrect printer property settings can cause poor or incomplete output, or can cause your printer not to print at all. Follow these steps to check the printer property settings:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.

2. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to check, then click Properties on the menu that appears.

3. Verify that the printer properties (such as printer memory and paper size) are correct.

   NOTE: For PostScript printers, you must copy the TESTPS.TXT file to the printer port to determine the appropriate available printer memory setting for the Device Options tab. The TESTPS.TXT file lists a "Max Suggested VM (KB)" value for the printer. Use this value on the Device Options tab. See the "Print from an MS-DOS Prompt" section of this article for information about how to print the TESTPS.TXT file on PostScript printers.

Network Printing Problems

If you have problems printing to a network printer, try these steps:

1. Print to a local printer.

2. Print to a file, then copy the file to the print server. To try this, follow these steps:

   a. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.

   b. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to use, then

         click Properties on the menu that appears.
   

   c. Click the Details tab, then click File in the Print To The

         Following Port box.
   

   d. Print a document from any application. When you are prompted, enter a

         filename for the print job.
   

   e. Click the Start button, point to Programs, then click MS-DOS

         Prompt.
   

   f. At the MS-DOS prompt, type the following line and then press ENTER

            copy <path><filename> <printer port> /b
   
         where <path> is the location of the file you created in step D,
         <filename> is the name of the file you created in step D, and
         <printer port> is the port the printer is attached to.
   
         The /b switch denotes a binary file and causes the whole file to be
         printed. Without the /b switch, the whole file may not be printed.
         The printer may stop printing the file at the first CTRL+Z character
         it encounters in the file.
   
   

3. Capture a printer port for the network printer rather than using a universal naming convention (UNC) connection. To do so, follow these steps:

   a. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.

   b. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to use,

         then click Properties on the menu that appears.
   

   c. Click the Details tab, then click the Capture Printer Port button.

   d. Click the port you want to capture (such as LPT2) and the path

         to the network printer (such as \\ServerName\PrinterShare).
   

         NOTE: If you want this connection to be available each time you start
         Windows 95, click the Reconnect At Logon check box to select it.
   

4. Try to print the document from another computer on the network.

5. If you still cannot print to the network printer, perform standard network troubleshooting steps, such as:

       - Try to browse the print server.
       - Remove and reinstall your network protocols.
   

6. If you have multiple network clients installed, try removing one of the clients. To do so, follow these steps:

   a. Use the right mouse button to click Network Neighborhood, and

         then click Properties on the menu that appears.
   

   b. Click one of the network clients, and then click Remove.

   c. Click OK.

   d. Restart your computer, and try to print again.

Printing Speed

Printing speed in Windows 95 is measured in one of two ways:

• Return to application (RTA) speed. This is defined as the length of time from when you click Print to when you regain control of the system.
• Printer page drop speed. This is defined as the length of time from when you click print to when the print job is complete.

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.

2. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to use, then click Properties on the menu that appears.

3. Click the Details tab, then click the Spool Settings button.

   For faster RTA speed:

   a. Click "Start printing after first page is spooled."

   b. In most cases, choose EMF as the spool data format.

         NOTE: PostScript printers support only the RAW spool data format.
   

   For faster printer page drop speed:

   a. Click the Print Directly To The Printer option button.

         -or-
   

   b. Click "Start printing after last page is spooled." (Note that this

         is how the Windows 3.1 spooler works.) In some cases, this option
         prevents laser printer engines from turning on and off during a
         print job.
   

Try LPT1.DOS

If you have problems printing to a local printer, try the LPT1.DOS port. This method is similar to printing to a file and then copying the file to the printer port. To enable the LPT1.DOS port, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.

2. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to use, then click Properties on the menu that appears.

3. On the Details tab, click Add Port.

4. In the Add Port dialog box, click Other, click Local Port, click OK, then type "LPT1.DOS" (without quotation marks) in the Enter A Port Name box. Click OK.

If you cannot print to LPT1.DOS in normal mode, try restarting your computer in Safe mode, and then printing to LPT1.DOS. To start Windows 95 in Safe mode, restart the computer. When you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, press the F8 key, and then choose Safe Mode from the Startup menu. If you can print to LPT1.DOS in Safe mode, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge base to help you resolve this issue using Safe mode:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q156126
   TITLE     : Troubleshooting Windows 95 Using Safe Mode

Additional Information

Try the following steps to enable the Print TrueType As Graphics option:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.

2. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to use, then click Properties on the menu that appears.

3. Click the Fonts tab, then click the Print TrueType As Graphics option.

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.

2. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to use, then click Properties on the menu that appears.

3. Click the Graphics tab, then click a lower resolution or dots per inch (DPI) for your printer.

If you cannot print a complex document, try removing some of the graphic elements in the document, or convert all the fonts in the document to a printer-resident font such as Courier.

If a specific graphic object in a document is printed poorly, make sure the graphic object is compatible with the printer. For example, an Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) graphic object is intended for use on PostScript printers only. On a non-PostScript printer, such a graphic object will be printed poorly in an otherwise satisfactory printout.

Reset the Printer:

Try turning off the printer. After 5 to 10 seconds, turn the printer back on. Many printing problems are the result of a printer's memory being full of downloaded fonts.

Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4:

If you print to a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4, change the graphics mode from Vector to Raster. This takes less memory, and is especially useful if you receive an "Error 21" error message on the printer.

Extra Page Printed with Each Print Job:

For information about this issue, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q132425
   TITLE     : Extra Page Printed with Each Print Job